The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-24
THE JURY'S VERDICT.
How They Believe the Reservoir Dis
aster Was Caused.
FAULTY CONSTRUCTION OF THE
OVERFLOW SYSTEM,

The Reservoir Was Thoroughly Con-
structed and the Plans of the Engineer
Were Carefully Carried Out, But the
Manner of Laying the Waste Pipe
Made Weak Spot in the Structure.
The coroner's inquest on the reservoir
disaster was concluded yesterday after
noon and the verdict given below was
rendered.
Yesterdays session was devoted to the
examination of Mr.. and Mrs. John d.
Conley, who escaped alive from the
doomed house, and Mr.. John R. Freeman
of Boston, the expert engineer. Mr.. Free
mans testimony was to the general
effect that so far as the earthwork of the
reservoir was concerned, it was all right,
the plans, material and workmanship
being first class.
The source of weakness in Mr.. Free
mans opinion was the iron waste pipe,
and especially the concrete inlet at the
upper end of the walls. He thought that
in all probability the frost acting on the
clay puddled bank of the reservoir
the water was drawn off caused the pipe
to heave little and thus let in little
water around the sides. Or the ice form
ing over the concrete block might cause
it to heave out, with the same result.
There was more or less said on the
point of core walls, but Mr.. Freeman de-
clared that more than half of the reser-
voirs in the country, especially New Eng
land, are without them and are con-
sidered perfectly safe. "a
After some time spent in deliberation
the jury returned the following verdict,
finding:
That Annie Caroline Conley, Mamie
Conley and James Moseley, all Of
Portland in the county of Cumberland,
and State of Maine, came to their deaths
at said Portland, on the sixth day Of
August, AID, 1883, through injuries
received by the bursting of the embank-
ment of the reservoir OF the Portland
Water Company, situated on MunJoy
Hill, so called, in said Portland.
:. And the jury find that said reservoir
was constructed in the years Of 1885 and
1889; that said Portland Water Company
employed an engineer of long experience
and of the highest standing IN his pro-
fession to make the plans for its con-
struction and to supervise from the be-
ginning of operations thereon the work of
the contract or engaged in building said
reservoir; that the only change made in
said plans from the time of the inception
of work Hereunder to the day of the
completion of said reservoir were in the
direction of increased expense and
efficiency; that the contractor who built
the reservoir was man of experience in
such work, and that the work of con-
struction was done pursuant to the plans
of the engineer, and in thorough and
workmanlike manner
From the evidence submitted by the
engineers, the jury are unable to deter
mine the precise cause of the accident,
but feel satisfied that it was in some
way connected with the overflow pipe,
which said pipe was an ordinary,
straight, twelve inch iron pipe, similar
to pipes used for water mains, laid on a
slope through the earthen embankment
of said reservoir, surrounded with
rammed pudding material.
And the jury believe that the presence
of said iron pipe laid through said en-
bankment in the manner aforesaid was
the weak place in the embankment of
said reservoir and that the presence of
such pipe without adequate collars or
cut off walls, laid in manner aforesaid
was source of danger and was not con-
sistent with the high degree of safety
which the public have right to expect
in the construction of reservoirs located
within the limits of a. city