The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-09-18

use IA steam 20 people who voluntarily consent to
waste forty.eight hours ona journey Of SIX hundred
miles2
But reserve further observations on this head for
q work which | contemplate publishing on tho
Relapse of Certain Races into Barbarism:" very
fine performance assure you, for when Meeerss
Harpers have agreed to give me handsome sum-
now wish you to hand this letter " emnent couns
sci OF your city, and instruct them 70 Msltute pro-
ceediDgs forthwith against the Hudson River Hall
road Company, for damages in consequence OF my
detention here Their bandbills and the assurances
beg Of you, quotation from the bill which hangs'in
their Office, stating that passengers leaving New
York at six A. NJ arrive here ut sx p NJ. and add to
it by way o. commentary, my solemn assertion, IN
capitals, that passengers leaving Nov York ct nix
o'clock A. M stated, nerer 0rr,cs here at siT r,
NJ do not arrive twice week ct seven, and gsner.
ally reach this about eight or nine. For the connr.
nation of this statement appeal TO every railroad
and steamboat oficis, and the public Of Montreal
generally have every ieason TO believe thastn1
passage yesterday in l34 hours, was An unusually
quick one Instead of twelve hours, - stated an0s
printed by the railway officials III New YORK, httean
hours 10 nearer the mark ~
Philosophers would find ample scope for specpls.
ton in the subject OF railway lies. We Know that
when the managers and tficia's OF the IRE railroad
make statement, the presumption " that IL y mlss
think the same may be inferred Of the Hudson
River road, from the above account Ny experience
Of travel IN the Northern and Western States ena.
bes me to extend the assertion to most, If not ALI
|
Is ii inherent in railroad management to superinduce
. disregar for truth Hawthorne says that no one
who has been a custom house officer for any length
OF tine. can be respectable man. Must we concludeI
| in like manner, that ev ry one who has managed
railway. or sold tickets, must tell lcsl confess
don't quite see the sequ t unless the habit Of deal
ing with the masses, without any esponsbility for
ones assertions, may be re- aroed as likely TO pro-
ducc axity OF the moral sense. II grocer or .
tai or tells US lie whereby injured, we sue
him and mulct him in damages; II, on the contrary,
passenger agent advertise falsehood, he screens
himself from the consequences by shifting the re-
sponsibility to others. leave the solution of the
problem, however, to wiser heads, cOntenting my.
| self with the assertion Of the fact.
so convinced am of its truth, that wish you 10
direct my counsel In the case above mentioned to
demand very high damages which will hand over
to fund for the establishment of schools for the
children Of railway officials think it only fair that
the poor little creatures should have Q chance Of
learning abroad some OF those simple virtues, suoh
as truth and honesty which the habits Of their &a
theirs entirely prevent their acquiring under the pas
rental roof Pray alude to the matter editoria1lys
1t will attract the attention OF the benevolent, and
you may thus be the means of rescuing hundreds Of
little ihn0cents from the paths OF sin.
A word, in conclusion TO MIR W. Taylor. You,
sir have rendered yourself noby conspicuous in the
Legislature, by attempting to put an end to railway
slaug hters. Your act, had it tassed, would have
badly introduce it again next session, would say
word to you on the subject don't believe in such
o thing as an inevitable accident on railway. Even
land slide may be fore.een and guarded against.
bridge may he repaired IN time. Railway acci-
dents are always the result Of careessness But this
is OF two kinds Carelessness in the local supern-
tendents may allow COW to stray on the track, g
log OF wood to be thrown the rails, some other
obstacle to intervene, whereby the train is thrown
of the track and lives are lost. This sort Of care.
lessness-or wantof watchuloess--woud have been
in measure guarded against by your bill. But, .iR
my opinion, by far the greater proportion Of acct
dents ale caused by carelessness Of different nE<
ture carelessDess as to time. Trains do not start
puhctualIy, do not make their timen on tho road
arrive at their destination behind time. Hence those
frightful collisions which cost so many lives annu-
ally. Iced not tell you that nothing would be ca.
sier than to obvate this want OF punctuality There
is earthly reason why train should not start ia
second, as they do III England and France, as the
Atlantic steamers do from New York. Nor can
be convinced that with our perfect machinery, the
rate Of speed Of railway train cannot be made as
regular that Of the minute hand of q clock. Such
is, in fact the case in France where the law impo-
ses heavy fine per minute in case of Q train being
delayed Were tais the CASE collisions could
cur and what though matter of less moment is still
worth at ntioD passengers would not be unreasonably
delayed on their way should not be imprisoned for
~ eil ht hours In Montreal law obliging IA lway
trains to start at the time fixed and imposing fine
when they are delayed on the road, has been re-
Gently passed in England Why should we not adopt
/ It? 1t would be both more effectual and more
readily accepted by the paLies than the proposed
rule obliging every line to have double track.
| NEW YORKER,