Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-05-14
THE SAFEGUARDS OF RAILROAD TRAVELLING.

as occurred on the New Haven Railroad is that it may
the suggestions Of experience and caution be
needed hereafter The railroads of the United States
have been built with cupabe disregard Of safety They
have been built in haste and serious faults have been
Cured Crossings of common roads unnecessarily
dangerous culvers causeways, and bridges often
unsafe There should be railroad commissioners appoint
ed by the States whose duty it should be inspect the
roads with reference to the safety of travellers the
common roads as well as in the cars, and with penary
powers to compel the roads to make them reasonably
safe There is road which county road at
right angle it out Of and thick wood and
the railroad did not cut away the trees the traveller
does not the track until he upon it, One road
along bridge which forms part of the common road for
quarter OF mile 1t s not probable that there is any
road which has been constructed in this country with
by almost any by applying it any track with which
they familiar but the gross and terrible violations Of
proper regard safety only be known to those who
have given attention to the subject This bridge at
South Norwalk, in Connecticut, was death-trap The
track Immediately before reaching the bridge
that the bridge not within sight till the train is almost
upon it. Before the inquest Capt Ira Ford Of Norwal
that at their usual speed the train would hardly
be able to stop after the gnal ball is in sight, There
is stopping place not far from this bridge where
trains stop and do not The conductor &C. H. Com
the train after turning the corner if the train had
stopped at Norwalk 1t is understood that the signal
ball be caught sight of beyond the station and then
tits lost sight of and cannot be the station and
it appears from the testimony that when the train
round the it is again, but too late to stop
Now suppose the signal is lowered while the train
at the station, is it Of any use If the engineer fails
get glimpse of it distance he il when it is too
late Is it not apparent that this road built this
point with reckless disregard of safety life Was it
not apparent, before this accident that it was death
trap, built by the scientific who built this road for
the slaughter Of the ffyfour human beings whowere
here hurled into eternity There is probably not one
hundred miles Of railroad in this country where there
not some spot which looks if it intended to kill
some person, either passenger in the harmless
traveller the county road The corrective of such
things must be applied firmly and fearessy by the Legis
atures of the States and whatever cost the errors of
carelessness parsmony and msjudgmen in the laying
out and building Of these roads must be repaired
No does accident happen than the blame falls
some humble servant of the road-on the Waterman
brakeman, conductor or engineer, the engineer most
usually lie is however generally killed outright His
post is of danger as well as responsibility. 1t
to be thought that criminal punishments for
cupable engineer would make travel safe but this
is doubtful for if the danger to his life, if the
tain loss of place cannot careful bloody laws
will not they will only good servants leave road
and the engineers viii be felons desperate characters
who value their lives at low The person who
is really responsible for the safe conduct of travellers
railroad and who be reached as to be made
feel his responsibility is the person who has the general
charge of the road and who is sometimes called the pre-
sident, sometimes the superintendent of the road. His
character is felt all along the line of the road In large
view Of the the carelessness Of Waterman, n
tender, brakeman pretty apt be the distant
effect Of his own ineiciency. The men know who are
them. This makes the rules for the road and
he hires the hands, trains and mpresses his charac
ter upon them. But if accident occurs who blames
him What guarantee have the public for his watchful-
nessg If the and sometimes unjust rule adopted
by every road that the superintendent should be dismiss
ed whenever accident occurred there would be fewer
His place is for life, and he is usually paid from ST. 500
to as high as 5000 per The certainty Of his
losing his place would tend to keep his wachfulness
its height would make him feel aproper personal interest
in the safety of his bridges cuvers causeways Wheels
cars &C. would make him insist that the board of di
recors should appropriate the necessary moneys how
ever reluctant they might be- for the securing Of these
purposes make him disregard the cry for speed at the
risk Of fe and make him adopt proper rules for the
ming of his trains
The rules railroads generally wrong
ngs of bridges and other railroads superintendent Of
railroad, of large experience, informed that after
good deal Of thought and examination he had come Ia
the conclusion that the only safe rule for the engineer
to halt the train at such crossings and if all right
ahead to proceed The danger at such places is
certain danger. The train over speed time on
tme days, weeks and months pass and it in
safety. Now, the tendency Of all this is to lu the
gneer into feeling Of security and it may be that the
only time he is off his guard is the only time when be
needed to have been the lookout Suppose the sigma
can be seen half mile-a train that distance in
minute, or little more-it may chance that something
dverts the attention of the engineer the instant and
the accident The writer was train which RAT
into another in broad day open plain OF right
angle crossing Something must have been the reason
why the engnocz did Calculations about stop
ping train are somewhat faaeious. Every one hat
noticed train shooting past depot when they were trying
to brake mp and did succeed and hurry
fnght are not favorable proper action Besides, thu
brakeman may not be in his place the instant and
tram may run half a mile in a minute. The order Il
sacken speed is variable order il leaves too much
the discretion Of the hands II pushed for time ant
making up speed, the engineer for once will be likely
disregard IT, Though he has no right TO- the best Of me,
will sometimes calculate chances. This fatal train wa
eight minutes behind time at Norwak The order Of tn
superintendent the New Haven road all trains INNS
with care approaching Norwalk brge-is reall,
good for very little nothing 1t is too indefinite
leaves too much to poor human Can't Ford tee
tifes that the train faster than usual so W,
knnm how twae