The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-03-26
End ACHIEVED,
CORONER ARBUCKLE WAKES
WARM FOR EFFECT.
Didn't See m TO Care so Much Who Was
Res ponsible, SO the Railroad Com
pany Didn't Get Into Trouble
I. NJ. BraIy Released.

When Coroner ArDuCkles Oh OleNelahu'
mad a finding that held J. NJ Braly, of
Canton, responsible for the first accident
Tinker's Creek, on the A. B. q. lines,
the general verdict of the public was that
a gross and ridiculous error had been
made, accidentally or by design. He was
the last man thought Of in connection
with that wreck, and it seemed to an un-
biased people that the coroner was strain
ng every nerve to keep somebody else out
of trouble. He had to blame it on some
body and got it rs far away from the
eal facts as possible.
Mr.. Braly is draughtsman. He
hadn't the first thing to do with the con
truction of that bridge, He outlined
ONE plan according to specifications
urnishcd by the A.B.C. company's chief
nginccr, and there i, no evidence that in
making up the draftings for the bridge
he ruled single line. At any rate,
bridges are not built on paper, especially
bridges that are to he taxed to about four
times their guaranteed capacity. The
plans were drawn and the bridge con
structcd J. NJ. Braly had nothing to do
with that construction. 1t is no part of
his duty TO see that the steel is Of proper
weight or thickness or is sufficiently PHI
able. He doesn't rivet the pieces together.
He doesn't produce the iron and steel
that enters into its construction. He does
not see the bridges and cannot be held &c
countable for anything in connection
with them. SuburdinatPs may err but
no sensible man can see now draughts
man, who hos nothing to do with con
struction, could be held responsible.
But what Of the engineer who inspected
the work after everything was finished?
What IS he paid for? Upon him finally
rests the burden Of prOnounCing the
bridge safe or unsafe, What matters it to
him, when or where work was done, or
by whom? The only question with him
Is whether the bridge is safe 1t is in evi-
dencc that he examined that bridge.
That is what he is paid for That is what
the public expects him to do.
The public is not interested in whose
bridge cars are running over. What they
want is a bridge that will carry them
over safely. The inspector Of the A. b. G.
company pronounced that bridge safe. Its
a safety guarantee up to forty tons. The
inspector, in passing upon that bridge,
said it was safe, constructed according to
specifications and amply adequate for
what 1t was intended TO carry. The
burden from that moment rested upon
him. If the bridge wasn't safe he ought
TO have said so at once and made such
recommendations as would bring the
bridge up to the requirements. But he
pronounced the bridge n success and
thereby relieved every one from response
bility but himself, and the A. b. &. com
pany, whose agent he was.
But Coroner Arbuckle and his mOuthy
deputy, one Vessey, seems to have been
anxious to shift blame from the railroad
company and its employees, and wholly
overlooking the fact that four times as
much weight as the capacity of the bridge
permitted was put on it at the time of the
accident, and that up to that time the
bridge, without quiver, had sustained
the weight il was constructed to sus-
tain, according to specifications, the cor
Oner entirely ignored the railroad com
pany passed over the head Of the in
spector overlooked every subordinate in
connection with the work, and indicted
for mansaughter a man who could not,
under any law ever passed or that ever
will be passed be held in the slightest
degree culpable, and who, in fact, so far
as the evidence shows, didn't make any
of the plans.
1t was one of the most glaring Outrages
ever perpetrated to cause the arrest Of J.
NJ Braly. He was caused serious inCon-
venience; odIom, for a time, was cast
upon his family suffered anxiety and tor
ture him, and for what? That the A. B. c.
company and its inspector, in whose
hands were the lives of every human be
ing who passed over that bridge, might
clude prosecution. Mr. Braly suffered
the indignity of arrest, gave bond and "A
hearing was set. What is the result?
BY the action of Justice Kitchens at
Cleveland yesterday, no one is now held
responsible for the bridge disaster which
occurred at Bedford on January g. y.
NJ. Braly was discharged by the justice on
a motion made by Attorney &C. Bow, of
Canton. The motion was to the effect
that the state had failed to prove that Mr..
Braley was responsible for the plans and
the justice sustained such motion.
The preliminary hearing uccuuied all
day Monday and until Tuesday after
noon Officials of the Akron, BEDFORD Il
Cleveland Railroad Company, the bridge
company and a number Of civil engineers
and chemists were examined. County
Solicitor Kaiser represented the state.
The defense offered no testimony, but at
the conclusion OI the testimony for the
state the motion was made.
On January & a coal car and p snow
pillow and motor, weighing several times
the guaranteed capacity of the bridge,
mo nH IN NJ
across the steel bridge at Bedford, when
the center of the bridge gave way, and
the men were prccipitated to the bottom
Of chasm, a distance Of sixty-ave feet.
one of the men was instantly killed,
and another died within a few hours.
Coroaer ArbucEle in his veriict held Mr..
Braly as crimianlly liable, and the next
day he was arrested ard charged with
manslaughteT.
When Coroner Arbuckle heard of the
discharge Of Mr. Braley he waxed warm
on the subject But that warmth is sub
ject to a liberal allowance Of saline sub
stance, The result gets Arbuckle out Of
hole. Public opinion demanded that
some one be held accountable for the acci
dent The public knew the railroad
company had overtaxed the bridge. But
the coroner didn't find any one connected
with the railway company guilty Of any
thing. HI mast have known that he
could mt have held J. NJ. Braly, but he
had TO make a finding Of some sort. He
switched 1t away from the railroad com
pany and their inspector, cleared their
skirts neatly ard thought he was clear.
ing his own by blaming the accident on
J. NJ, Braly. He will make no other
finding. He can now sit back and say
LIE did his nnIu and Tint tho irinAinn ,.-h.,