The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-02-02
The Latest "Acciaent."

The Latest "Accident."
We are having the first instalmens of
statements that are usually prepared to ac-
count for accidents" such as that Of the
loss of the Metropolis. These are the cush-
ions that are ingeniously placed between
public indignation and neglectful or guilty
individuals when the first sensations OF
horror and grief fill the souls of the people
on the announcement of an accident"
Although thes truth eventually comes to
light, and the responsibility is placed on
the proper shoulders, the indignation OF the
community has had time to cool down to
something like indifference, and the chapter
of accidents" is continued on another page.
But regarding this latest Accident the
HERALD will fulfil its duty by exposing to
the fullest extent every feature and fact.
Rumors, statements and counter statements
crowd upon us in such a way as to render
it difficult to determine which demands the
first notice and investigation. We have the
assertions that the Metropolis was unsea-
worthy in every respect, and as such sprung
aleak; that she was overloaded; that she
was out of her course, and lost through
bad navigation; that she had no
warning when leaving port of the
approach of violent storm; that
the cause of her loss was the storm, and
that when she struck no assistance was
rendered to her perishing passengers and
crew by the life-saving crews that are sup
posed to be organized and paid for such
service. As the gravity of an accident is
usually measured by the consequences to
human life we can consider that the mere
loss Of steamer and her freight counts for
very little in the sum Of this accident"
The assumption that any one of the
above assertions is true at once takes
from this melancholy disaster every feature
of On accident But when we find that all
are likely to prove we'll founded the cause
of the ships loss and of the sacrifice of life
assumes at once the character Of a mon
strous crime, in which the owners OF the
vessel, the parties who chartered her, and
the government employees and officials who
failed in their duties regarding her safety
and that of her passengers are equally in
volved. 1t is not very difficult to trace the
connection between each particular neglect
or fault that combined make up the ter
rible whole that represents the cause Of the
loss of the Metropolis and over one hundred
and sixty lives. We cannot hold. that
Providence is more responsible for this
disaster than for that of o crowded train
breaking through weak and rotten railroad
bridge, or the explosion of q neglected or
defective steamboat boiler, or the burning
of q tinder-box theatre without sufficient
means Of egress by which many lives are
lost. The storm that ragged on the
North Carolina coast did not burst suddenly
on the unfortunate ship, for its coming and
character are supposed to have been known
ct the Signal Office for at least two days be-
fore she was lost. We believe the least re-
sponsibility rests on the captain, who APP
pears to have acquitted himself we'll
when death stared him in the face.
Although he kept the dangerous in
shore course, like the captain of
the Huron, his error of judgment turned
out to be fortunate one for the survivors,
as it gave them a chance for their lives
The ship was beached, it is said, for that
purpose; therefore her going ashore was
not an accident. As her disabled condition
is alleged to be the result Of her unseawor-
thiness it was not brought about acct
dentally. That the life-saving crews did
not assist the drowning passengers was not
accidental. In a word, we cannot see any
thing of an accident in the whole dreadful
affair except the escape of the few men who
managed to struggle ashore and live.