Chapters 11, 12 & 13

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="02c285a1erlcgo.gif"> <div> <B>Ashtabula Bicentennial Celebration</B><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Century Schoolbook" ><B>     </B></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id108.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapters 1,2 3"><U><B>Chapters 1,2 & 3</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id110.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapters 4 5"><U><B>Chapters 4 & 5</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id111.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapters 6, 7 8"><U><B>Chapters 6, 7 & 8</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id112.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapters 9 10"><U><B>Chapters 9 & 10</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><B>Chapters 11, 12 & 13</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id114.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapters 14 15"><U><B>Chapters 14 & 15</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="750" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 3207 WIDTH="744"><div> <B>The Ashtabula Bridge Disaster of 1876 - Chapter 11</B></div> <div> <B>by</B></div> <div> <B>Darrell E. Hamilton</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>          The  funeral  procession  lined  up  in front of the  churches which was lined up in the following order:    Marshal  Fassett  and  Coroner  Richards;  Clergy  in  sleighs;  Bearers in sleighs;   Assistant  Marshal;   Masonic  Association  on  foot;   Mayor  and  City  Counci l in sleighs; Friends and family of deceased in sleighs; St. Joseph Temperance  Society;  Ashta-bula Band; Ashtabula Light Guard; Ashtabula Light Artillery and citizens generally. With relatives of the deceased, out of town spectators and the press from different  parts  of  the country, the procession formed was over a mile long. By some accounts of the funeral pro-cession, the line formed was several miles in length containing an estimated several thou-sand people.   The  procession was probably the largest and most impressive that has ever been seen in the area. </B></div> <div> <B>          The funeral procession, held on January 19, 1877, was started  at 3:00. The lines were formed from the center of the city on Main Street.  Several feet of snow had been softened by the raising temperatures  making  it  difficult  to walk in the packed down snow in the streets. Later that evening, the rain would come. </B></div> <div> <B>           At  the  cemetery,  on  top  of  a  hill,  a  large  lot  had been purchased by the railroad. Among  the  bare  trees  with  the  fitful  wind  sweeping  through  the  bare branches of the trees,  a  large  square  lot  had  been  cleared of snow. Nineteen graves were dug to bury 22 bodies  in  19  coffins.  Some  bodies  and  body parts were not only buried as unrecognized but  were  actually  buried  without  a name.  The  names  of  some  passengers  were  never known.  Three coffins remained at the depot in hopes that  relatives coming in out of town for the funeral could identify the bodies. They were buried a few days later with the rest</B></div> <div> <B>of the victims at the cemetery. Many  body parts were placed together in several coffins. </B></div> <div> <B>            The  entrance  to  the  graves,  at  the  time,    was  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the cemetery.  A roadway had been cut through the heavy banks of snow. The long procession filed in.  The coffins were taken into the  cemetery by  members of the  Masonic  Order who had agreed to act as pall bearers. </B></div> <div> <B>            The  burial  service   was  opened  by   the  Episcopal  Church  and  was  read  by Rev. Mr. Moore.  A selection of  Scriptures  then  read by  Rev. Mr. McGiffert of the Presbyterian Church.  Ministers  from the rest of the churches in Ashtabula proceeded with their words after which the Masons proceeded with their ritual. </B></div> <div> <B>            The coffins were then lowered into the graves.  The coffins contained the bodies and body parts of men,  women and children.  Among  the  unrecognized  dead  buried that day was the famous spiritual  hymnwriter and his wife, Rev. Philip P. Bliss. </B></div> <div> <B>            The  moans,  groans  and  crying  of  the people in attendance towards the end of the funeral  service  became  almost  overwhelming.  Most  of  the  cries  were  coming from the citizens of  Ashtabula.  They  were crying over the men. women and children that most did not even know.  The reality   of  the  death  and  destruction,  for many, had just sat in with the site of the coffins  being  lowered  into  the  ground.  Grown  men  who  weren't  usually subject to out burst of emotion that day seemed to be unable to control their emotions. </B></div> <div> <B>             Once  the  services  were closed, it was nearly an hour before everyone got out of the cemetery. By the time they reached the city it was nearly nightfall. Trains were waiting to take most of the out of town people back to their homes. </B></div> <div> <B>             The  citizens  of   Ashtabula  went  back  to their homes in their quite little village of solitude  to  think and ponder over the day's  events.  