The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-09-03
,z" Railroad Mana gement.v
To the Editor of the Press.

~ 'eO 11t~etOf " To L JeSS.. -r.r- s4.-s..
The article headed Railroad Murder. was
not written by a party having any private
grievance! on the contrary he has no reason
to believe that the Kennebec and Portland
Railroad is not as carefully managed as any
in the State and much more carefully than
some that might be named. Whether he els
entirely unn,indftl as to the correctness of his
statements of fact and differences" your read
ers can decide for themselves by referring to
the article complained of in the Press of Fri
day, Aug. 30. a- p .''' - ,..s,. q
Assuming the truthfulness of the article
published in the Farmer, which observe is
not denied, what Statements and differences"
are objected to by the Superintendent of the
Kennebec and Portland Railroad sE d1i'8
The first Statement is that st did not ap-
pear that any examination of the road had
been made during those two rainy DAYS or
that any. of the several places where cuIyerts
had washed away We're known to the engi-
/, neer." Did it so appear? ~ - -
The other statement" is that "every Euro
pean government requires all railroad corpora
tons to keep men within sight and Mailing
distance of each other, patroling every rod Of
the track day and night Is MIR Hatch pre-
pared to deny this? uosi .sF5slfI3v83 iEIstfaG
So much tor thet'statements. -" Now for tbe
''inferencesp asked whether culverts that
wash away in several places dnring ono star,,,
were perfectly constructed? The Superinten-
dent does not answer this question but saws
that s"every culyert injured by that heavy
storm was made secure before any train
passed over them". That Inference vonr
readers had already drawn from the fact that
the trains had @passed over them" withont q
general slaughter. But repeat the oririnaij
question and add another, viz: Have these in
adequate culverts been ENLARGED as well as
made secure" until washed away by the next
''heavy stormY' Ifnot, is it, true shat ali wos
done tnat could be done by the most careful?"
l also asked whether it is economy 70
dispense with suitable gang of track examin-
ers ana rustic the unpaid thou ghtfulness" of
nelghbors gong to pasture after sheen with
lanterns on dark rainy nights?"r In reply VIC
are told by Mr., Hatch that the employees on
this road are especially instructed to use the
utmost possible care to see that the track Is at
all times in a safe condition. This NAV he
true, but does not the state of facts revealed bv
the Farmer" prove either that there arc not
employees" enough, or that they did not obey
Instructions" or that slate trains, onobt ~
to be run in the darkness after such stormsS
Ifso, are such trains "run with sneciaI rafar.
ence to the pubic safety"
We ask any candid traveller to read the anti
Gle from the Farmer and the. commnnica.
ton in Yesterdays Press from the Superin-
tendent, and judge for himself whether life
and limb were properly protected ON that
dark, rainy Friday night y
The question is not whether the Kennah.o
& Portland railroad is any greater sinner in
that regard than other roads, but whether the
puuiio diC St'eiehOu Win TIC stdte OF AFFAIRS
vealed. ., ....f4 ~. ia 60. Il -
Y Perhaps the public, slow to anger and If
great mercy, long-suffering and patient MS Il
is may not make its voice heard until on some
future clark, rainy night" a late train. All fi,lI
speed, shall plunge into some pitfaH unknown
10 section men,, and undiscovered by any
farmer in quest of lost sheep. -
p Whenever that CHASTITY ACCIDENT shall han I.
pen, as happen sooner asl later it must if the
present system is not improved, it will he foo foo
late to philosopher or explain, and perhans
those who are now uttering the voice Of warn
ing may be less bitter in their denunciations
than some who are now apparently satisfied \
with things as they are
Whether these suggestions are needed or
scorned, the writer has endeavored to dis,haree
his duty by Offering them. am. aware that
any comments on the management Of railroads
by the ''laity" is regarded by some as treasona-
BILE, if not savoring of the guilt of "unpardon
able SIM hence am not surprised to find
myself charged in the Star of August 81 with
excessive meanness of spirit" although the
evidence of said spirit is not specified. We
read-.a wounded spirit who can bear?" but
the writer feels better able to bear the spiritual
wounds Of the Star than the physical conse-
quences of recklesshess on railroads. viz
Ff-r--a. "fr'~ So BROKEN RONFs