Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-08-08
THE INQUEST.
Continued from page ID

| did no hear any noise before the great
crash. Both said no effort was made
by anyone to keep The crowd back
| from the gangway. All three of these
witnesses believed that all the dead
We're drowned. not crushedi in the fall or
| by planks being thrown in for their
rescue. No one was pushed in by the
| crowds on the pier. for after the crash
| all involuntarily drew back in horror
| from the opening.
Miss Ethel r. Stratton of Bangor
| testified to the same effect.
The most important wintess was
William A. Witham of Lisbon Falls
foreman of the bridges for the Maine
Central Railroad, who built the gang
way last June He said the material
| for the gangway was not ordered by
him. but was landed on the wharf lor
his use. His orders for the building or
the bridge came from Supt Powers OF
the bridge and building department OF
the Maine Central.
The gangway was 81 IL feet long
and 10 wide The timbers were SXl2
| inches. set vertically and crossed by
| Pinch planking. There were five OF
| these beams running the length of the
Cangway. These timbers We're rein
| forced nv three 1-inch iron truss rods
| SET in hard nine cross timbers at the
hinge of the pier. and a spruce tim
| her at the outer end. These rods were
| through holes made with chisel, not
aueer and were fastened on the out
| side by 2 1-2-inch nuts screwed flush
with the timbers.
He was not an expert of quality Of
| timber. but thought the material was
| good. and supposed the gangway was
| strong enough to bear all strain that
| could be put upon it. He believed the
| accident was caused by the nuts on
| the iron rod pulling through the outer
| cross piece and then the timbers We're
| not strong enough to stand the extra
strain thrown upon them. Asked why
washers or places We're not put under
the nuts he said he built the slip as
instructed.
The jury was composed Of W. F.
Grant. S. G. Moon. Nelson Stewart,
James f. Butler and George W. Goo
gins. all Of Hancock, and Henry Epps
of Ellsworth.
After the usual legal formalities. II.
\. Fairbanks, an insurance agent of
Bangor, was called as first witness. In
the course of his testimony. he said:
Il was standing on the wharf on the
arrival Of the train, at about 1920 y.
NJ. The people who were on the train
moved in a mass and soon filled the
slip. / should judge that perhaps 201
had gone into the boat when there was
| a noise followed SO closely with
crash that one was hardly distinguish
able from the other.
THE Slip broke in two about three
feet from my right and let a mass Of
people down into the water. My first
move was to seize a settee, and, with
aid it was put over the planking.
| Next we took hold and moved one of
the gang planks around the head of
the slip and that was lowered down to
| the people who were in the water.
ITO the best Of my judgment. after
| having counted the planks. 46 in num-
Der. | estimated that five persons We're
on each plank. making go in all. At
ter that l confined my attention to
| getting barrels and rolling water out
/ of the people rescued.
Odd you examine the slip?
Al did carefully. Measured the
slip, found the stringers. five in num-
| bed had given way. Four had broken
and one had parted where it was
| spliced. Later examination developed
the fact that bolts had pulled through
| the timbers on the outside of the step.
which had let the truss down into the
| water and it is my impression that the
| first noise | heard was when the bolts
| pulled through the timbers.
OWN you state If there was
| plate on the end of the rods?
A.-Can't say.
| Q.-What was the character of the
| head timbers?
A.-Should say that it was an ord-
nary good piece of spruce. Did not
| measure it.
Q.-State the character of the iron
| trusses.
A.-Should say they were in good or
| der
Odd you examine them thor
oughly.
A.-Casually.
Q.-What was the character Of the
stringers?
| A.-They We're of spruce and seemed
to be of usual strength for such lum-
| Der without any appearance of decom-
position.
Q.-Were not the stringers of I'M
equal thickness and shaky and knarly?
A.-Should say that thickness was
| about alike. Width variable. Did not
measure the width and I did not OBJ
serve any knarls. They were cut away
before | saw any more.
Q.-CBy Commemorative you noticed
any change in conditions of that slip
| since last night?
A.-The part of the slip had been re-
moved 20 give the diver opportunity
to dc his work. Either by cutting
away or saving.
Q.-What was cut or sawed away?
A.-The stringers and planking had
been taken up.
Q.-How in your opinion did these
people meet their deaths?
MA