For three weeks,  Ashtabula  was the center  of  attention  in  North  America.  The people of Ashtabula were ready to go back to their peace and solitude that the people of this once quaint village so much embraced.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>The Ashtabula Bridge Disaster of 1876 - Chapter 12</B></div> <div> <B>by</B></div> <div> <B>Darrell E. Hamilton</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>  </B></div> <div> <B>         The  number  of  persons  killed  that  fateful day will never be completely known. The persons killed  that day has been quoted as  high  as  200 the day of the disaster and as low as 87 a few days after the disaster. The official count was 92, but was it the right count? </B></div> <div> <B>          Bernhart Henn,  a Buffalo resident and passenger conductor for the railroad for over five years, testified before the coroner's jury.  He  testified  as  to the number of passengers on the train.  He testified as to the numbers of tickets he had in his possession which num-bered  160.  The  number  did  not  include  the railroad  employees,  at  least three railroad officials and children.  Even  though  he  testified that there was only a few children on board, many children were found in the wreckage, alive and dead.  He  also  could  not  be certain as the number of employees of the railroad that were on the  train.  The  count  did  not  include a black man who hopped the train to catch a ride in a baggage car. The ticket number did include the young   black  couple riding  in  one  of  the  passenger   cars.  How  many others had hopped the train for a free ride?  He  could  not be certain of  the number of   employees  as  he never saw all the employees while he was on  the  train.  He  was  not  certain how  many  passengers  had  gotten  off  the  train.  After  leaving  Buffalo, he never  took a passenger count. His  count  as to actual paying passengers was  only  his  estimate through the tickets he held.</B></div> <div> <B>            The following is the coroner's verdict which is partially reprinted:</B></div> <div> <B>                "The  fall  of  the  bridge was the result of defects and errors made in the designing, constructing  and  constructing  it.  That  a  great  defect,  and  one which appears in many parts of the structure,  was  the  dependence  of  every member for its efficient action upon the probability  that  all or nearly all the others  would  retain  their  position  and  do  the duty for which they were designed,  instead  of  giving each member a positive connection with the rest, which nothing but a direct rupture could sever.  That  the  railway company used and continued to use this bridge about eleven years,  during  all which time a careful inspection  by  a  competent  bridge engineer could not have failed to discover the defects. For the neglect of such careful inspection, the railway company alone is responsible. That the  responsibility  of  this  fearful  disaster  and  its  consequent  loss  of life rests upon the railway company,  which, by  its  chief  executive  officer, planned and erected this bridge; that the cars in which  the  deceased  passengers  were  carried  into  the  chasm,  were  not heated  by  heating  apparatus  so constructed  that the fire in them would be immediately extinguished whenever the cars  were thrown from the  track  and  overturned;  that  their failure  to comply  with  the  plain  requirements of the law places the responsibility of the origin  of  the  fire  upon  the  railway  company; that the responsibility for not putting out the  fire  at  the  time  it  first made its appearance in the wreck, rests upon those who were first to arrive at the scene of the  disaster,  and  who  seemed to have been so overwhelmed by the fearful calamity that they lost all presence of mind,  and  failed  to use the means at hand, consisting of the steam pump in the pumping-house and  the  fire  engine  Lake  Erie and  its  hose,  which might have been attached to the steam pump in time to save life. The steamer belonging to the Fire Department,  and also the Protection fire engine, were haul-ed more than a mile through a  blinding  snow  storm,  and over roads rendered almost im-passable by the drifted snow, and arrived on the ground too late  to  save  human  life;  but nothing should have prevented  the  Chief  Engineer  from  making  all  possible  efforts  to extinguish  what fire  there  remained.  For  his  failure  to  do  this  he  is  responsible.  The persons  deceased,  whose  bodies  were  identified  and  those  whose  bodies  and  parts of bodies were unidentified came to their death by the precipitation of the aforesaid cars,  in which they were riding, into the chasm in the valley of  Ashtabula creek, left by the falling of the bridge,  as aforesaid; the crushing and the burning of cars aforesaid, for all of which the railway company is responsible."</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>The Ashtabula Bridge Disaster of 1876 - Chapter 13</B></div> <div> <B>by </B></div> <div> <B>Darrell E. Hamilton</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>          In Chapter  eight  of this train disaster series,  I wrote about the chief engineer of  the  Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad,  Charles  Collins  and  his suicide.  