The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-07-02

IL SELDOM falls 10 the i0t OF Journalist to
record more appalling calamity than that
which occurred at midnight on Monday last, on
the Michigan Southern Railroad, near South Bend,
Indiana, by which nearly fifty persons were
killed and forty or fifty wounded. The imuedi-
ate cause of he disaster was the giving way Of
Gully TT some twenty feet deep and ffty feet
aero through which chasm the whole train of
six al plunged down into the rushing torrent
beneath, breaking into fragments, and hurting
rs unfortunate passengers into the stream, some
70 struggle successfully with the waters in the
darkness OF the night, some crushed to death
instantly, and many to rise out Of the gathering
food no more.
The details of this horrible affair, which we
give in another column, are calculated to make
many stout heart quail; but they furnish at
the same time melancholy illustration Of the
criminal sporting with human life 90 often pre-
sented by the managers Of our railroad lines
Although In this case the direct canse of the ac
cident may be attributed to the breaking away
of an embankment by the floods caused BY re-
cent heavy rains, it does not follow that those
who bad charge of the road should be held ire
sponsible Indeed, it appears that the insecurity
of that portion of the road which gave way Was
known 70 many, and the lamentable catastrophe
which has occurred had been predicted. There
fore the company should be held to strict &C
countab;lity for all the misery to which this sad
affair has given rise.
1t is worse than absurd to call disasters of this
kind accidents" In almost every instance they
are the result of culpable carelessness on the
part of the companies or their agents, and they
should be SO dealt with. Nothing less than the
demolition Of q train by Lightning should be set
down to the providence of God. All calamities
arising from other causes are traceable to human
sgency-to that recklessness of life and limb
which 10 fatally characterizes tae employees OF
railroad companies in this country. In almost
every case like the present we find that miser-
able economy in keeping the roads in repair is
the direct cause of the misfortune. No company
bias right to start train freighted with pre-
cious lives along road unless they are GER
tain that every mile of 1t is In safe condi-
ton for travelling upon. 1t is no excuse to
offer, after the damage is done, that rains or foods
have injured portion Of the track. 1t is idle
to say that the conductors Of the Michigan
Southern road in this late case did not know
that heavy rains had fallen and that the lands
outlying the track were flooded. They must
have known it, because another train had passed
the fatal spot only a few hours before, happily
without accident; and they we're perfectly mex
cusable in permitting the second one to pass
over the same track until they were assured that
there was no danger.
1t ia fearful to review the record of railroad
disasters which have occurred in the United
States for the past six years. Here is terrible
catalogue Of bloody tragedies which have
paralyzed the public mind for brief time, aud
then have been forgotten save by the surviving
friends of the victims whose hearths have been
made desolate. Since 1853 the following rail-
road disasters have occurred in this country, and
in how many instances have the companies been
held accountable for the loss of life? We will
venture to say hardly in a single case, except
pecuniarily; and it is gratifying to know that
they have been made to pay heavily in many
cases by the just verdicts Of juries-