Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-20
SETTLED FOR 100000
The Injuries to Employees in That
Old P. & L. E. Wreck at Wampum.
A NON-LITIGATING POLICY PAYS
And the Lake Erie Deals Mighty Gener-
ously With Engineer Orr.
COMPARISONS WITH FIGHTING ROADS

The Pittsburg and Lake Erie Railroad
Company yesterday made a settlement of
claims for damages caused by wreck, that
cost in the neighborhood of $50, 200. The
details of the settlement are so novel that
they are worthy of publication. The story
shows that all railroad companies are not
devoid of sentiment, and are not lost TO all
sense of moral obligations. The man who
did not rush into law with his claim got
more money and better treatment than the
men to whom the company would be COM
| PEELED by suits to pay damages.
Readers of THE DISPATCH will remem-
Der the wreck on the Lake Erie road, March
%, 1888, which was reported fully at the
time. Passenger train No. 1, the first ex-
press out of Pittsburg, crashed into passen-
ger train No. 4, the second out of Youngs-
town, right on the sharp curve between
Homewood and Wampum. The baggage
master of one of the trains. Samuel Grey,
was killed, while the crews of both engines
were disabled for life. ..-.
THEY WANTED BIG DOODLE.
Within very short time after the wreck,
snd without presenting any claim to the
railroad company, Conductors McCaulley
and Bonner and Engineer Bankard,
sued the company at Youngstown for
$4,000 each. The solicitors of the company,
Knox & Reed, of this city, were surprised at
such action, as they had been waiting to be
asked to make fair settlement The officials
of the company were incensed at the large
claims and decided to fight the matter. They
filed their answer and let the case go to trial.
Before entering the suits the three men went
to the other engineer, George Orr, of Mount
Washington, and asked him to join them. He
thought the matter over and refused. He said
he thought the company would do the square
thing" and he would wait until they ap-
preached him for settlement. A short
time afterward they did so, and told
him the amount of money he might expect. He
was satisfied and awaited developments. In
addition to giving him 5000 in cash, they
agreed to pay all his doctors bills and other ex-
penses, and keep him on the pay rolls until the
settlement was made. Since the accident he
has been drawing his wages every month, at
the rate of IS 10 per day. just the same as if he
were working
COULDN'T MAKE IT GO.
Several times since the accident he has tried
to run an engine; but trip from Pittsburg to
Youngstown would lay him up again for two or
three weeks. When the officers of the COM
pany saw he could not work. they advised him
to take a trip to California for his health.
They offered him free transportation for him
self, family and household goods if he would
go. Mr.. Orr has decided to go, and is now
making his arrangements.
By not going into the suit against the COM
pany Mr.. Orr came out away ahead of the
9TH Tab;
he got about IS, 500, while the other men got
only about 81 900 each.
The suit in Youngstown did not come to an
issue, as compromise was effected between
agreed to give them $4,000 between them,
instead of the Sl50000 asked for, if they would
sign a remuneration of all future claims of
themselves or their heirs The men agreed to
1t is presumed that the lawyers of the plant
ifs will get one-thrd or one-half of the SIS 900
for effecthg the compromise. The men will
all other expenses. In addition to this, the
company will never employ them again, and it
is a question whether they could get work on
any railroad or not.
A BLAcKLIsTING SYSTEM. q
If an employ sues railroad company and
gets damages there is a mutual understanding
among other companies that he is not TO be
employed. When the suits were entered these
rolls. The men claimed, before the suit was
entered. that they had been dropped from the
rolls, while Orr was being paid his regular
wages. The former part of the statement is
true. They were dropped from the rolls be-
cause they did not have any time, but they
would have been kept on the pay rolls ii the
suit had not been entered.
1t is so unusual a thing for railroad COM
pany to pay claim for damages without being
compelled to. that DISPATCH reporter called
on one of the officials of the company last even
ing and interrogated him in regard to the
matter. He said:
while know that it is the policy of other
railroad companies not to pay a cent on a col.
lision claim until they are compelled by law,
it is not our policy. We have found that it is
always best to make fair and honorable set
tlement as early as possible. The damages
that we paid in the last year are
not one-fourth in proportion to what
was paid by other companies. We
recognized the fact that we were under moral
obligation to pay damages to those men, and
would have done SO. Our negligent employe
crippled them for life, but there was no neces-
sity of going to law about it. If they had not
sued US we would have paid them more money
than we did. The Pennsylvania system pays
regular salaries to its lawyers. amounting to
hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. and
its policy is to make its lawyers earn their sal
aries This is also the policy of the Baltimore