New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-08-30

RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.
Our readers will find a very mourniul column
in this mornings TRIBUNE We have heard 80
much OF railroad disasters recently, that the
sense Of anger. and grief, and surprise has be-
come deadened. and we can scarcely realize that
during the last twelve months there have been
sixty.seyen chroniclcd disasters on the railroads
Of America. We use the word accidents III
deicrence TO the general custom which leads us
To speak Of all sudden removal OF lie As the
peculiar visitation of / royideacc. 1t would be
more proper If we spoke Of this as a record OF
crime. in itself as dark and bloody and desery-
ing of punishment as any calendar of the
Tombs. No one can know the real extent OF
these calamities, As our intelligence OF these
calamities comes from friends OF the road, from
people who are interested in suppressing truth,
and who finally give it reluctantly and with
yagueness. Such as il is We give this morning,
We desire to discuss this melancholy chroni-
Gle without passion. We know very well that
railroad managers do not make the killing oil
people their business They would rather even
for pecuniary reasons, that accidents should not
take place, for they are compelled TO pay large
subsidies 10 the friends and relatives OF the
victims. We also know that men do not open
banking houses ana ak the deposits of people
to run away with the money. Yet We have
seen banking houses keep their cash as loosely
as Fulton Market huckster keeps his peaches
and corn. Any sharp clerk can 90 down into
the vaults and rob. and continue TO rob for
months. There is cause for this, and the
cause that comments itself to our Judgment is
the utter and criminal carelessness Of men who
are intrusted b. banks and railroads with the
management u their affairs. Two things are
wanting In the frt place science, in the
second discipline. Rlilroading is COMPARE
lively new to Us. There are few
elderly gentlemen who DO not remember when
they rode upon wagons from New.York to Al
bany, and regarded the first locomotive with
saw a man on horseback for the first time.
They must know far more than we do before
they are familiar with the laws of steam. Yet
they run on in wild, harum-scarum way,
build cheap railroads, permit bad grades, de-
fectve bridges, rotten Sleepers, and cars which
have neither comfort nor safety. America must
admit that the two things most uncertain in this
blessed Republic are q mans life and his
money Steam is the enemy Of one-Banking
that of the other.
What is the remedy We have laws and
juries and prisons and Governors who pay
decent respect to public opinion. Shall We
make these men pay heavy tinesl That is done
every day, bat they make SO much money and
the fines are comparatively so small that they
the yearly loss account. We might enact a
law making each company pay hundred
thousand dollars for every injury inflicted
through the carelessness Of lis employees. We
might enact other laws, sending the railroad
boards TO Jail to study steam engineering in
parti-colored pantaloons. These, however are
punishments We want preventiyes Be-
cause the New-York Central's President is in
Sing Sing we have no assurance that the IIar
lem President is attending to his road, fixing
his bridges and tracks. 1t il not long since the
New-IIayen Railroad paid fine Of eight humid
red thousand dollars as penalty for running a
train over draw bridge and drowning num-
Der of passengers. Yet that railroad has
had its share of subsequent disasters.
How was it over in Long Island the
other morning irregularity had become
so customary that the conductor felt he was
doing his duty by running ahead Of time. The
man to blame should be the careless conductor
Not many months since many people were
burned to death near the Allegheny Mountains
because the conductors were too lazy to 90
through the cars and collect the tickets, and III
sisted upon locking the doors that they might
collect them as each passenger passed in At a GER
tain door The cars took fire, the key was lost
and men and women were burned in broad day.
light, in the presence Of a crowd of people
Run the eye down the list Of causes. We feel
disposed to speak Of these dreadful occurrences
as railroad planomenl, the term accident
being so muchbut Of place Every Imaginable
Cause is assigned, but tho slReyialusilg cause