Omaha daily bee., 1888-05-29
The Creston Disaster,

The report of the Iowa railroad COM
missioners on the disaster at Creston,
which occurred on the 18th of last
April, was submitted to the governor a
few days ago and will be found in full
elsewhere. The commissioners lay the
primary responsibility for the accident
on the conductor and engineer of the
freight train, who neglected to observe
the rules and regulations. But these
men had been on duty respectively
thirty-six and thirty hours, and were
untitled to give proper attention to
their duties. They had been over
worked and were physically worn
out. This was the fault of the
company, which, regardless of the pub
lie safety, compelled these men to per-
form a continuous service that was be-
You'd their powers of endurance. In the
case of the conductor, tired nature be-
ing no longer able TO stand the strain,
he fell asleep at a critical time, and
while the engineer remained awake he
appears TO have been incapable of exer-
cising the care and vigilance which the
circumstances required. 1.-THE manage
ment that directed these men" say the
commissioners, ''to be kept in continu-
Gus service without rest for thirty and
thirty-siX hours, respectively, until the
men were unable to keep awake, and
were physically untitled for places
where every faculty is needed to be
active and awake to avoid accidents, is
certainly censurable."
This is u very mild sort of reproof, at
which the guilty managers of the Bur-
lington will doubtless smile. Forum
ately there were no passengers injured
in the accident, but the fireman of the
freight train lost his life, a brakeman
was so badly injured that it became nee
essary to amputate his leg, and other
employees were injured. Do such conse-
quences Of mislnanagement call for
nothing more than a mild expression of
censure? Can any language be too
strong in which TO condemn men who in
their determination TO crush labor, COM
pei the employees of their cOrpo-
ration TO work beyond endur-
ance, thereby endangeriug life and
property? In strict justice, does no the
| primary responsibility for this accident
rest upon the managers of the Burling-
ton road, rather than upon the worn
out conductor and engineer? The man
agement Of the Burlington system has
been guilty a great deal OF this sort OF
wrong to its employees and to the public
during the past three months, and the
wonder is that there have not been more
accidents due to the same causes which
brought about that at Creston.
There will have to be some very
stringent state and general legislation
regarding the too common practice OF
railroads requiring excessive continuous
service of employees whose employment
has direct relation to the pub
lie safety. The Iowa commissioners
say that they regard the working Of
men without rest or sleep for long
periods of time as hazardous in the ex-
treme, and not justifiable even if the
men do not object to the extra hours
But the corporations win pay no atten,
tion to suggestions of this kind when
circumstances or their interests are not
favorable. So long asthe y are amenable
only TO the censure of public opinion they
will not reform in this particular. The
matter is un~questionably Of public cou.