New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-30
WRECK LAID TO BRIDGE.
Sinking of Structure Caused AC-
Cident on Penn. Railroad.
CORONER PROBES DISASTER
Una BILE to Learn Cause of Sag
ging"-other Investiga-
tions Under Way.

Philadelphia, Nov. pa coroners jury
which held an inquest to-day at West
Chester. Penn, into the death Of four
persons in Wednesday nights wreck on
the Pennsylvania Railroad at Glenloch,
rendered a verdict this afternoon that the
accident was due to the sagging of
bridge. The jury added that after ex-
aiming the witnesses II was unable 10
determine what caused the bridge to sink.
William NJ Ramsey, OF Philadelphia,
inspector of bridges for the Pennsylvania
Railroad, testified that he examined the
bridge after the accident and found that
1t had sagged in the middle about twenty
inches. The bridge spans two freight
tracks and is l5s feet long. He said he
examined 1t on November IS and found II
in the best condition. After the wreck he
found that heavy girder mad crushed
through latticed column
George H. Brown, a bridge engineer OF
the company. gave similar testimony,
testfying that the box girder had sprung,
letting down a sirder
William Hines, of Philadelphia. engine
man OF the first locomotive drawing the OK.
press, and T. II. Redmond, also OF Phia-
delphia. engineer Of the second locomo-
tive. both declared they felt sinking
sensation as their engines passed over the
structure. They were making between
fOrty-eght and fifty miles an hour. the
usual speed for that section of the road.
Their locomotives appeared TO 90 into the
air and then came down and left the
rails. they said
4 track fole man testified that the
bridge, just before the accident, appeared
10 be in good condition.
The railroad company is making an IN
vestigatioH OF the cause OF the accident
The State Railroad Commission also is
making an inquiry, and inspectors Of the
Interstate Commerce Commission were on
the ground to-day looking into the cause
Of the wreck
Besides the four killed more than fftv
persons were injured in the accident.
eight cars going down the embankment
Investigation Of the bridge by experts Of
the State Railway Commission revealed
the fact, II is said, that the head Of the
column which supported the north side
girder at the point where the two sec
tons come together is gone. The two
sections Of the sirder have split apart
and are kept hanging together only by
the badly twisted fshplate
By opening UP and sagging down over
the head OF the single supporting column,
experts have discovered, the two sectio Is
Of the heavy girder have split about
eight inches apart at the bottom
From the fact that only the twisted
tshplate kept the tops OF the two Sec
lions OF the heavy girder together, ex-
perts are Of the opinion that much
more tragic and fearful wreck was mar
rOwly averted.
or the persons injured I'm the wreck
two are In "A serious condition and may
not recover. Archibald Reed Jones. Of
lonkers, an engineer OF the New York
Central Railroad, who was imprisoned
In the wreck for seven hours, is injured
Internally and Is in very bad condition
Mrs. Mary Hudnut and her daughter,
Miss Ruth Hudnut, of New York, are in
serious condition at the West Chester
Hospital, and It Is feared that Miss Hud-
nut, who has conclusion OF the brain
may not recover. Mrs Hudnut is Injured
internally