Year: 1877

Gramercy Park.


| CAUSES or THE ASHT1BULA DISASTER
| As yet the testimony concerning the Aslta-
bula calamity is confused and to certain ex-
tent contradictory. There arc three points OF
importance Q) Whether it was suspected
beforehand that the bridge was weak, the sus-
picion arising from known faults IN its con-
| str,lction (2) whether the iron used IN
| the bridge was OF good quality (o)
as to reprehensible neglect in putting
| out the fire. On the last of these points the
inquiry is likely to be thorough. great deal
of feeling has been aroused upon this point at
| Ashtabula The witnesses testify to the abun-
dance of means for extinguishng fire. There
was plenty of water aud hose, steam
pump with steam up was at hand, and
finally q fire-brigade was there before the fire
had reached its hight. The excuses made for
ncglectlng to couple the hose and turn on
stream of water are lame and unsatisfactory


II is not necessary to ascribe an indifference
or q malice that would be fendish to
the men who are responsible for that
neglect they were simply incOmpc-
tent, and lost their wits in the emer-
gency. 1t is not certain that any lives could
have been saved if water had been turned on
and the fire extinguished as soon rs was prac-
ticable; but, unhappily, there is still room for
suspicion that all who were buried
in the wreck were not dead when
the firemen concluded not to extin-
cuish tho flames. The fact that cries
were no longer heard from the wreck seems to
be deemed satisfactory on this point 10y some
of the witnesses; but it certainly is not proof
that there was no life there. Mr.. Lyons. one
of the survivors whose statements are else
where given, believes that many lives could
have been saved if water had been promptly
turned on. In any event the early extinction
of the fire would have been of immeasurabe
service in enabling the dead to be Identified.
The excuse is that the rescuers were wholly
busted in helping the living, and spared no
effort in assisting the sufferers.


As to the construction of the bridge, the
evidence is not only indefinite; it is cOntradlc-
tory. If half tie rumors about it are we'll
founded, the bridge was from the first utterly
unfit for its purpose. 1t is reported that for
two years after it was built, the company Kept
false works under it to give it an appearance
of safety. Residents on the line say that
the insecurity of that bridge has been
matter of common talk for years.
At one time there was a current belief that
pier was to be built to sustain it at its center,
and there appears to have been dispute as
to its safety between its architects when 1t was
erected, the one who first designed it belev-
ing that it was weakened by change of plan.
All this needs to be thoroughly sifted before
the blame can be LAID where it belongs.


In respect to the iron used for constructing
the bridge the testimony is meager. The cir
cumstance that it had borne the testing load
of six locomotives will doubtless be brought as
evidence of the original strength OF the IRON.
There is some reason for believing that part
of the train was off the track. Ii this can be
proved it will go long way toward
explaining the sudden breaking of the iron.
If it cannot be proved, the inference must be
that the iron was of inferior quality. The ex-
periments of Prof. II. Ii. ThurstOn of
the Stevens chronological Institute throw
much light on this feature of the case.
His apparatus, afterward used by COM
mission appointed by the Government to
test iron and steel, has revealed many
peculiarities of the metal when under strain,
that have previously been little noticed. 1t
would take too much space to present here
tnc UtCnllCdl uctdlls, Duu d IL" VI 'iO Az
suits obtained by testing for varying
temperatures may be summarized. The
experiments rather point to than prove
the assertion, that if the iron is of the
best, low temperature does not render it more
liable to break with either quick blow or a
steady weight. If it is not of the best,
it will still bear a steady weight
(such as six locomotives) quite as well
at low temperatures as at moderate ones, but
when exposed to cold near zero of Fahren-
het it will yield more readily to the strain of
a sudden blow The impact of Il moving rail-
road train on the rails is far more like sud-
den blow than like steady weight The ex-
periments are yet incomplete, and it is not
fully known how far each of the impurities OF
irOn-such as sulphur, phosphorus, and
silcon-takes its share in thus reducing
its power to resist a blow. But ac-
cepting these valuable experiments as
far as they go, one fact seems unquestionable:
no railroad bridge made of inferior iron
is safe i'm cold weather. The question must be
pressed home Was or was not the bridge at
Ashtabula made of the best of irOnf



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