The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-11-16

Hamilton and Union on Saturday, did not
make much progress yesterday. After the
examination Of few passengers who were on
the boats at the time of the accident the
investigation was adjourned by the Coroner
until Wednesday. 1t is to be hoped that
no unnecessary delay will be permitted to
interfere with the thorough sitting of this
shocking affair. The ferry company may con-
sole themselves, as they usually do in such
cases, with the notion that the catastrophe
may prove only nine days wonder; that the
excitement will die out and be forgotten. 1t is
the duty of the Coroner, as far as in him lies,
to see that public interest is not stifed and
public justice outraged, but that the fullest
light shall be thrown upon the causes and
consequences of this terrible calamity. There
are other duties to be performed, too. The
question of responsibility, as between the COM
pany and it's employees, must be settled by the
company ITSELF Whether the regularly
licensed pilot, Albertson, or the "'prentice
hand" White, whom they chose to put
at the wheel, ia most to blame is matter in
which the ferry company has perhaps the
most immediate interest. But there is an
interest far above all this, and that belongs to
the manned and. mutilated victims and to the
families of the dead. They have claims upon
this defiant monopoly which the law must
recognize, and if these claims are not pressed
in their names to the uttermost limit justice
will not be done as between the value of
human life and the recklessness of rich and
heartless corporation. Most of the suf-
ferers are poor working women and
sewing girls, who have neither means nor
influence to go into q law court and
fight wealthy corporation like the Union
Ferry Company But as it is necessary for
the protection of the thousands Of those who
are compelled to trust their lives to the en-
ployes of this company twice every day that
the company should be made to feel the power
of the law, committees should be formed of
citizens residing in Brooklyn, if necessary, to
assist these poor sufferers in prosecuting the
Union Ferry Company for damages in every
instance. The result of this disaster should
not be left to such compromises as the COM
pany may offer. This practice, though very
easy on the company, is unjust to the public.
Heavy damages should be enforced in every
case. There are many instances where ferry
| companies have been taught severe lesson
| by injured parties who refused to accept q
paltry compromise. One case occurred some
ten years ago at Brooklyn ferry, when a
Southern gentleman was struck and his ear
cut off by the hook or ring of the chain that
holds the boat to the bridge, the chain having
snapped asunder, owing to the negligence Of
one Of the hands in not releasing the boat from
her mornings before she was put in motion.
The injured gentleman brought suit for
damages. Compromises were proposed and
rejected, and the result of the master was
that after the company had taken the case
from court to court they were finally COM
PEELED to pay ten thousand dollars damages.
Another case occurred recently on the Jersey
City ferry, where poor woman was sadly
bruised by collision between the boats Of two
companies. She sued for damages, and, after
much litigation, an infexible Judge Of the
United States court-Justice Nelson-decided
that each company should pay the injured
woman FIVE thousand dollars each-and the
sum was paid. This appears to be the only
way to bring these monopolies to their 8 enses,
and it is earnestly to be hoped that suit for
damages against the Union Ferry Company will
be submitted to the judgment of a jury in be-
half of each one of the mutilated sufferers by
| this late catastrophe. The defendants are Of
course difficult to combat in the courts. We
know their usual practice in cases Of this kind
| and the arguments they use are not unfa-
of their charter, they boast, place them outside
the law; and it would appear that they do.
They claim that they can buy coroners jures
to give verdict generating the company in
cases Of fatal accidents. They have purchased
property in the neighborhood Of their slips to
such an amount that certainly no individual,
nor scarcely any company, can afford to COM
ply with the terms of the charter, which pro-
vides that the Successors of the present COM
pany must buy all their property, slips, boats,
old and new, ferry houses, DC. For the fran
chise of FIVE ferries the Union Ferry Company
| pay HOOut Que uuuuTeu anu tnTc6 LnOuSan0 DOL
lars year, most insignificant sum compared
with the profits. Now it is pretty well known
that II the company were to take all their boats
or the line, demolish the ferry houses and dis
pose Of their adjacent property on the water
front, parties could be found who would cheer
fully pay four hundred thousand dollars per
annum for the franchises which the present
company get for one hundred and three thou
sand dollars.
Under these circumstances, which look so
favorable for the Union Ferry Company, 1t
might be supposed that it was well managed
institution, but the contrary appears to be the
fact except in so far az the dividends of the
L atockholdara uro concarued Tbeaa old fov;ao