Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-31

! people around. Ills report must We "aecu
on such Information % this and on his own
| observation made day or two otter the oc-
| currence, whIeh is frequently as early as be
can reach the scene from distant section OF
the State. 1t j. always difficult to get at the
| fact, in such cases. even from sworn testi'
mony, and the value Of report made up "a
| the Commissioners is must be very much
! impaired by the lack OF facilities for making
/ the investigation.
| Another thing which materially affects the
value OF bis report is the length OF time that
must clapse between the occurrence and the
/ publication Of The report. by section 1910
| he is required 20 "niake q report annually
! on the lat day Of October (since changed 10
| the 1st OF july OF hIs transactions during the
| preceding year ana a fpeclA!
! statement Of all accidents occurring during
| the wear snd the causes thereof" No au-
! thority Is given him TO make any special re-
| port when he may deem It necessary. The
| accident al "Fat-SaOcy' trestle, nesr
| Orange Courthouse, occurred on the 10Th OF
| July, after the report for 1883 had closed.
| Under the law the Commissioners report
| will not 10 made public until the meeting OF
! the General Assembly IN December, 1852
| eighteen months after the occurrence. Ivy
| that tine ali interest iu the matter Will have
| died out and until some other great disaster
shall shock the public mind and again call
/ attention 10 the Oefects in the law the Lessons
OF this ssd calamity viii remain uohceded.
| II is tlue that the Governor has the power
! at any time TO call on any official OF the state
! for special report when he may think u ne
ce,sary. A. our Legislature viii not be IN
session until December, 1889, Governor Lee
may tAinS IL necessary FOR him 10 take some
action.
1t has been charged that the Railroad Com
missioner sis by no means free from blame "
in connection with this disaster. Il is true
that section 1893, Code Of 1881, says:
"SRid Commissioner SHALL have the general
supervision OF all railroads in this State
operated by steam, aud shall examine the
same and keep himself informed a. TO their
physical condition and the manner in which
they are outrated with reference 10 the ST.
curity aud accommodation OF the public and
the compliance OF tns several companies with
the provisions Of their charters and the laws
Of the Commonwealth; and the provisions OF
this chapter shall apply TO ali railroads and to
the corporations, trustees, receivers, or others
owning or operating the same"
Aud section 1901:
"Whenevcr in the judgment Of the said
commissioner it shali appear that repairs are
necessary upon any such railroad
he Shall give information In writirg to the
company or person operating the road OF the
improvements and changes which be adj
judges TO be proper; aud II the said company
or person fail within sixty days after receiV-
ing such Information 10 adopt the require
menls 81 said Commissioner he shall make re-
port thereof to the Board OF Public Works
Tor such action as 1t msy deem eXpedient."
The duties imposed by these sections, as in
the case Of Investigations, are broad and
comprehensive. Properly executed they
wcud meet all the requirements OF The case.
But here again there j. wOful failure TO pro-
vide the means for carving out the law. There
are only two persons 10 perform the various
duties imposed by these sectiOas-the Com
missioner and one clerk. From the Railroad
COMMISSIONER Report for 1887 1t appears
that there were 2,7l9.0i miles OF railway IN
this state on the lst VI October Of that year.
Since that time there have been constructed
about 800 miles, making In round numbers
about 5000 miles at this time, To make
such an examination OF this tIackage as sec
ton 1899 would seem TO contemplate, ac-
cOrdine 20 the estimate Of Il competent engl-
neer. would require the services OF four
skilled men for then whole time. SO thai II
is an impOssbility for the force OF the Office
as al present constituted to thoroughly eN>
anime more than one half Of the roads IN the
State in year il their whole time was given
to this work alone, and they ignored the
multitude OF other duties imposed upon
them In connection with the investigation
or complaints, adjustment OF rates, &C., dc.
The law requires that the Commissioner )
Office shall he kept open from 8 TIL 3 O'Clock
every day, which OF itself would require the
constant presence Of himself or his clerk. am
informed that during the niue months from
October I, 1887, TO July l, 1883, the period
which Will be embraced In the report for
1883 owing 10 the change mentioned above,
OF the 5000 miles OF road 800 we're exam
ined--not rs thoroughly as desirable, but as
we'll as il could be done under the clrcum-
stances. In addition 10 this every complaint
that was made OF any particular point and
they were numerous. was promptly ana
thoroughly Investigated. In some instances
civil engineers were employed to examine
bridges, trestles, &c Nowhere does the IN
suiiciency Of the means placed at The dis
pOsal OF the commissioner more striklngiy
appear than in this particular. The proyi-
sion (.cction 1910 is as follows:
Ole msy employ and take with him ex-
perts or other agents whose services he may
deem to be temporarily Of importance, and
he may draw upon the Auditor OF Public
Accounts for sum not exceeding i've hun
bred dollars annually 10 be expended by him
In the payment OF such experts or agents iOr
their services, and in procuring necessary
books, maps, statistics, aud stationery, and
i'm defraying expenses incidental and neces-
sary TO the discharge Of the duties OF his
Office"
This appropriation is almost ridiculously
small. All the expenses OF the Office. books,
statistics. services OF experts, &C., must be
Kept within the paltry SUN OF 900.
-.
1887, page 40. see that Nsior L. X. Dunn,
civil engmocr. who was employed TO cx-
aaline The bridges, trestles, SC, on the line Of
the Shenandoah Valley railroad, was paid
$50, taking half Of the fund for that year Tor
the examination Oh one road. Based on that
Tcport tue Commissioner issued instructions
10 the Receiver see page - requiring that de-
fectiye ties should be replaced; that CERTAIN
bridges shonld he covered, others rebuilt,
srestles brsccd, De-, &c. In consequence Of
thi. examiazfIon and the instruction foilow-
Ing il, that road has spent IN the past year
100000 IN repairs. WIKI something Ike
adequate means much more work OF this
KIND could be done. The whole expense OF
the yirglnia Railroad Commissioner - only
a., The appropriation for the state oil
New York IL 10000. The state oil hsssa-
cdusesfes, which has about the same mileage
~ tHgIiih, fkOtoyVs Afhosi4n, Hhteb ha'
less mileage. $4,000.
Unfortunately the Charlottesville and Ra-
pidau. on which line OK the Virginia Md
land tie accident Of July 18th occurred, had
not been examined. IL happened TO he
part OF the zoe miles which WAS not resehed.
This was rev road, being osly about seven
years old, aud The Commissioned might very
reasonably have left this road among the last
80 be examined. Let US not oensurn bin for
failing 10 perform what we have not given
hin the meaus ~ do.
have thought II well, while the subject
was prominently before the public and being
discussed by the press, 10 call attention TO
what seems 10 be defects IN the iaw. that
tbey mar he considered. and II possible
puplic sentiment created which will result 10
Tile equipment Of the State RaIIresd Gem.
mission with such powers snd facilities As
viii mske the offer efficient and useful IN
fhe highest degree. Even with the limited