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column and there is an eyebolt on the apron and a cable connects

the two eyebolts, The two eyes on the bolts supposed to be

closed by welding, but the welding had not yet been done.

23. The result was that the two eyes on the apron were torn

open or straightened out by the weight on the apron. This released

the cable and caused the apron to fall into the water. The cable

did not burst.

24. After the accident, Mr. Smith who had rescued several

people as mentioned above, got on the apron and floated with it

down the river. He tied it to the river bank down-stream, Later

that same day Mr. Ysaguirre, Construction Superintendent for Milan,

got permission from the Commissioner of Police to bring the apron

back to the barges. Mr. Ysaguirre inspected the wpron and confirmed

that the eyebolts were straightened out, and so did Inspector of

Police Brown. There were no photographs taken of thc apron or of the

eycbolts and the eyabolts were not .available for inspection by the

Commissioners.

25. We now summarize the events loading up to the accident.

On the morning of June 14th, a barge stuck at the swing bridge while

it was passing through the bridge up river. This prevented the bridge

from closing and the bridge remained open for a much longer time than

was usual. As a result people became ira-atient to cross the river

and some thought of the pontoon bridge and used it. Others, seeing

a few crossing by the pontoon bridge, decided to make use of it

themselves. The workmen on the pontoon bridge had instructions

toopen the pontoon bridge whenever the swing bridge opened,

and on this morning, they stopped the trickle of pedestrian

traffic crossing the pontoon bridge and swung the pontoon bridge

open. After the pontoon bridge was opened, the people coming

from the swing bridge to Richard Sidewalk, in the hope of crossing

the river increased. They crowded on to the barge and the apron.

Mr. Smith, Milan's Building Foreman, saw this crowd on the apron

and became alarmed iie rushed to the pontoon bridge .nd gave

 .o. orders