New-York tribune., 1902-05-29
POLICE WARNED FOREMAN
PATROLMAN HAD REPORTED FOOT
BRIDGE UNSAFE FOR CROWD.
sUB-CoNTRACTOR ARRESTED - CORONER
SAYS POLICE TRIED TO KEEP
BRIDGE CLEAR.

Sa1S IO1>iLE lh4f>D ~ 1NA@A1i
BRIDGE CLEAR.
]. G.. Miller. of No 314 Kosciusko-st.. Brook
lyn. the sub-contractor who is alleged to have
built the footbridge at Fifth-ave. and Eigh-
teenth-st.. which collapsed Tuesday evening,
killing Edward L. Coolidge and injuring scores
Of men, women and children, was arrested yes
terday and taken before Coroner Scholer. The
coroner held court in the engine house of Com
pany No IA. in Eighteenth-st., near the scene
Of the disaster. Miller was held in $1,000 bail
TO await the result of the inquest which will
probably be held in about two weeks. John F.
Graham. of No Ia Van Buren-st. Brooklyn,
furnished the bond. offering as security the
house in which he lives. Asa A. Spear appeared
Miller's counsel. and instructed him not to
talk. Miller is an elderly man. and was greatly
affected by the news of the accident. He said
that the bridge strong enough to hold even
the crowd that was it when il collapsed II
there had not been so much pushing and jost-
ling. which caused the bridge TO sway.
IL was learned at the West Thirtieth-st. police
station last evening that Monday night Po-
lceman Baxter had reported at the station that
the footbridge unsafe for the of a
large crowd. Next morning a policeman was
sent to make an examination of the temporary
walk. He reported to Foreman Lawton. 1t is
said that he Oawton) would be responsible for
anything that might happen, as. in the opinion
Of the policeman. the bridge was not strong
enough 20 support a crowd
Perez NJ. Stewart, Superintendent Of Build
ings. made an investigation of the accident. and
had some of his inspectors examine the timbers
which supposed TO have rotted. He has
detailed twenty of his inspectors 10 examine all
the footbridges and grandstands alone the line of
the parade tomorrow. and has written letter
10 Police Commissioner Partridge informing him
that his department will be held strictly ac
oountable for any overcrowding of bridges on
Memorial Day. The twenty inspectors will go
the line of march to-day and report i'm
Tnediately to Mr.. Stewart any bridges that ap
pear to them to be weak Mr.. Stewart is deter
mined that there shall be no repetition of Tues
days accident tomorrow. He visited the scene
OF the accident himself yesterday. He exam
tned what was left of the bridge. and said he
found It had been a sufficiently firm structure
for q temporary walk.
NOT INTENDED FOR A GRANDSTAND.
1T was not intended for a grandstand." said
Superintendent Stewart. and permit for any
such thing a stand was issued
There are hundreds and even thousands of
such structures. especially along the route of
the rapid transit subway. The bureau under
takes to that they are sufficiently sta
hle for their purpose. In this case the bridge
trians 10 pass along. 1t was not contemplated
that great crowd should gather on it. If every
such structure were % be built so solidly as to
be able 10 stand such a weight all those bridges
would have to be made the same as permanent
structures, and the cost of building operations
would be enormously increased"
Superintendent Collins. Of the Department Of
Highways, made a thorough examination of the
remnants of the bridge. but decided that he
E,,z
cident was not caused by the breaking of a
rotten upright, reported on Tuesday
night, but that the swaying of so large a crowd
had caused it to topple over.
The bridge fell away from the street." he
continued, and left the uprights they were.
They are in position to-day, and seem to be all
\ right. 1t is not within my province to place
the blame for this accident, but it seems to me
that the police ought to have kept the bridge
clear Of traffic. 1t was never intended as a
grandstand from which to view the parade. 1t
was good average footbridge, and was no
worse than others that doing service
in the city"
CORONER TAKES PHOTOGRAPHS.
Coroner SchoIer took number of photographs
by hashlight Tuesday night, and more yes
terday. TO be used in the inquest He has de-
layed the inquest on account of the critical ILL
ness of number of the injured persons in the
hospitals.
THE timbers were all in pretty sound condi-
tion," he said yesterday. land 1 have found that
the rotted piece that L discovered not
part Of the bridge. The accident took place
when the police were driving the people off the
bridge. An evidence Of this fact is that four
policemen and one sergeant went down with
the bridge. From photographs I have, L ~
just after the accident, and while the parade
was still passing the spot, have concluded that
there were about hundred and twenty-five
persons on the bridge, and that about seventy
five OF these fell when il collapsed. There were
about one hundred ana twenty-five persons on
the opposite side of the street. and / have taken
this as basis Of my calculation. AS an addi-
tional proof of the accuracy OF this calculation
there were forty-one umbrellas and seven canes
found in the excavation. / figure that about
two-thirds of those who fell had umbrellas or
canes.
At 10 o'clock yesterday morning permission
was received by the contractors to go ahead
with the rebuilding of the temporary bridge, and
eight or ten men were put to work The whole
length OF the structure is about one hundred
feet divided into two sections which meet in
the middle. II only one Of those 5O-foot
sections that collapsed. Late in the afternoon
most of the structure had been rebuilt
EFW CRUSADE AGAINST THEATRES.