New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-05-10
on RAILROAD MAssAcRss.

m our railroads cause them TO form the uppernost
topic of conversation The opinion now is that RkFoRs
must come that life be secured 10 persons travel
ing so that their danger viii be no greater than when
stayine at home On this head offer few suggestions
The constitution of society is such tina, the social
position Of the labOrng man IS nadequatey recognized
even in this country Certain emPloyments rank a.
most as mere coarse labor insdequatey paid. a1d
usither tAe personal nor social importance which they
merit is attached 10 them Among these may be cited
the engineers on railroads These who literally
control the lives ofbundreds thero scitizehs whose
slightest neglect may destroy the existence Of null
ttude and yet professionally they pass unnotced and
unknown and their pay is generally Of apOOr character
OF the so-caled accidents resulting from the employ.
ment Of inefficient and ignorant persons at low wages,
might give various instances that have come under our
personal observation or that Of others whose verscy
is unquestoned but will cOnfne ourselves ortEO.
On one of the railroads leading from this City, at a
station not far distant there employed for several
months at a beggarly pttance Of less than dollar
DAY, man switch-tender whose duty it was at all
times 70 be al his post not less than thirty trains
day passed IT, His pay not sufficient for bis sup
port and be sought frequently to add to it, BY ne yee
ing bis duty sad carrying passengers truaks and 50
forth Consequently the switches were so frequently
out of order that for several months an accident
Cured every week or two but the ground being level
these accidents were fortunately confined TO running
tie cars off the track and no loss life or limb,
the consequence The directors, however knew the
danger and knew of the repeated accidents and finally
eopcudedto employ better man on higher wages and
since he has been at his post than ayear not
single accident has occurred
In truth, it must be difficult to obtain men of high
character WHO will cOnscenously discharge the import
ant trust Of Railway Engineers for such compensation
as they now receive. Look st the duties of such an
engineer: in all weatber at all seasons, he is daily
posed for five or six hours while driving the engine,
with the bnowledge that single moments insttenon
may hDr into eternity hundreds whom he is appointed
TO protect and quad. There is no other position OF
equal responsibility and should be permitted to
occupy who does not possess scientific and practical
knowledge, proven by the diploma of competent
board of examiners who should likewise certify TO his
strict moral character and above ALL to his sObrety.
Ii is hardly possible that men possessing these
sary qualifications csn be hired for such wages as $40
TO 500 month, which is what the Railroad Companies
Row pay Really competent men can generally do bet
ter in other ways and until adequate salaries are paid
We must expect to find often the engineers places
filed BY inadequate reckless and incorporate men,
On many railroads, the rule is that Engineer shall
be discharged who is reported for drinking sprltuous
Liquors while on duty" The rule is good one as
far as goes but it should 90 farther and require all
Engineers to be total abstinence This is the Gus
tom on the Western road from Springfield TO Albany,
the accidents upon which have been snguarly few Ga
many other roads the Engineers spend their nights in
drunken carousiDg and 20 20 their posts with mudded
brains even though they do comply with the letter OF
their contract and not drink While on duty.
In palation of Wholesale slaughter by railroad Engi-
neers it is usually advanced that they run the same
risk as their victims and are unduly censured. This
is not true The Engineer sees the danger aud gener
ally in time TO give the signal break up the train and
slack EN- the speed TO degree sufficient to enable him
to leap from the locomotive at the expense OF some
bruises ard scratches while the poor passengers cooPed
up in the cars are dashed down precpces or plunged
into rivers. IL is notorious that Engineers
practise jumping from cars at all rates oil speed, and
some OF them become expert as clrcusrders IN n.y.
ing leaps They learn to spring from an engine going
at speed of twenty miles an hour, and we have heard
OF tie feat being accomplished with the train going az
twenty-five miles an hour. A passenger who would at
tempt 10 do this would be dashed pieces but the
pert engineer OF fireman, knowing by practise how TO
save himself filings himself from the engine with all the
energy be can command throwing his feet forward and
bis head backw ard as if with the design to dash his
bans OUT bat the forward impetus Of the train is so
great that with every effort TO fall on the back OF his
head he will instead be probably brought TO the ground
on HE hands and knees or fiat on his face The eng
neer too becomes so accustomed "a danger that he
does not regard with crcumpection. But ne should
be punished fer reckesness even though his life
we're as much exposed the lives of the passengers
The late accident on the Camden and AmbOy Rail
road will cost that Company twenyor thirty thou
sand dollars, in damages aud that engrossing the
public mind will in like manner put the New-H Haven
Company to an expense of two hundred thousand
dollars Ii is TO be hoped that all who are injured by
railroad accidents viii in future prosecute the cOmpa
MES for damages and the way directors cOnsciences
being through their pockets, reform may be eventually
achieved.
The prompt action of the Connecticut Legislature is
prasewortby Fixing the damages by Law should be
universally followed If every leg, arm, or rib broken,
or equally great injury to passenger were followed BY
the certain loss 10 the Company of at least $4,000,
it would 20 far toward establishing the neces-
sary reform As things are il is difficult to estimate
the injury done TO the national repgte such barbarous
destruction of human life and if it is not arrested tens
of thousands of persons who now travel will prefer TO
stay at home rather than the chance OF being mutt
lated or mastered.