The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-06-01 00:00:00

Ely 3tourbribge o.4serber.

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 1872.

RAILWAY PLEASURE AND RAIL-

WAY WORK.

The railways of the United Kingdom have
now reached a position of activity and high pres-
sure which they have never before attained.
fiji re are several causes Lor this. The country
at large is prosperous; employment is plentiful,
wages are high, and railway travelling has be-
come a necessity more than it ever was before;
aud then railway directors have of late studied
the interests and the po.leta of the great mass
of their patrons mere than they have ever be-
fore been studied. And now the excursion sea-
son is sett.ng in fast and furiously. We heartily
liope that the next four or five months uia his
thoroughly prosperous for the railway interest,
for this is now one of the greatest interests of
the country, involving the entire or partial in-
comes of countless shareholders throughout the
kingdom. and the employment of a very large
section of the working class. But, heartily as
we may desire this, the question arises whether
our railway directors always take the best means
to secure this prosperity. Several weeks of on.
iaterrupted success and of large profits may at
.ivy moment be marred by an uhforeseen acci-
(feat, doing immense injury immediately to roll-
ing sto .k and entailing heavy losses for com-
pensation. Whether the risk of these calamities
can be lessened is really a matter of vital itupor.
t,iuce to the public in more ways than one. Now
let us look at one or two hard and stubborn facts
bearing on this matter. A few days ago an in-
quest was held on the body of a plate-lay er in
the employ of one of the railway companies; the
poor man was killed through inexperience, an
official of the company having given evidence to
the effect that the loan "had not been long
enough on the line to learn the art of self-pre.
servation." It seems that the deceased was only
a supernumerary, and had not been employed
long enough to be entitled to a book of rules
or instructions. Really this is very startling in-
formation. Why, common sense would tell any
outsider that it was just because the man was a
supernumerary—just because he did not under-
stand the application of the first law of nature,
self-preservation, under his new circumstances,
that he the more needed the book of rules or
instructions to guide him. On another inquest
we have the evidence of a signalman which
clearly brings under the notice of the public
what they well knew before, but which is only
now and again forced on their attention by some
disastrous accident arising from some of the
men being called on to accomplish work which
is too heavy and severe, and frightfully perilous
to travellers and railway servants. We have in-
deed hadvery little reform in this matter since
Mr. Bass strenuously protested vgainst the over
labour of our railway employes, and the conse-
quent danger to the travelling public. The en-
tire subject is of special importance just now
when " third class by all trains," into weather,
and general ovursianising increase ralway ac-
ity,o and multiply at Once the duties of railway
srrvants and the chances of accident. As we
write we cannot help the ruisgiviug :hat at any
moment sine terrible railway calamity may oc-

cur to illu.trato the roloark-s, but we-caruestly

•
hope that nothing if the kind may happen. lit;t I
it In a remarkable and lamentable Lod that it is
only when the evidence relative to the causes of
any railway casuality is published, that the pub-
lic have a clear understanding of the details of
railway travelliog. Crider ordinary conditions
probably nut one traveller in a lintutred has any
conception of Cie clangers he has passed in a
journey of 1,. ring,: only bolt a dozen mites. In-
deed it is on Lilo short journeys that the dangers
ttre muitiplit d out of all proportion to the dis-
tance—except with regard to excursion trains,
and then a Itow element of danger --that of Ir.
regularity—COlDeß into play. Accidents to ex-
cursion trains are more friappient thou to any
other chins of train, anti this renders the whole
subject of special nunnant just now. The ex-
cursion season is the season of more work to
railway servants; it is pleasure on the one side,
and over-work on the other; and not seldom
what is sport to souse becomes death to others
Railway Directors should see to it that tih-re
should be voluntary reform in this exacting and
perilous over-work. It would be the cheapest
policy in the end.