New-York daily tribune., 1858-07-23
RAILROAD SMASH IN IIRGLNIi.


LYNCHBURG, Va, July %, lo5S.
IL it not quite time for TIE travelling public to
begin 70 make laws and to fix limits for The running
Of railway trains in this country Accidents, IS
they are called, are becoming amos. of daily oc-
currence; aai if only & few are klle1, aud only
some ye or ten times thst number badly ioJIred,
mspy Of whom are msinlsd for life, it is REGARDED
as trivial affair. / hsye jls. escaped being VIZ:
tim of RAILROAD .cciient" which really was
no accident at all, but one Of the msst nstural AM
legitimate effect. Of known cause imaginable.
Ilelt Knoxville, Tenn, on Monday uornlog for
New.York. Seventeen miles west of Salem ia Va,
where the trains meet aud pass, the train g)ilg
west ran one of lis cars of the track while pass
ing the other trsip. This detained US one hour;
and then, to make up for the time thus los, the
conductor of the train comog east pu. on more
steam and increased his speed, some say to 40 miles
an hour; and Just as we were nearing the Roanoke
River five miles west of Salem, two steers jumped
upon the track while the train was passing reverse
curve and the consequence was, owing To the great
speed the train could not be stopped, and three OF
the cars were literally smashed up-the two bag
gage cars Zone of them containing the United States
mail and about 10 feet in length, were tumbled
down the banks to the river and the front passen-
ger ear was broken up at the top OF the ear. Sew
eral persons were seriously injured-the baggage
master q brother of the conductor, was taken out
supposed 10 be dead, but, after much attention
from physicians and others he was brought 10 and
it is now hoped that he may live No one Was
killed outright; and yet think il would be difficult
for any one 10 visit the spot and the ruins and see
how il could have been possible tor $50 passengers
| to escape destruction.
Only last Saturday morning, similar break-docn
occurred, just below Jonesborough on the East
| Tennessee and Virginia Railroads. part of this
same line-when three cars were all broken up,
and several persons badly, if not fatally, injured.
On reaching this place about o'clock this morn
ing, / read in the newspapers the more terrible ac-
| count Of the awful catastrophe that has just Oc
Cured on the New-YOrk and Erie Railroad, where
some forty persons were killed and wounded.
| really begin to feel that railroad travelling ls
about the most hazardous thing man can do-that
having his affairs all fixed up; for the chances
seem TO be against his ever returning alive, or
sound, to bis home and his family.
There is d fault in the management Of our rail-
roads and think il has become clearly the duty of
the Legislatures Of the different States 10 pass laws
at their first sessions, compelling all railroad com
panes within their respective States TO fence in their
roads, and TO gate al the crossings and then TO
limit their speed under severe penalties not cx-
ceeding on a straight level grade - miles per
hour, and on curves and descending grades no,
more than - miles per hour. An average speed
of Is miles per hour is much any road in this
country should be allowed to run. We are
tainly pushing through the world too fast and the
sooner this reckless spirit is checked the better.
Every railroad company should be compelled 10
place more men. and those of a trusty class upon
It's road TO see that every rail and tie is safe and
sound and that no obstruction has, by &C .dent or
design, been placed upon the track And, above all
things, every conductor every engineer, and every
brakeman, should be man of experience Of entire
competency, and of unquestionsble reliability. In
stead Of this many of the operators Of railroad
trains are men without experience, without fitness,
aud Of harum- ecarum. reckless character. IL is
TO the reckless and inhuman care of such men that
We are daily committing, not only our own lives,
but the lives OF our wives and children When |
think OF it, am perfectly amazed a. the thOuQhtless
Indifference of the public In regard 10 this matter
The correction lie in our own hands-shall il be
applied There are various ways by which the
change of which i speak, nigh, De brought about
snd made 10 become universal L.w.G