Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1833-11-20

JOIN the official expose Of The Board of
Directors, relative to the late lameniable
accident on the Camden and A,nboy
Ra'l-Road. il appears to be drawn up
IN u spirit Of candor, and without any de-
sire To conceal the truth. ii will be- seen
that the rate Of speed had been, short
time before the accident, greater than
that prescribed by the Board, and that
this was owing 10 an injury that The time
keeper had received, which prevented
him from being at his post. There are
two causes, however, that have been dis
covered and now developed, adequate
to the result, without atiributing it 10 ex-
cess of speed. The one was latent de-
feet in the broken axle, Notwithstanding
the greatest p, p,ecauiion and expense in
procuring the iron, which reduced three
eiehths OF its strength; and the other,
that the agent stationed to apply the
brake on the instant of approaching dam
ger, was diverted, at the unfortunate mo-
ment, from his usual business, by having
discovered that spark from the engine
had ignited "a bundle Of cotton, which he
FASTENED TO eXtinguish
I Although We are not wont to listen to
the every day excuses that are made to
screen careIessness and delinquency in
the manag ement of steamboats, and other
vehicles, yet there does really seem in
the present case TO have been a combi-
nation of causes against which human
prudence could moi be expected to guard,
and which ought not TO impair public
confidence in this popular mode Of con-
veyance. ". Y. Com. .Adr.
ADDRESS
or tho Camden s. An,boy Rail Road and Trans
ponation Company.
TO THE PUBLIC.
The unfortunate accident which oc-
Cured on the road on Friday last, and
the melancholy consequences resulting
from it, have occupied the most serious
attention Of the Executive committee Of
the board Of Directors.--Evsry exertion
has been made to obtain a correct state
ment Of all the facts that they might be
disclosed to the public.
| The security of the passengers from
the commencement of the operations Of
this company, has been an object of the
first consideration. For several weeks
after sufficient number Of locomotives >
to carry the passengers, were completed
and on the line, the horses were contin-
ued notwithstanding the importantly Of
the public for the change. The most
unfounded reports as to the capacity Of
the road for this species Of power
we're circulated and believed from this
delay. During all this period, however,
the engines were constantly in use, when
the line was free from the passengers
cars, in transporting merchandise and
materials on the road.
I The Directors preferred the odium at
tached to their delay to the risque atten-
ding the substitution Of the eng ines until
the engineers had become familiar with
their use. They were then pluced on
one line only, that they might be under
the immediate superintendent Of conf
Dental agents Of this company. Positive
Instructions were given that the trip (35
miles) should not be mado in less than
two hours and a quarter; allowing two
hours, or a speed Of seventeen and a
half miles per hour, for the actual run
ming Of the engine, s. fifteen minutes for
the necessary stoppages. Special in
structons were also given that no one
mile should be run in less than three min
utcs. To ensure compliance with these
orders, an agent was placed on each
line, whose special and only duty is to
take the time Of running each and every
mile, with stop watch, for the govern
ment Of the engineer, and to note down
the same, and report it to the Executive
Committee. From the commenc cmc mt
these reports have evinced so nearly a
compliance with the orders as TO be en-,
tirely satisfactory. From careful in-
speotion Of the reports Of the week inn
mediately preceding the accident, it is
discovered that the time actually occu-
pied in running, shews an average rate
Of eighteen miles per hour, and the fast
est trip was at the rate Of nineteen miles.
-UnlortunateIy the time keeper Of this
line had sustained slight injury from a
fall day or two previous, aud was not
then on the line. As the engineers had
become so well regulated in their time,
it was deemed unnecessary to procure
another agent to fiji this temporary va
cancy.
Had this officer been at his post, the
first object, to wit: the rate to which the
cars were running, would have been at
tended with no difficulty. From the ex-
citement naturally produced by the dis
sster, il has been found imprncticable TO
s,bt in inflammation on this subiect The
Committee are led to conclusion, how