Year: 1875

bind ladder IN this way The broken piece-a diagram
OF which was published in the HERALD last Tuesday
was shown TO Mr.. Swett and he severely condemned
the boring through the sides for the purpose Of
ing pin The witness always fastened his rungs with
wedges and glue.


Charles f. Hartshorne a FIRE apparatus builder was
also eXamned-l have the aerial ladder in use
that is have seen experiments with IL; have never
examined its construction infinitely, although | am
familiar with II from having examined plans and dia
grams estimated Tor tho building OF the ladders now
in use my estimate was about SO 600 for each: have
examined the pieces now here and i think they are
spruce; some OF u Is quite inferior, evidently having
been sawed from old trees always use young spruce
ms II is much tougher and better; of these pieces


consider irst class specimens spruce; never saw
ladder in which cross binding pins were used
boring for these pins weakens the stick very
terially; always use glue and wedges; this ladder
think too light and improperly made and | do not
think any ladder OF this KIND safe above sixty
feet; think the of the breaking of this
ladder may be found in the fact that it was over
loaded--there too many men on it-and, further,
that II was made of inferior material and too light;
don't think these ladders be made of the proper
material at 81 800 each; material for ladders should
never be taken from sawed wood, but always from
spars; the fact OF much of this wood having very
short fibre leads me to the belief that 1t was taken from
old or sawed timber one of the very worst things
see about this ladder is the boring for cross pins as
shown in the HERALD some days ago.


Andrew Rsler ladder builder doing business at
No 500 Broome street. said the wood OF which the
broken ladder made the poorest in the
ket, having been taken from very old TIMBER Of
the wood was evidently dead two or three years before
it sawed.





This sad calamity, which occurred the 14th
day CT September, while experimenting testing
apparatus known Mrs Uda's patent aerial lad
der followed by the loss of three men, is of those
events which timely caution might have prevented.
Constructed MS this patent ladder was and the material
OF which it built it has proved TO be both dangerous
and unsafe, instead of being n ie-savng ladder and
therefore could not be was it entitled public
confidence. 1t seems that it should have been
the first duty of the Fire Commissioners, with the
aid OF acknowledged experts TO have IL put
TO every possible test beyond what would
have been applied to it in actual service before they
should have approved Of it, Indeed these tests of its
fitness ought under circumstances to have been ap
Piled at bodily risk which resulted in the loss of life
that never be repaired. Hoping that your good
judgment will enable you TO agree and also to frame
verdict from the evidence which laid before you that
will do justice to those who have pershed and also to
those who riskng their lives day by day in the
same capacity, gentlemen OF the jury, will now let
this rest in your hands, believing that you have
sufficient evidence to enable you to find verdict.


The jury were out only about thirty minutes, and
then returned with the following verdict


We the jury, find that the deceased men, W. IL Nash
and Others to their death by the breaking OF the
aerial ladder while experimenting practising with it
at Rutgers square on the morning OF the 14th inst
and that the of the break in consequence of
the ladder being made of Inferior wood and its con-
struction faulty; and we emphatically the
Board of Fire Commissioners for not submitting the
ladders TO both scientific and practical test before
allowing them to be used by the Fire Department; and
unhesitatIngly condemn the further use of those
aerial ladders now owned by the city by Fire De-
partment