The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-19 00:00:00

the complaint, but how many men have gone down
at sea from the same cause? The Mercantile
Marine Association of Liverpool, a body consisting
principally of captains and mates of vessels, a class
who are certainly not given to a restless desire for
change or to theoretical innovations, have presented
a petition in favour of some legislation on this sub-
ject. The principal voice raised against Mr.
LAIRD'S bill was, as on former occasions, that of
Mr. LINDSAY, who, in a most illogical and contra-
dictory speech, denounced the measure both in
principle and practice. The testing, he said, was
no security against danger, because however highly
yoti tested a cable the pressure of the gale might be
great us to break it. H)wever strongly a ship
is built there is no certainty that she may no,
spring a leak in some of her voyages, but she is nor
for that reat•od ordinarily sent to sea with a
teak in Ler bottom. All manufactures might
go down to a very low ebb if this prin-
ciple were adopted. Bat Mr. LINDSAY'S
assertions are still more marvellous. He ap-
pears to think that cables and T anchors are
destined to rust out in the matiutatlory where they
are first made, and that it is perfectly impossible to
transport them from one place to another. He
complained that the bill would destroy the trade of
all the small makers, who could not afford the ex-
pense of testing machines, and would throw the
monopoly into the hands of a few large manufac-
turers in Staffordshire and Wales. At the same
time it would destroy the business of one of the
largest firms existing, Messrs. BROWN, LENNOX,
and Co., because their manufactory being in W ales
there would be no testing machines in their neigh-
bourhood, and 3,000 or 4,000 workmen must, con
sequently, be thrown out of empioym'ont. Alas for
Mr. LINDSAY'S argument ! Messes. BROWN, LEN-
NOX, and Co. manufacture for the Admiralty,where
the testing is indispensable. They have also, it
seems, a testing machir.ie of their own at Cardiff, and
another in Londo-d, where the mooring chains
which they supply to the Admiralty are tested
under the supervision of the Government, the
other chainrs being tested in the dockyard. A clause,
we think' might with advantage be introduced per-
mitting the establishment of a testing machine on
the rdmmises of large firms, under Government in •
spection, the expense of the official being defrayed
by the firm. Aiso the method tried last year in
Llndon, by means of which two or three men very
quickly tested long and heavy chain cables by
hydraulic pressure, is worth examination. All these
points can be examined into in committee, and we
cat, only regret that any gentleman, more especially
a shipbuilder of Mr. LINDSAY s standing, should
remain so obstinately hostile to a measurt which is
so well calculated to promote the best interests of
trade as well as serving the more important end of
preserving life at sea from unnecessary risks.

At a time when the serious attention of Parlia-
ment is invoked to determine on the respective
merits of the various lines of railway with which it
is proposed to intersect the metropolis, and when,
despite the depreciation of railway stock generally,
a new railway mania seems to have sprung up, it
behoves us to consider seriously whether sufficient
protection is afforded to railway travellers 13,- the
enactments of the Board of Trade. We desire that
all commercial undertakings in this country may
be unrestrained and unfettered by Legislative
restrictions as far as possible, with due regard to
the safety and general interests of the public, but
it must be borne in mind that great privileges have
been conferred upon railway companies, and in re-
turn for such privileges the public has a right to
demand that proper precautions be adopted for
their safety aryl convenience. There exists in
many districts of the metropolis a kind of panic.
Tnousands of houses have been doomed by severat
conclaves, which only await the sanction of Parlia-
ment to commence their work of demolition. It may
be said by the supporters of the'ne 9? schemes that
the many will reap advantages for the inconve-
nienc9s of the few. These advantages will lose
much of their charms if stringent measures are not
taken to ensure, as far as possible, safety to the
travellers. The practice of ensuring one's life before

starting upon a railway excursion is a prudent
one, and the success of the company which
provides a pecuniary redress for railway ac-
cidents shows that the public appreciate its
advantages. But is it not the duty of the
Board of Trade to render it compulsory on all rail-
way companies to take all necessary precautions to
prevent accidents. Last week a serious accident
took place on the Maldon and Whitby branch of
the North-Eastern Railway, which resulted in the
deaths of two individuals and the serious injury
of many others. The last passenger train for Mai-
don "travelled safely as far as the bank top in
Gothland. There the engine was detached, and the
train, as is usual, was hooked on to a break van,
to which a rope of wire is attached, and was pushed
over the bank on to the incline in the usual way.
The trains are lowered by a stationary engine at
the top, and last night all was considered to be in
proper working order. When probably about 150
yards on the descent the rope suddenly broke, and
the train was left to its career down nearly a mile
of incline, of which the gradient is 1 in 14. At
this part of the incline the line curves sharply to
the right, crossing the- Elderbeck. The train passed
the bridge in safety, but a few yards further on left
the rails and rolled over. Assistance was promptly
obtained from Whitby, and the victims and the rest
of the passengers forwarded to that town. This it,
not the first accident which has occurred on this
incline, and the North-. Eastern Company hos lately
obtained a deviation act, and the new line is fast
approaching completion, when we believe that this
portion of the line will be abandoned." Such a
proceeding is highly creditable to the company, but
the very fact of their incurring the expense of
constructing a new line for this portion of the route
proves at once that they are aware of the dangers
to which passing trains are subjected, to say
nothing of the expense and delay which are en-
tailed by the use of a stationary engine. Under
these circumstanceo, We consider that they have
been remiss in not providing their trains with self-
acting breaks affixed to all the carriages or wag-
gons. The van to which the train was attached was
provided with two breaks, we are informed, but
these, owing to the frozen and slippery state of the
rails, were powerless to check the velocity of the
train. We do not draw attention to this case be-
cause we consider that the North Eastern Railway
Company were more negligent in this instance than
railway companies generally are. Thousands of
trains had passed up and down the incline with
safety, and there was no reason to believe that the
one in question would fare worse than its predece-s-
-sore. The pitcher goes a hundred times to the well,
but at last it is broken, and the misfortune is set
down to accident. A human life cannot be replaced,
and therefore the accident should be guarded
against as far as possible. The breaking of the
wire rope may have been caused by the frost, bu.
if the carriages had been provided with self-acting
breaks the worst inconvenience that would have been
experienced would have been a shoo delay. Years
igo a patent was taken out for a simple contrivance
to prevent accidents in the mining districts by the
breaking of the chain by which the cages are drawn
up the shafts, a powerful clamp is fixed to the top