The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1865-03-04

RailroadsETheir Conditien.

Ratlroads-Th Condition.
The condition of the railroads Of the
country, as whole, is at the present time
~ wretched. This is attributable TO the
aacs that managers have allowed the tracks
anu a. lo!ang stock to run down, because of
-. me nlgn cost OF material and labor, and
tle anxiety Tor large dividends. A rail.
road President remarked to us recently
lnal 4 the war should close to-day, it would
require the entire earnings of nearly a!lthe
aosos lor two years to bring the property
up 20 me condition it was in 4 the close Of
!oo1. observing people understand this,
snu inls Is the reason why railroad stocks
Wnich pay large dividends are but little IN
nateo comparatively. Take any of the first
CLASS stocks dealt mon the Stock Exchange
IN New York, and current prices, compared
VAIN ante war quotations, do not show an
average advance of over 20 per cent. We
no not make this comparison with prices
reached during the first six months Of the
war, when ? general panic prevailed, but
previous to that time. It is seen, therefore,
tnat the large dividends declared have not
bad the desired effect, and the policy that
u pursued will in the end be found to be q
CAD one. The lower the roads are run the
Mose money IT will require to pat them in
good condition. While the usual repairs
would cost more now than formerly. the
nnal result will prove that the present poll
ICY 10 an expensive one. The public un.
derstand this, and the large dividends that
are being declared do not blind them to the
1acs mat the future promises lean returns.
But there is another and more important
view of this matter, the presentation OF
which is the chief object Of this article. The
policy to which We refer, whether profita-
Die or Improbable, in q pecuniary sense.
ls reprehensihle, because il endangers the
ives Of passengers. It is notorious that
few railroads are safe. Accidents on near
" all are SO frequent that people have come
10 regard them as matter Of course and
travellers are more surprised when they get
through without an accident than when
they lind themselves mixed up in the wreck
OF train. Time tables are no longer run
to. Connections are seldom made. No
one can now safely calculate on less than
three OR i've days between Cincinnati and
New York, and even at that they cannot
count their lives safe. The most wealthy
rolling stock TO run down. This is true OF
roads making profits OF twenty per cent,
and upward. The condition of poorer cor.
poratiOns is worse-so bad. indeed, that it
is absolutely criminal 20 run passenger
trains over them at all. On some OF these,
cars have been so thoroughly smashed by
the frequency of accidents, that they are
roads. The destruction Of freight trains is
equally great. Ely examining these roads
II will be found that the ties are SO ro.ton
that they Will not hold the spikes which
are Intended 10 keep the rails in Their places
and pieces OF boards are used TO prop Up
the rails where ties are too rotten 10 sus-
tain them. Bridges are equally neglected,
and many OF these structures over which
hundreds OF human beings are passed daily
would, By competen, engineer, be pro-
nounced unsafe.
We suppose there is no civilized country
except this where such reckless disregard
Of human life would he permitted. It
ought not to be suffered here. 1t is most
assuredly the duty Of the Legislature to
put stop to it. "A law should be passed
providing for the appointment Of a board
should be to inspect railroads, and where
roads may be found unsafe, this board
shoald have power to enjoin their mana.
gers from turning wheel. As matters
now stand, trains will be run as long as in
experienced engineers and conductors can
be found reckless enough or ignorant
enough Of the personal danger they en-.
counter TO take them cut.
The members OF the Ohio Legislature
need not go many miles from the State
Capital to and roads that are in tottering
condition, and the operation Of which should
be promptly suspended.
The passage Of an efficient law on this
subject, and its enforcement, would speed
lily correct the existing evil. But this leg
isiaiinn should not be confined 70 Ohio
The necessity for it is as pressing in other
States as IN this. Everywhere the same
disorder prevails, the only difference being
one of degree. Some roads are worse than
others; but with very few exceptions, all
are bad and all are dangerous. Travellers
will substantiaie this. Railroad managers
know this is true. The time has come, y
therefore, ter the public TO agi,ase the
question, and TO press it home unit, rail-
road managers put their roads ia order, or
are forced 70 abandon them.-Cia. Gos.