The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1864-08-09 00:00:00

CorreSponbnur.

To tke Eddor.

Sta.—Many plans have been =agitated for the pre.
vent'on of railway accidents, and Moo for the protection
of trovelleis. It is quite tDne that some means were
adopted to remedy the evil. Alter the humorous
suggestion. advanced for the protection of traveller.,
soil pmvention of accidents, robbery, and parounal
insult to females on railways, it behoves every man tat
speak aloud. Annoyance, eepecially to the unprotected
sex. has attired to that height that it cannot be longer
suffered ; and liii to be hoped that during the ream
F.'. will give the matter their utmost attention. I
am but a bumble individual; at the same time, although
many medicauseeta have been offered, I offer my own
humble opinion, via. :—"The adoption of more rocison-
nioation between the guard and paseengen." We are
well aware that the upper Its hisonaand oan ride at ems.
and ; but what is to become of the poor man?
He, peih•ps, or rather should he, toting for his daily
bread—his wife, daughter, or friend. are lung by
rail to vidt friends and relations, and travelling in fear.
If men cannot be protected, females should, let
their rank or position be what it may. I have not
men but one sound practical pion suggested for the
prevention of the above deplorable recurreacies, and
that is the adoption in ~loon carriages of a leather
strap or cord to run through the entire length of the
train, by which means the public would have ingtan•
taneous trommunication with the guard. To expect
railway 001111.41110 S to do away with all their rolling
Meek at once would be • great injustice to them; and as
Preposterous sa it would be to expect the British public
to submit to so great a change without firm giving it
a trisL However. I believe that the only person.
liable to raise objections to an desirable a thongs would
be the somebodies of the upper ten thoumnil, who
would, for the sake of keeping up an &monied dignity,
bury themselves in an idcle. and freeze all approaching
them, be the journey long or short. To such I would
say go to Amines, and are their system in operation,
and crime back convinced of their incredulity. From
fourteen years praatiml experience, I an convinced that
snoS ideas as the following will Dever blooms of any
use, although doubtless all of them well meant.
Firstly—a aide walk upend down it,. *bole length of the
train, and a pobeenisa on duty- a truly delightful
oecuratorso on • broiling hot day ; or still more ociufor-
table on a bleak December morning, will, • heavy rain
or snow, or perhaps a hard Loon; weather, like LIMO, has
no teepee, for rank. Suppose your Tottenham corms-
pendent about tat make the cap rment, say from London
to Exeter, and let him have the choice of being broiled
or froaen, would be after the first ten miles of the
journey be in • lit state to attend to the safety or com-
fort of his room comfortable Maid, passengers? I should
think anyone p'noed in such • positcou would go the
whole bog, or more for number one, and not be par-
ticularly eeleoh either. Secondly—the Hanoom parent
mfety trap-door, suggested by ..other correopoodent,
would DeSlir be oukinsitt*ll to by the pUbilfl rainy
' yourself in 0041 of them norfangled suideuly
at • staler, are on old friend, jou invite him in,
you get *armed up on • political or other question, you
get • little excited by the debate. But fancy your
blood (wog up to fever beat at ono., by bearing a shoat
fiom .Doc. In the shape of a question, " anything
going wrong. gents?" Dante sulk at being Itightemod,
weasel frighten, guard on to Use next compartmeet—
rearionabla time allowed for all parties to become
collected. But what kindly hand collects guard's wife
and children together, and aduointatera to their nacos-
oities! If gaud, in er•wling an all fours from arriagee
top to ditto, should lonak his neck, or get smashed up,
and who can say he would not be mooing • podium'
riok every time ha performed his duty ! Thirdly—a
communication between the public and the guard teems
ne leo. for many reasons, (elder the mleou carriage
be adopted,) two or three of which objections I may be
permitted to mentioa.—ln the drat plam, I do nut
hesitate to alarm that • busy railway could not be
worked with ouch • dangerous plaything S 4 • strop coin-
inunication in the haindo of the nubile, endow the guard
maid mower the cell without stopping the train. Take
for Instaoce the ascot tradition the race days. POMO of
Om train* not more than three minute. apart. Suppose
train No. I to bays, such • ocenniuniostion as I hale
mentoned, pamanger from loon .light cause calls the
guard ; the guard stops the train, and proceed. from
carriage to carriage to inquire the 0•1114, and ehiigs eo
&dog, up tames train No. 2, and a terrible smell is
the oonsequenoe. Bat not to would it he if the greed
could simply walk through the train, and aseertain
what was wrong, and go back to hie break. Or if the
mountain is not allowed to go to Hahomet ; why
Illatmanet could g‘i to the mountain. Again, suppoie
Mere bad been • ceromuniestioa between the public
and the glued cm tea night of the murder, and &apneas
poor Mr. Brigp had used It, the guard had immediately
stopped Use train, would act that stoppage have been
the 'West of all chances for the murckrer to have de-
camped, with his booty anniolested and unnoticed?
Taming I have already been too tedious, I will at once
conclude by making one more remark, and that is, that
the saloon carriage and communication afford the best
guarsntee for the comfort, convenience, rod proteetion
of • treeelling public. —I am. Sir, your. respeothilly.
H. W. COOMBE'S.