The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-08-31


ton policy of Andrew johnson.
The Long Island Railroad Slaughter
Economy and Dividends.
The coroner's inquest on the bodies of the
persons murdered the other day on the Long
Island Railroad develops some facts of special
interest to the public, and indicates one of the
means by which the railroads are enabled to
declare dividends. We showed yesterday that
the general rule over the country is that the
railroads this year are making twice, three
times or even four times as much as they made
in any corresponding period of last year. Now
this very fact is an explanation of the series of
recent railroad tragedies These increased
earnings are due In great degree to the prac-
tice of what Is called ''economy"-that is, the
management Of the railroad avoids spending
cent wherever It is in any way possible to
avoid it They make no repairs, and broken
rail throws a train over precipice, or worn
out wheel gives way with the same result
They cut down expenses by reducing the num-
Der of employees, and by doing without neces-
sary assistants They save money by employ
ing small boys, instead of men, to attend gates.
They reduce to the minimum the number of
switch tenders, flag men and brakemen. Thus
they get economy to its utmost Initial for
the sake of dividends; and then as the direct
result Of this ECONOMY" we have to chronicle
another railroad accident.
The Long Island Railroad practised its
economy in the article of brakemen. With all
the brakes on, train can be stopped in one
eighth of mile though it be going at a speed
of twenty miles an hour. Neither of the trains
that collided was going so fast One was going
at the rate of eight miles, the other at the rate
of fifteen, and when the danger of collision was
clearly apparent they were yet half mile
apart. There was full quarter of mile to
spare. How was it, then, that they came against
one another? Because the first necessity was
not complied with--the brakes were not call
down." The express train was going most
rapidly and the driver ofthat train-an engineer
of twenty-five years. experience-says that he
could, with the brakes down, have stopped his
train in sixty yards. The other engineer says
he could have stopped his train in four hun
dred feet as it was and it may be supposed that
with the brakes all down he would have
stopped 1t in half the distance. But on that
train, with six passenger cars, there we're only
two regular brakemen, and on the other train,
with ten cars altogether, there were only three
Here, then, is one point in which ECONOMY"
is carried to remarkable extreme.
The presence of three or four more brake
men on each train might have prevented the
disastrous consequences; but this does not
lessen the oriminality Of those who by their
failure to observe positive rules were the more
train, coming towards this city, was due at
Jamaica at halfpast nine, and was there on
time. If the train going the other way had not
yet reached, that point the express had to wait
four minutes-and did 80. Both the conductor
and engineer swear that their train left Jamaica
at twenty-five minutes to ten, and il this is true
they clearly had the right Of way. The other
train left Hunters Point fifteen minutes late
and lost twenty minutes on the way, so that at
Winfield it was thirty-6ve minutes behind time,
and certainly the conductor Of that train was
under the necessity to take all precaution to
avoid the train that he knew had right to the
road. He was at Winfield at twenty minutes
past nine, and the question was whether he
would wait there thirty minutes and let the
other train pass him there, or whether he would
push on and pass it at Jamaica. He decided
to push on, influenced no doubt by the con-
sideration that he was already more than half
an hour behind his time. His calculation
10 ck~
the public has for Its life when 1t gets on
O railroad train. He knew that the express
train would leave Jamaica just fourteen min
utes later than he left Winfield. He told the
engineer they had fourteen minutes, and they
were running to make the distance In that
was difference Of two minutes between the
watches Of the two conductors, and when
twelve Of the fourteen minutes bad expired
the other train was encountered two minutes
out from Jamaica. Such Is the chance upon
which the lives of several hundred persons are
made to depend. The four minutes, moreover,
that the express train stops at Jamaica is an
allowance made for the difference in watches.
The conductor was running in the time given
him for the sake Of safety.
The accident Is traceable directly to lax
management OF the road, in the failure to pro-
vide by any and every means that trains shall
start punctually and run on time. This is
none the less culpable because it Is common
occurrence. It appears that this particular road
is run according TO convenience. The conductor
was ready in time, but could not get bis train
out because another train was In his way. This,
then, comes directly homo to the Superinten-
dent It 10 tho starting point Of the whole
trouble The caution Of the conductor and
plenty Of brakemen might have prevented the
collision, even with the train out Of time; but
the conductor calculated too closely, and the
brakemen were not there, and thus all the con-
sequences Of failure in strict management APP