St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-01-17

The daily frightful massacres of tray
elers, and the incesSant accidents, make
it very serious thing for any one to
leave home even upon the shortest jour
neys. And except for monotonous eX-
perience it would be amazing that moth
ing is done about it. But everybody
shudders and secretly hopes that he shall
escape, and cherishes n vain superstition
that SO many horrible things have hap
pened, the chance is that they have come
to an end, and that he may, as it were,
run between the drops But it is use
less. Frost will touch and snap iron
next week as it did last, and when the
car goes over the stove will so with it.,
and fire will still burn, and horrors be
piled upon horrors.
The Yankee genius is paralyzed the
moment it copes with the comfort and
safety of travel For more than twenty
years we all submitted to the old cars,
with roof just above your head, forcing
the foul air into your lungs, and there
we patiently sat placidly breathing ty-
phus and death. Somebody then said,
Lift the roof and punch holes at the
side,' and for the first time there were
tolerably ventilated cars. But you will
still be sure to find somebody in the car
who insists upon having all the holes at
the top closed, and who glowers at you
as ii you were not sensible man if you
insist that they shall nat be closed. Jump
into full car that has just stopped at a
waystation, and reflect that there are
people who have been inhaling that air
for more than an hour, and who persist
i'll inhalng it for SIX hours OF course
they will do nothing to prevent railroad
murders. Why should thsy7 They
are doing what they can to multiply
them.
Then there is the stove in the car.
The very words are fearful after the late
sickening event at Angola. We state
the fact plainly here that every railroad
traveller and manager may fully under
stand it. The car was thrown from the
bridge sixty feet down into the ravine,
and there stood on end. All the pas
sengers were hurled TO the lower end,
and piled upon the red hot stove, and the
stove at the other end of course fell upon
them. Every car full of passengers that
leave the city of New York at this sea-
son, at every hour of the day, is liable to
precisely the same fate. Why, then, do
the regular daily commuters upon all the
roads from New Y ork demand that the
cI,o1l a.
cars 10y steam or hot water? One plain
peril would at least be removed.
Among the worst accidents upon record
are the burning of the sisters in Ohio
few weeks ago, and the destruction at
Angola. Fire was the fearful fact of
both disasters. If the use of steam or
water pipes should make the cars little
cooler than al present. 50 much the bet
ter. Ii the system will not answer, the
agitation and constant experiment will
soon develop something that will. To
prevent the constant draught OF cold air
about the feet and legs, there can be
double door, 4! each end OF every car.
Let railroad companies offer large and
tempting premiums for remedial invcen-
tions ot every kind. And let all travel
ers take care that every accident known
to them is made known to the public
At present we hear OF but very few of
the many accidents by rail. II the re-
suit is loss of life. or ii there chance 10
he some newspaper man upon the
traln-the newspaper man who writes
and not who sells-some account appears.
But many private traveller has know
ledge OF many a mere escape and mishap
which, ii published, would compel the
public to demand some action upon the
subject.
There are railroads in Europe upon
which there have never occurred any Sc
rious accidents. Upon the great Russia
Government road from St. Petersburg TO
Moscow the speed is limitcnd to twenty
miles an hour. We have no wish that
government should manage our roads. ,
But the fact seems to be in process of .
demonstration that private companies are
unequal TO their management with prop .
er regard TO the safety of travellers Nor .
will any body who has had experience .
prefer the system of the American to that
of the German roads. 1t is our business .
in this country to do everything better
than i'll other countries. Danger and .
dirt and inconvenience are not democrat
ic, except in base and unjust sense of
the world and until the details Of life .
can be as carefully adjusted here as else
where, our claim to thr highest civliza-
ton will be unfounded.-Hupers Week
H.