National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-07-16

THE SYSTEM DEFENDED.


General Agent Legge Thinks No Changes
Necessary in the ''Y" Arrangement.
Taken any steps to prevent repetition of
Saturday nights accident2" querried RE-
PUBLICAN reporter Of General Agent Lcgge, of
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad company,
yesterday
mo, the system is about perfect. Every
thing where human agency is an element is
liable to go wrong at times, but this Y has
been free from accident since IL was estaD-
lishcd some thirteen or fourteen years since.
You made II mistake the other day in quoting
me as saying that an elevated station would
be an Improvement l did not then enter into
the obligations to 1t in detail, but | certainly
had no intention of being understood as in
dorsing IT,
"How about the speed of trainsT
81 have issued an order that II shall be re-
duced to six miles an hour within the city
limits But l am afraid that this will be fol-
lowed by number of accidents to boys who
VIII Jump on slow.moving trains and get their
legs taken oil. That was the trouble before. i
nm told, aud caused the speed to be increased.
But the trains were not going ut anything like
the speed that l. alleged, or the engines would
have been forced over the outer edge of the
curve instead of mounting into the air and
telescoping II the combined speed had been
forty miles an hour the houses in that neigh
borhood would have been shattered by the
flying machinery. Mr.. Clements, master Of
transportation, was in the rear car of the west.
ern train on the "Y," and says that the speed
was very low"
ANY changes in the flagmcnw
only sullivan, who has been discharged
aud is now in Jail. l ain perfectly satisfied
with the others. KaneS red signal to him
was seen by several Others whom have tnlked
with and II was displayed steadily for full five
minutes and for that period before the trains
came along"
Would Il not be better to have pcrma-
nent light at this, point Of visual connection
between the two horns of the Y, SO that the
switehmcn ut either end If in doubt could
verify by Il second loOkY'
No, there Is nothing so certain rs lamp In
q mans hand. lie Is responsible for its being
wave 1t up and down, the signul Tor instant
stoppage of train. The lamps used are square,
with white on one side and red on the other,
so that there Is no chance for error. The
play the danger light and If Sullivan had
done this the disaster could not have hap
pencd"
"lIow are the families of the dead engineer
and fireman provided torY'
1.-THE first had $500 of insurance in the COM
pany,s association, and the other had three
benefits or II 800.
Warrants were sworn out yesterday against
Robert Rumby and Samuel Bcall. engineer and
conductor of the Baltimore and Ohio railway
for running trains faster than six miles an
hour The warrants were sworn out by Sefgt.
Brosnahan and Officer Felt, and were given
out for service.
Judge wyie yesterday fixed hail at 500 in
the case of John sullivan, committed by the
coroner on the finding Of II jury that he was
instrumental, by negligence, in causing the
death of Michael J. Riley, one of the engineers
kill led in the accident Saturday night.
Mr.. ;. Edgar Mahan, of No. 80 street north
east, who was on the train from Baltimore that
collidcd with the Martinsburg express, was
much more seriously injured than was at first
supposed. He is now under the care of Or.
Suddarth, who thinks 1t will he some days be-
fore he viii be sufficiently recovered 90 return
to business.