The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-04-28

L fSe.@VSsSAsS -
our desire t. snbdue.
We seem % welcome our visitors as gods
and then TO hold them responsible for terrible
deception, On finding that they are but mortals
Could we but wisely avail ourselves Of the
wisdom taught in our experience, and prepare
ourselves to look only on mortality at first, the
unpleasant revulsion would net come, and oul
chagrin would then be all the less. Let vi
try to adopt this rule, and save ourselves from
future disappointment, and our British friends
from undeserved abuse.
The Accident ON the Camden and Amboy
Railroad.
We yesterday published, in an extract from
the New York Tribune, an account of the ac-
cident, which occurred on this road twelve
miles beyond Philadelphia, on Saturday last
The following letter explains some Of the par
ticulars:
New YoRK, SATURDAY, April "a, 1853.
To the Editor Of the Ns,o York Tribune:
Sin: The circumstance, which ought to be deeply
impressed on the public mind, in connection with
the railroad accident of Saturday, is this: The
man in charge of the railroad company's bridge
at Rancocas Greek had no instructions to give any
other warning to an approaching train, when the
draw was up, than that which he did give, namely,
by waving his hand or hat. No arrangements
whatever beyond this were found to have been
made to guard against the horrible exposure. The
engineer may have been cautioned to look out
when the draw was up; but what sort of security
was this. considering the magnitude of the hazard,
and the liability to visual nsconception or mat
tention.
To chow what sort of man the management
bad placed in charge of their bridge, let these
facts be borne in mind The afternoon train was
in the habit of crossing the bridge some minutes
before the boat at the draw. On this occa-
sion. owing to the number of passengers, there
was delay of some ten or fifteen minutes in the
trains arrival at the bridge. And yet the man at
the bridge, Notwithstanding the imminence of the
trains arrival every moment, proceeded to lift
the draw. On being expostulated With after the
accident, he stupidity said that his orders were to
lift the draw when the boats came, and he had
no discretion in the matter. He had been there
he said, fourteen years, and had never tipped a
train into the river before. So, if the same acct
dent has not occurred long since at be same point
passengers may thank their good luck, and not
the provident care of the railroad management,
nor the common sense of their man at the bridge
gers, and it was that<he accident was attributable
to the most nefarous careessness on the part of the
railroad company in not providing an efficient
security against the contingency of the draws be-
ing up. A man with red flag should have been
stationed mile in the rear before the draw was
touched under such tremendous risk. We were
going at speed of thirty miles an hour, and our
only chance was that the atmosphere might be
sufficiently clear and the engineer sufficiently
quick sighted for him to zee in that the draw
was up. Had the boat been halfway through the
draw at the time of the accident there must
have been great destruction of life on board the
boat as well asin the Had speed been slack
ened few seconds later some of the passenger
cars would have been pitched into the river with
baggage, or crushed up-drowning or mutilation
being the two chances for the passengers.
1t was the very general intention of passengers
to hold the company responsible for all their losses.
The casei is one which admits of no palliation what
ever. and public opinion cannot fail to hold the
company to strict account.
ONE PARTY OF -Four PASSENGERS
We have perused the detailed account of
this affair, and can perceive nothing in it, from
beginning TO end, to remove from the company
the charge of the most culpable carelessness.
for which we trust the most rigid accounta-
bility may be exacted. We recommend to the
proper authorities and to an interested public the
immediate adoption of whatever measures may
tend to reform the abuses of this company, and
embrace the occasion also to urge upon the public
the growing necessity of more direct and
continuous line of railroad between New York
and Washington than now exists-a road gf
improved construction in all particulars and
without the present grounds of apology for the
immense charges. protracted transit, and fear
full perils to which the public are subjected.