The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-08-13
More RailrOad 10 u-aers-Ths Railroad
SlauE0y err This Year

More Railroad 10 u-oers-Ths Railroad
Slau4oy err THIS Year
Another railrc@i massacre has come, to bring
grief mourning and desolation to hundreds-to
keep alive tive indignation of too long out
ragged and too-sorely tried community, and to
demand from the public press the most vehe-
ment resveration Of those charges Of culpability
which We are now almost wearied OIL levelling
st The managers and directors and employees OF
our railroads. The line of the Worcester and
Providence Railroad has in this case been the
scene OF calamity. An excursion train, with
six cars, laden with passengers, came into col
.lision early yesterday morning with the regu-
lar up train, and the consequences, as at pre-
sent as certained, have been the slaughter of no
less than twelve individuals, and the manning
and njuring more or less severely Of some three
times that number.
We in vain attempt to find out an excuse or
palliative for this disaster Like that which
occurred on the Camden and Amboy Railroad
a few days since, the conductor of either train
must have been, or ought to have been, under
proper management, well aware that the other
train was coming in the opposite direction, and
that of course, a collision was Inevitable But
one not having arrived at the point where it
was due in proper time, the conductor of the
other. caring nothing, it would seem, for the
lives entrusted to his guardianship, and heed
less of everything but Ibis right to the road"
had his train set in motion slowly, it is said,
but still on the only single track which the road
possesses, where, in the course Of some brief
seconds-for the other was but two minutes out
oftime, the dreadful and inevitable collision took
place, the result of which was the instantaneous
massacre, according to our telegraphic des-
patches, of twelve persons.
Where, in the name of patience, is all this to
end? Can legislators devise no effective means
to save the travelling public from the momently
impending dangers to which they are exposed
through the ignorance and stupidity of railroad
officials. or through the no less guilty and still
more reprehensible cupidity of railroad compa-
MES? The usual silly excuse is attempted in
this last case to be urged. namely: that the
watch OF one of the conductors was two
minutes and thirty seconds astray but such
ridiculous plea cannot for a moment
u
train were two, ten or twenty minutes be-
hind time, that is no reason why another.
coming in the opposite direction, should, at the
decree of an obstinate conductor, move on to
certain collision. and to the enlargement of
the lives Of its passengers. Or if it be the d.
rection OF the managers of the railroad that
train so circumstanced shall move on then are
har v,c;I 1a4. III
for the individual or Wholesale destruction of
life which may accrue from such cause
In another view are they responsible 1t il
their bounden duty to make use Of all possible
appliances and means to prevent accidents
Among those means the most simple and eff
Gent in cases such as this, would be to have
telegraphc connection from station to station
along the line If this had been established and
used, the employees at one station could know in
a few seconds whether the expected train had
passed the other station if it had, of course.
then its arrival should be waited for ; if il had
not, then instructions should be given to detain
it till the one ready to start should reach that
point or whatever other point on the line where
collision could not occur
There is another serious difficulty in the ma
nagement OF railroads in these States-that is
that there are too many duties required from
the conductor. If to that official be entrusted
the responsibility of observing time and look
ing out to guard against casualties then he
should be relieved from that other duty of col
Letting tickets and fares in the cars-an occu-
patton which must certainly prevent him from
paying that cautious attention to the progress
Of the train which is required from him, and
on which so much depends.
But as we have seen exemplifed on several
occasions, the great and fertile cause Of railroad
accidents is that contemplate. despicable parsi-
mony of the company, which contents itself with
building single track and refuses to appropri-
ate portion of its yearly spoil to meet the ex-
igencies Of increased traffic. But we have
learned that homilies to railroad directors pro-
duce no good effect-recklcss are they all, it
wouN seem, ofany Of their rights or duties save
those which consist in receiving their annual
dividends. Therefore we do not address our
selves to them, but to the Legislatures OF
each Of our sovereign States we appeal and
we ask them to pass bills, with as speedy action
as possible, compelling every railroad company
within their borders to construct double track
wherever a single one is now used, and to have
inserted in every future bill of Incorporation Of
railroad companies clause rendering it in
cGHbent on them to build the two tracks pari
pasSu with each other. This being done proli-
iic source ofrailroad calamities will be dried up.
To show the necessity of legislative inter-
ference, by simply pointing out the magnitude
Of the evil for which the outraged public de. |
mand an immediate corrective, as well as exem |
plary redress, we have prepared the following
table, showing the number of railroad casualties |
which have occurred in these States during the |
eight months Of the year in which we are ad-
-apcod uara n IL