The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-28 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 28, 1852.

NEWMARKET RACES.
(THIS DAY.)

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH )
Mucrceip For two-year-oldo.

Mo! eyes walkca over.
Matches.
Heap:us beat Sophistry.
Pensioner beat Angelo.

Sweestskes of bo sow, cc.:211. AU. Y.

Pharoli 1
Nicoiine 2
NURSERY STAKES BETTING.
First Class.
5 to 1 egst B3lle Sauvcge f
4 to 1 on the Field
Second Class.
4 to 1 on the Field

RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

(FROM A. CORRESPONDENT.)

The favourable consideration which we gave to Capt.
HUISH'S paper on railway accidents in The Sun of
Thursday and Saturday, is sufficient evidence that we
are not disposed to join in reckless abuse of Railway
Chairmen and Directors ; and we fully expect that the
able and faithful investigation into the causes of
railway accidents which he has now presented to the
publicmodify the inconsiderate
censures
will
considerablycer
tai n
journals seem to delight in.
It is, at the same time, undeniable that the public has
which
a right to expect reasonable assurance that they shall
not dash by express into some lingering lumbering
gocds train, creeping along behind an old rickety
engine; or even perform again the feat of cutting a
luggage train in two. Where life and limb are at
stake, we have a right to ask, that though perfection
may be unattainable by mortals, yet that imperfection
should be reduced to the smallest possible amount.
Many of the causes of accidents, as Captain Huisu
seems to allow, do admit of considerable diminution ;
certainly the one on which he lays the greatest stress
does so. He states that the results of inattention to
signals, and neglect of regularity on the part of the
Companies' servants, are the most fertile causes of
accidents. Now it appears from the report of the
Government Commissioner, which,' unfortunately,
Captain HUISR could not have seen when he read his
report, " that while railway traffic and receipts had
largely increesed, the proportion of railway servants
had peen reduced, and the number of accidents in-
creased ; " this points to the under-manning of the
railways, and consequent overworking of the men, ti
the cause of the neglects and inattentions of which
the Captain complains, and suggests at once the re-
medy. Another and very important question, that of
the unpunctuality of railways is, however, now before
the public, and it claims impartial attention.
A correspondent of the 'lmes, who signs himself
" One Conversant with Railway Affairs," backed by
leaders in that journal, with the assurance that " few
persons in the kingdom are better qualified to speak
on such a subject than their correspondent," has pro-
posed that whenever a train is fifteen minutes behind
time, the pessengers should be enabled to recover
summarily from the station-master the amount of
their fares." Between the journalist and their cor-
resi indent the proposition has been pretty fully and
fairly discussed. The prima facia objection which
strikes every one is, that to prevent the mortifying
loss of the fares, we should be whizzed along at the
most dangerous speed, and hazard our lives to save
our time. The well-informed letter-writer answers,
that mere speed is very rarely the cause of an acci-
dent, while being behind time has caused accidents
without number—that, therefore, it an undesirable
speed would not originate so many accidents, as the
present system of being so often too late, we had
better have the occasional high speed. Moreover, as
a practical man, he points out that the loss of time by
trains is generally a cumulative thing. A little is
lost at several successive stations, and it is carelessly
suffered to augment till it becomes of serious amount.
In this case a proper speed between stations, or a
porter or two more at the busier ones, would remedy
the deficiency. Sometimes it is caused by welting
for trains from tributary lines ; here the remedy is
obvious. The company must be at the expense of
sending the too late train separately to its destination.

At other times the trains are too few, consequently
too large for the engines. More trains, or more
powerful engines, would set this right at once. In
fact, ell the ordinary causes of being too late ere
referable simply to a mistaken economy on the
part of the managers. But what of unavoidable
accidents, the breaking of an axletree, or the tire of a
wheel Why, the question then comes to this, who
ought to bear the loss ? The railway ticket was a
contract to perform a certain service. Through
defect of the contrr z.tor's machinery, the service was
not performed. Any other contractors in such a case
would hare to be the losers, and it ie difficult to sea
why railroad rnanegers should not be the losers when
they fail of the stipulated service. Possibly the cases
of malicious stoppages and injury of trains, or acci-
dents like those due to wind and weather at see,
might be an exception. If it be hard upon the com-
panies, it is harder still upon many a passenger. It
Kure pretty certe'n, indecd, from a case reported in
our paper of Tuesday, that the law is alreely against
the companies, and that it only needs to be rendered
more easy of application. In the Smell Debt Co us
at Glasgow, ROBERT DUNLOP, Esq., obtained the
he claimed, for an hour and a half's
damages
detention at the Milton station of the Edin-
burgh and Glasgow Railway. The company's
defence was twofold. Ist. That the delay had oc-
curred by the unavoidable breaking down of rn
engine; 2dly, that the Company's time-bills ex-
pressly stipulate that the Company do not guarantee
the hours of arrival and departure under all circum-
stances; and that they do not hold themselves
reseonsible for delays. The Sheriff held, however,
that the repairs of the engine (which had just been
done to it), must have been imperfectly done by the
Company's own servants, and for this the Company
was responsible; but on the most important point,
the time-bills, he very equitably laid down that no
such stipulations could shelter the Company in all
circumstances from their responsibility as public
carriers, and that in the present c- se the deficiency
of their own engine was the obvious cause of their
contract with the plaintiff not being fulfilled. If
deficient engines, bad servants, or the want of ser-
vants, be therefore grounds of claiming indemnity
from the Companies, notwithstanding the somewhat
sophistical time-bills, there will not be many deten-
tions, for which in a County Court passengers could
not recover damages.
The grand evil here, however, is , that the passengers
have not time and patience to fight the battle in the
Courts. On the other band, the proposed penalty for
causing loss of time to passengers is one that every
passenger could and would inflict before he left the
station. It might be but poor compensation to the
passenger in many cases—it would be more than com-
pensation in others; but it would be moderate end
certain punishment inflicted where the blame, if any,
rested, and would doubtless reduce the offences of this
kind to a minimum. It is a far more important con-
sideration, that it would certainly prevent a vast num-
ber of collisions, and save many lives and limbs.
We think the pretence set up by some companies,
that the times given in the tables are not those of
arrival and departure, but only those before which
trains will not leave a station, not only very obscure,
but, when comprehended, unworthy of such respect-
able Companies. We all deprecate ex post facto legis-
lation, even at the haasrd of letting off a BARABBAS
but much more should we scout ex-post facto inter-
pretation of plain figures in the interest of an innocent
public.

It is a consolation to see, too, that Mr A'BECKETT
has, by an unquestionably sound decision, upset the cab
monopoly at the stations. The Directors are taught
by him that they cannot override Acts of Parliament,
and that cabs plying for hire at a terminus must be
held amenable to the law of the country, but not to
that of boards and chairmen. The public will be
thankful, too, for his clear decision in the teeth of the
railway companies, that cabs can make no charge at
all for any reasonable amount of luggage—a decision
which, for the benefit of ladies and persons unused to
travelling, cannot be too widely known.

RISE Or WAGES AT DUNFEEMLINE.--The people
of the Oakley Iron Works have received a sc,eund rise 0
wages, with the promise in a shot retie of a third. The
danon.,.k weavers of Dunfeiret'ne end suburbs gre also to
receive au allowance o( a peuuy Per spindle.