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Show THE-ASIITABVU KOBKOK, Tiie Coroner's Jury Place the El nut e here it ISelontr, l'lou I lie itulluny Couijtuuy. Ashtabula, 8. The coroner's jury, to day, rendered a verdict on the Ash-tabu Ash-tabu la disaster, that the fall of the bridge was tho result of defects and errors made in the designing, construction con-struction and erecting; that the chief defect appearing in many parts were the dependence of every member for its efficient action upon the probability probabil-ity that all, or nearly all, other3 would retain their position and. do the duty for which they were designed, instead of giving each member a position in connection with the rest; the members of each truss were, instead of boing fastened together, rested one upon the other, as illustrated by several particulars which are enumerated and explained in technical terms. Thick beams were placed whero the place required thin ones, and vice versa. The railway company used this bridgo eleven years, during all of which lime an examination by a competent engineer would have certainly cer-tainly disclosed these defects. For this neglect tho railroad company alone is responsible, and upon it rests the fearful responsibility for the loss of fife. Ttie cars which plunged into the abyss were not properly heated, according to the plain requirements of the law, hence the responsibility of tho fire rests upon the company. The responsibility for not extinguishing extinguish-ing the fire when it first appeared, rests uuon thoso who firit appeared on tho scene, who seem to have lost all personal presence of mind and failed to put out the fire. The fire department's steamer arrived too lato to Bavo human life, but the chief enpineer is responsible for not making all possible eflorta to extinguish extin-guish what firo remained. The deceased de-ceased therefore came to their deaths by the precipitation of the cars into the ohasm left by the falling bridge and burning cars, for all of which the railway company is responsible. |