Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-12
Probe Is Started
in Bridge Disaster

"i'u h'ns oc nelu DV HI CnUrCnpS, or
week.
The Council Of the city of Chester
VIII collaborate in every way possible
TO relieve distress attending the catas-
trophe.
WILLIAM 7. RAMSAY. Mayor" ,
Split Plate Bolted
Interest today. despite the pathetic
frequency of crepe on the doors of
houses, centers on the fixing of the
responsibility for the horror. All re-
ports seem TO agree that the real cause
was split plate that had been bolted
instead of riveted, after a canal boa.
had crashed into the structure, about
ten years ago.
The plate was stra ightcned. cold, and
, replaced, causing Il crack. 1t is doubt
full. however. IL the plate would have
broken for years if it had not been for
the unusual and sudden strain that was
put upon it.
Apostolus Apustale, five years old,
ll0 Edgemont street, fell into the river
and drowned. A crowd collected on the
bridge to see tn" .rolice grapple for the
body, and suddenly the span gave way,
throwing those on il into the water.
Today Chester presents two faces.
One the bitter expression of mourning
| and the otnel the grim fighting face
of people that intends to fix respon-
sibinty ami punish.
II. II. Quimby, chief engineer Of the
Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company,
and Edward Templer inspected the
bridge to determine the cause OF the
accident. After long examination of
the structure they issued the following
statement, through Thomas j. Feeley, a
! mar bar nf ho toe,
'Thc gusset plate which supports one
Of the sidcarms. which in turn supports
the footpath, was made of wrought
! iron. The bridge was faulty in con-
struction. The grain in the plate was
perpendicular instead of being horizon
tai. and we found a crack in the plate
nearly eight inches in length. The
length of the gusset plate was fifteen
riches, and the old crack in the plate
was eight inches long and had been
there for ten years. 1t is what we
call progressive break"
Boat Bent Plate
When the plate was unbolted from
the bridge it was seen that the plate
was nearly crystallized and the piece of
gusset plate could almost be broken
with ones fingers. 1t was said, that
about ten years ago a canal boat laden
with coal broke loose from it's moorings
n hundred feet up the river and jammed
! against the bridge. A rising Glide
| forced the canal boat further against
the bridge. bending the gusset plate.
The morning following the canal boat
| accident an inspection of the bridge
, was made and the bent plate was To-
Gated The rivets We're cut out of it.,
! and workmen took the plate to the
street. Instead Of putting in new
! plate they attempted to straighten out
! the plae while It was cold with the
result that the plate was cracked. De-
! spite that crack, however, the plate
was put back into place and bolted.
Director of Public Safety Trainer
and James Hamilton made no bones
of saying that ''rotten Delaware Coun-
ty poles" is directly to blame for the
crepe that is hanging on so many
Chester doors today.
Director Trainer said his Office was
not responsible for the condition of the
span and laid the blame at the door of
the County Commissioners who served
prior TO the election of the present in
cumbents two years ago.
''All bridges within the county are
built and maintained by the County
! Commissioners Office said the Di-
rector. Under the laws of the Com
monwealth OF Pennsylvania, the Di-
rector Of Public Safety and the city of
Chester have no power on the regula-
tion Of bridges"
Hamilton said the bridge had been a
subject to consideration for some time,
but every time funds were aboat to be
appropriated to repair it something
would interfere. Hamilton is one OF
the commissioners appointed two years
ago.
The bridge is one, OF the legacies Of
the rotten political machine of the last
twenty five years and should not have
existed in town as big as Chester, "
Hamilton said. THE bridge was ex-
amined last year by Alonzo Yocum, en-
gineer for the County Commissioners,
and pronounced safe.
Until that time ] always thought
the bridge to be in a dangerous con-
dition, but when the report of the engi-
neer was submitted I felt that perhaps
the bridge was not in as bad shape as |
suspected
Director Trainer said:
''In my judgment the accident was
due. directly or indirectly, to rotten
politics. BY that ! mean the bridges
in Chester, mostly all Of them, are from
100 to 10 years old, and some of them
have gone twenty years without being
repaired
The present County Commissioners
besides Hamilton are Feeley and
Robert Burley These men have
succeeded in having some repairs made
tC the bridges. hut have been handi-
capped by the amount OF work that had
to be done without the necessary funds.
J. A. Devlin, Chester building in
snector said that he has known the
bridge was unsafe for year or more.
He said he had denounced the bridge at
the time he had made discovery of it's
weakness. but made no official report
because the structure was not under
his jurisdiction, being in control Of
the County Commissioners.
Freeley said:
The county engineer inspected the
bridge ten months ago and pronounced
it safe for traffic. Under these cir
cumstanCes ] cannot see how any
blame attaches to the Board of Com
missloners. We will see that this
affair is Investigated most thoroughly.
II have never heard OF any one con
demning the bridge, said Commissioner
Burley ~ am informed that the
bridge still is sound, with the exception
of the small portion which gave. way,
and 1t Is our intention to repair the
footwalk for the entire length OF the
bridge on the side which gave way
Police Chief Davenport, who was an
eyewitness to the tragedy, said that
only two of the five bolts supposed to
sustain the footwalk at the point where
the accident occurred were capable OF
supporting any appreciable weight.
II. j. Aydlette, engineer OF Delaware
County altar an examination OF the