But,  was  it really suicide? </B></div> <div> <B>          In  the  past,  everyone  took  it  for  granted  that  Charles Collins actually committed suicide. However, what was never made public at the time was the autopsy reports.  Many theories  on  why  the  autopsy  reports  were never released to the public have been made. Probably  the  best  theory  is  of  scandal.  The  train  disaster had enough scandal already floating  around.  The design of the bridge, the robbery of the victims and why the fire was not put out was just a few of them. There  needed  to  be  closure  on the disaster especially for the railroad.  The railroad did not want the autopsies released on Charles Collins. The railroad company probably thought that his suicide would take the  public's attention off the railroad. And, it did work somewhat.</B></div> <div> <B>          The  autopsy  reports  were found about the turn of the century. However, the reports or any part of them were not released until about 25 years ago. </B></div> <div> <B>          One  of  the  reports  was  made  by  a  Dr.  Stephen  Smith,  surgeon  to  Bellair  and St. Vincent's  Hospital,   New  York,   and  professor  of   jurisprudence  at  University  Medical College, New York. He signed the 14 page report June 3, 1878. </B></div> <div> <B>          He wrote: "On the 26th day of April, 1878, I carefully examined the skull certified to be the late Mr. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio, formerly chief engineer of  the  Lake  Shore  & Michi-gan Railroad. " At the end, Dr. Smith summed up his conclusion.</B></div> <div> <B>           He  found  Charles  Collins  to  be  right-handed.  Th body was found in bed where the deceased  was  accustomed  to  sleeping.  Collins  clothes  lay on the chair exactly where he always placed them. </B></div> <div> <B>           The  body  was  found  in  a  natural position, the left arm outside the bed clothes, the hand resting on the left thigh.  A  navy revolver was lying loose in his hand. </B></div> <div> <B>           The pistol was eleven inches long, a six shooter with three chambers  empty.  Near  it was a razor, and a Derringer pistol fully loaded. </B></div> <div> <B>           Collins'   head  was  turned  to  the  left  side  and there were two wounds in the scalp, corresponding  to  the  opening  in  the  skull.  A flattened bullet was found nearby and the pistols were recognized as Collin's own.</B></div> <div> <B>            The  doctor's  conclusions  were  in  his  own  handwriting: "Preceding facts properly collected and weighed, justify the conclusion that this man was not a case of suicide."</B></div> <div> <B>             "Place of entrance of the ball, the position of the left hand partially enclosing the handle of the pistol, the undisturbed state of the body and bed  clothes are entirely incon-sistent with the theory of suicide for the following reasons:  The  place  of  entrance  of  the ball, and position, the undisturbed state of the body and  bed  clothes,  are  entirely  incon-sistent. I, a right handed man,  (as was Collins),  could not without the greatest effort,  and by placing his head in the most constrained position, and strongly everting his  head,  had brought the muzzle of the revolver eleven inches in length, to bear  upon  the  point  of  en-trance of the ball in the direction it took."</B></div> <div> <B>               Smith also said if there had been shock and unconsciousness, the victim would not have  composed  himself  and  remained  quiet  in bed until he died. Mr. Collins came to his death by a shot inflicted by other hands than his own." the doctor wrote.</B></div> <div> <B>               Another  physician,  Frank  H.  Harington  M. D., also wrote a nine page decision on the cause of death. It reached the same conclusion: "It was not a suicide."</B></div> <div> <B>               The  autopsy  report  stated  that  a  flattened  bullet  was  found nearby and the six shooter  had  three  chambers  that  were  empty.  What happened to the two other bullets? What the autopsy failed to mention, that I could find, was the fact that there was at least one  bullet  hole was found in the walls. Was Charles Collins trying  to  defend  himself ?  A person trying to commit suicide would not have to use three bullets to kill themselves. </B></div> <div> <B>                 Who  really  murdered   Charles  Collins?  Was  it  a  family  member  of  one  of  the victims of the train disaster.? Maybe  it  was  a  surviving  victim of the train disaster. Then again, maybe the railroad had him murdered to take some  of  the  heat  off  of  them.  Then again, maybe his murder did not have anything to do with the train disaster. We will more than likely never know.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="id114.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapters 14 15"><U><I><B>Chapters 14 & 15</B></I></U></A><I><B>         </B></I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>         </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>                    </B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></I></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>