New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-09-03
THE UNION SQUARE ACCIDENT.
INVESTIGATION BY THE coRoNER--THE JURY's YER
DICT-CENsURING THE BRUSH ILLUMINATING

INVESTIGATION BY THE CORoNER--THE JURYs YER
DICT-CENsURING YHE BRUSH ILLUMINATING
COMPANY.
Coroner Elngcr Yesterday made an inquiry as to
the cause of the death of the two who died from
injuries received by the falling of the electric lamps
on the platform when the Sf fell t testified
that the work vas constructed under his
was not the work of any one man, but of several.
He approved of the design of the hosting appara-
weights be used to balance the weight of the lamps
and The stsca OF tine
to hold the lamps with ease at any height. The
castings were calculated by S. Hermann, the
draashsmGn employed by the The wit
one of the lImen that killed, who superin-
tended the work of making and raising the pole.
ana the breaking of the wheel, but could not tell
" at caused 1T to break. Two men had several
times raised weight to the top of the pole than
was on the carriages on the night of the accident
A. A. Hayes, jr., secretary of the company, corrobo
sworn nor questioned, although he was present
when the lamps fell. Alexander Henderson, work
man IN the employ of the company. testified to hav-
ing seen the corners of several teeth chipned" from
one OF the cog-wheels connecting with the vertical
shaft which turned the wheel that was broken, hut
the jury said that it of consequence and he
was not questioned further
Ludwig Hermann, mechanical and civil engineer,
who calculated the proportions of the machinery,
was next sworn. He said that the weight of the
carriages and lamps was about 1000 pounds and
about 800 pounds. The e" worm" gear was so ar
ranged that three teeth of the wheel were all
that bearing the strain at any one time.
The worn" wheels were both of cast iron The
castings used in machines never tested before
being used. only examined carefully. The reputa-
ton of the foundry is sufficient guaranty that the
work is well done. He added that the wheel was
broken by an undue strain brought TO bear upon it
in some way, but how he could not tell. He thought
that as the engineer of the company he should have
been informed lhat the lamps were to be raised
that night, but he knew nothing OF it until the next
morning.
The ury after being out an hour returned with
the following unanimous verdict:
Wefnd that Robert Stuart aud Ernest Duchener came
TO their DEATH August ~ caused by the breaking of
chlncry attached to pole in Union Square, the
pose OF hosting electric lamps to the top of said pole
to defect in the construction nor the
the machinery but due to the negligence of the Brush
Electric Illuminating Company iii falling to have
petent the spot TO superintend the working of
the machinery ut the time when the accident occurred
1t has been suggested that the wheel was broken
by the dropping of something from the platform
between the cogs and that the "worm" gear turned
by the six men was powerful enough
to break the wheel. IAnother theory is
that the lamps had reached the top of the pole,
one of the workmen had already suggested that
the carriage was held against the beams across
the top of the pole; that the cables stretched few
inches. and that the combined strength of the men
at the windlass too great for the iron casting
and this caused 1t to break.