Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-03-21
Verdict OF the COroner's Jury Reia-
tive to The Ashtabula Disaster.
CLEyELANp. ONO. March 8.

NLEN ELAhD, OHIO. hhTcn ..
The Leaders, Ashtabula special saws the
Coroncr's Jury to-day rendered the follow
ing verdict
That the fall of the bridge was the result
of defects and errors made i'm designing
constructing and erecting it, tuat a great de-
feet and one which appears in many parts
Of the structure, was the dependence of
every member Tor its efficient action upon
the probability that all, or nearly all, the
Others would retain their position and do the
duty for which they were designed, instead
OF giving 10 each member a positive COuucc-
ton with the rest, which nothing but a
direct rupture could sever. The mem
berS OF eaCn truss were, instead of being
fastened together, rested one upon the 9th
er, as illustrated 10y the following parlicu-
lars: The deficient cross sections of portions
o. the IT, chords and some of the main
braces, and The insufficient strength and bad
arrangement of both the horizontal and vcr-
teal transverse Tracing IN the construction
of thc angle blocks, as finally modified, with
out sufficient Tugs or IaugeS to keep the
ends Of tie main and countcr-braccs from
slipping out of place; in the construction Of
the packing and yokes used in binding to-
ggtucr the main and counter-braccs al the
points whore they crossed each other; i'm
the sLimmiug OF he top chords 10 com
pcnsa,c the deficient length of some
OF their members in The placing during the
process of erection of thick beams where the
plan required thin ones, and thin ones where
it required thick ones That the Railway
Company used and continued to use this
bridge for about eleven years, during all OF
when time a careful inspection by a COmpC-
tent bridge engineer could not have failed to
discover all the defects. For the neglect of
such careful inspection the Railway Com
pany is alone responsible; that the re-
spuusiblity of this fearful disaster aud
sT
upon the Railway Company, which,
10y its chief executive officer, planned a0d
erected tLis bridge, that the ears i'm which
the deceased Passengers were carried into
the Chusm Wgr, not heated by heating appa-
raJus so constructed that me ire in them
would bc Immediately eNtin-uish when
ever the cars were thrown from the track aud
overturned, that lhgiriallure TO comply with
the plain requirements OF the law places
the rcspousi blAty Of the origin OF the lire
upon the railway company lseg act Of May II,
lSoSU thar the responsibility for not
putting out the lire at the time il
FIRST made ITS appearance in the wreck
rests upon those who were the ulst TO
arrive 40 the scene of the disaster, and who
seemed 70 have been So overwhelmed los the
fearful calamity ,h4t they lost all presence
OF mind, and failed 10 use the means at
land, con listing of the steam pump iu the
pUmNlUL-huU~c and the HVg-gu-Inu d" Lake
shore and its hose, which mi -hJ have been
attached lo tine s,yam.pgu.p in time 20 save
life. lau steamer belonging 10 the Fire Dee
Iagtmyut, ana also the Protection tire
engine, were EaUlgdmoru than 70 mile through
"a b.Iual.- suuWstOrm ana over roads rene
ugTD0 almost impossible hy CrIitcd snow,
and arrived on the ground too late 10 save
human life, uut nothing should have p'g-
vented the chief engineer from making al,
possible efforts g. ext -Gjsa what Ury taeru
remained For Ills failure 10 do ial- tc is
responsible. That the persons deceased
Whose bodies were Unidentified, aud those
whose bodies aud parts OF bodies were uu-
identified, came 90 their deaths ay the p,e.ip-
itatlga ~ The aforesaid cars in which they
were E.ai.- .atg tho caasm in the valley at
Asht-huIa Creek, left hy the falling OK the
bridge rs aforesaid. and Jhe crushing and
Ea-uju- D, the cars azores aid, Tor 'll %. WA.-l
The Railway Company is responsible.