Litchfield enquirer., 1865-11-09
LIToHFIELp. ooNN.. TIIURspAY NOV 9 1ses

of collision is involved, he right of track, 1 whenever no other train CAN BE THERE WITHOUT
 VIOLATING PLAIN REGULATIONS.
 With these remarks we dismiss the vague
 censure bestowed upon MT. Hunt for violating Rule 2s. Under the printed regulations. there
 was no more reason to doubt that the track to Bridgeport was clear of all other trains, than that the track to Stepney, above, was
 I Now let us examine the alleged violation of Rule 5. Strike out from the words and the conductors oftrains delayed at the stations on the time of another train must send signais,,' which words have no applicability to the pres ent case, and threads as it was testified thatthe employees of the road understand it--s If'trains are stopped on the road, the conductor must always send signals in each direction to warn the approaching train.' The words to warn the approaching train,' qualify both clauses Of the sentence. If such were not thu intention. . ssnsi-coloa, instead of 2 consMd. aholld have been placed after tue words in each direction.' If such be the proper construction, then it is, clear that the rule did not require signals to be sent in each direction, unless Mere sCere AP- PRoACHINa TRAINS. s@assE sL ST
 It will not be denied that if. when the pas. senger train was first stopped, this rule requir- ed signals sent BACK, it equally required them fssnt FORWARD. Now, look at the absurdity of such conssrnction. Here is train moving from Bridgeport to@ara Stepney at the rate of thirty miles an hour on it's rega,ar time. No signals are sent ahead, BECAUSE the cono~..nr has conJedence that no train will violate the regulations by coming down in contrary dir rection on his time 1; and the train is consider ed to be moving safely; but if, for 2 single mo- ment, the train is stopped on the road hsn g flag must be sent ahead The train can safe ly pass given point uNrLAaeED at full speed, but it cannot safely STAND stin there without . flag ahead Can any man fail to see the ab- surdity of such 8 construction?
 Not word is said in the rule about Tagging a backing train; but it is argued, and fairly so, that if the train cannot stand STILL without Tagging back, it cannot safely be BACKED with out Tagging back. Very well, but if this be SO, is not equally deducible that if it were decided to resume motion in forward direction, a flag must likewise be sent ahead And if 80, where would the obligation to keep g flag ahead Again, is it not reasonable to suppose that no framer of rules for the management of railroad could intend to require less precaution to be observed in case of the stoppage of a train in the night time, than in the dag time But read Rule eleven, which provides for the precisely analogous case of the stoppage of train at night. Here the language is unmis- takeable in requiring only such trains as are by the regulations due at the place of delay,' to be notified. This rule is precisely analogous to the construction which should be put on Rule five. .I t-a.:a-,4 .
 Such was MT. Huut's construction, and the true one as we think, of this Rule. But sup pose there could be any question on this point, we think there cannot be--can there be a question in the mind of any one that he did not violate the rules from carelessness, but from pure misapprehension of its proper construc- tion? If his own wife and children had been on the train with him, can any one uoubt he would have done precisely as he did
 The foregoing views are as applicable to Mr. Plunzb as to MT. Hunt. sB5 -.eaii;u.,.fq s. I
 NATHANIEL THAYER, 4 seT
 a,l DAVID ,LEAvITT,
 .l..fs,l MORRIS KErcHuM,
 G. w. PEET, Directors. 4 1V.'- 70. L. STUART ,af Yaj a# 6- isI+ ! t.ai. D. MARSH, ,sl. H4SI erg s t.s., eizts J. z. GOODRICH, ~
 How A LITTLE FISH STOPPED SrEAMEs.-I A curious occurrence happened to the Clare mont, the first steamboat that ascended the Hudson river. The use of steam as motive power was then in its infancy, and the machin- cry for propelling boats was of course exceed- l ingly rough. The pipe through which water is l pumped into the boiler was then open, and on