New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-20
HOW THE DAM OVERFLOWED.
INQUEST OVER THE VICTIMS OF THE
DUrcHEss JUNCTION TRAGEDY.
SAY THAT THE RAISING
s,u,w,y LEFT TOO LITTLE ROOM FOX

rxc,Nrrps SAY THAT THE RAISING OF i"r
s,u,w,v LEFT TOO LITTLE ROOM FOR
THE WATER TO RUN OFF
w Ju,y is.-The inquest Into
49,. 1..,, NJ the seyen victims OF the hooa 49,
~ .s,,ro of the Mezingah reservoirs III ~
~ Ill, ~ Mountains last Wednesday morh'ns' VIC"
t.,,n a. Mat,eawan this afternoon IN III. "a 10. ~,
h.u in the village. The evidence , co =, Tho Of
,,,,.us with experts already puoh'"' mc,or,
foot that the disaster was d"e 10 o,r ~ which
s,,,,,av ar overflow In the upper reservoir. ,hrs
spi'"' - ,ater to run over the DAM an" - -
a"o"e' w. rrtu II collapsed. District
' ho vas present, with Assistant D'S
,orroy uovsradt examined the "''"e hou>
patrick Murphy, proprietor OF '"1 C,nrov er,-
Itch ove of the victims iiVeu, JIM ,t and two
III VIM ,,,,orev's brickyard. whose WIZ o. S..,s
g.neer In li"o,e' d and several other persons
children "eie .S hr,ckyard we're hrst eAa"'e''
connected with 'he
90 establish the facts -, tho Water Com
10 .s .'d sheaf. superintendent OF 'ne ~ charge
,os,ifed that the reserVors 100 that they
ps"' tcbman. whose duty II was ~ said he 'has
-. ION, full OF water Ou' -. and we never
were NJ & :, having too little wa'ei' ~" - ry.tch
always pee" .. raservoir runpng over. Inc and
counteo o'' VS. vr.cted TO be at the oahi'
man was ~" s,s we're in perfect oroer' a.' - due
he"'' -. FOR their overfiowiHs' un had heen
n or,ralization Of the ra'"'' - the water
10 o. three lays. had neNe, and never
- civ inches deep or the sp nafore"
o'ei - ,s overhowing the dams ~ .o,a him tha;
knew Oh 's ~, ,rat no one had ever 'o' I'M ,,,,a
MT ohe' considered unsafe III ''o ms
M .no "a that the president OF 'he 49, - the d.
he sa,u rn,ntor OF New-York. and TWO y. T.
Giles H. a coorge H. Holt and uaS'on - 80
,'uar ue did not know the o.neoss os;ce at No. II
nulie, M e,,ncorporated and nan ah o'e
Was, most important statement mafr frc m tweve
was that the spilwsy we bIs direction about four
eighteen WcneS .shrra n
years ago rdon s,xty-six years old me varni be-
John GoruSS" S the reservoirs. was no, smmiah, be
IN cn'' me District. Attorney sd % was called upon
Charged with a an of'nSf Which he gave wi9sy dae he
to nane AN visiIe' the dams on the mOgn WIS safe and
before they broke ana was seven feet from The
SOUND u The dams 1nat night me .ne zone to the
made him restless and ana he he anticipated any danger
servoirs, ne xnown the dams TO overho" uu''"9
his hs nine years experience. onened he said and
Inc gaie sve done nothing more unless h nS aanger
10 VAIN the psGpe ps m IN thorn. she former careaker
before etiaed that in his opinion II ,ae sen over
been open the DAM "ou'u NV
howed -. ,,yn engineer who was sent py
IN nistrict Attorney TO examine h, tie ~ the dams
dams testified that ane respect They would resist
pressure of sixty tons to tne he reservoirs were
The pressure ny W one ne and fourth tons me
was with the spway Of the uppe three fee; seven
nad pee or than the crest OF the dam. % out ~ Tho
was raised evidently to increase '"'
reservoir . ,mc,encv of the spillway ana me
wa Wa' ~ The dam that caused the acS,u1s h mil
declared f there Had oesn on the I dam according TO
way cscnation sr the latter would never G aer had
flowed As near as can oe u, least six hours be-
been beer = running Hnve woy aver '"e o,n Robertson.
Mr. Brevo'rt WAS ,cSeis Junction The inquest was
adjourned until tomorrow al p ~"