New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-05-11

SOME MADNESS has seized on Railroad Superintend-
ents Conductors and Engineers They are nsatiabe in
their passion for the destruction of life and property
The most dreadful slaughter does not content them or
rather seems only TO whet their sangunary appetite
1t was to be hoped that the killing of fifty men and
women on Friday last might give the public immunity
from such catastrophes at least for period But this
is impossible Ii is contrary to the nature of things
Not day must pass without adding fresh horrors TO the
catalogue and causing the voice of mourning burst
forth anew in the land Such to be the will Of
those who have the power and who despse all existing
laws for the protection Of life and limb And so the
rails everywhere kept red and moist with blood and
ii has to pass that newspaper sheet cannot be
printed without containing the record of wholesale
crime committed by means of a steam-engne and rail-
cars To such point has it come that horror at these
accumulated almost gives place to fear lest
they should provoke commensurate violence the part
of the outraged and condemned public For We may be
sure that this course of things will not forever be toer.
ated and that where the laws inadequate to prevent
such repeated slaughter, it viii at last be terribly
avenged by the irrepressible fury of a mob
On Monday the timetables hours of starting and so
FORTH on the Paterson Railroad were changed aud of
this change the duty Of the Superintendent at the
Jersey City Depot, Mr.. Green, to inform every en-
gneer and conductor leaving the depot with train
The western emgrant train set out in the evening with
this indispensable information being communicated
to Mr.. w G. Gale, its conductor the engineer had
the time table, but Mr. Gale says that he had not
and was not even Of its existence Accordingly
be put forward his train though the engineer contended
that it out Of time but yielded on the conductors
positive and repeated assertion that il was not suppos-
ing that his watch out of order and not imag
lining that the conductor ignorant of the change in
the table Proceeding slowly, they presently met the
Express train coming east at full speed, and collision
ensued resulting in the mutilaton of four brakemen
two of whom will very probably be dead before this
reaches the eyes Of our readers.
Now, who is the criminal cause of these deaths {,
Who is Justly guilty of mansaughter to say the least
in the destruction of these meni We answer without
hesitation that if the above statement Of facts be cor
rect-snd il is the most authentic we have been able TO
Obtain-t is the Superintendent. Had he not ne
elected his duty, the Conductor would have known of
the alterations in the time table and would have gov
erned the movements of the train accordingly The
superintendent neglect has perled the safety of the
passengers IN two trains and has produced the death
OF two men and the severe woundng of others with
pecaniary damage to the Company of from ten to
twelve thousand dollars. If justice could be done he
would be held strictly accountable for the whole.
But there is another accountability behind bis and that
of all individuals Immediately concerned in the affair
There is another and graver fault than theirs and that
Is the fault Of the system adopted by the Company.
What state OF things that In which conductor can
possibly move Ignorant OF the time when and the places
where ne must expect to meet other trains, WHY
should depend on the attention or neglect Of single