Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-01-31
LETTER FROM ENGLAND.


,...,,,i Correspondence Of the DE'nhhf
NEws.l
rvo Of the most interesting topics
.n,one Londoncrs this week are the
ra,Ivays and the weather. Politics
,ns East End distress and the baby
@mlns horrors take secondary posl'
ton Respecting the first named theirs
AN he no doubt Of the thoroughnc~ OF
,he .vs,em Of operating the mctropoli-
ian railways, except when frost aud
,oe and the invarisble slccpiness OF
overworked employees, intervene.
T,,sn a crash Il unavoidable, 20 quick
10 do trains follow each other.
Englishmen have long looked upon
,helt railways as parngons OF perfection
in speed and safety, aud have regarded
those of A merlca as a sort OF public exc
cu,loner.. This idea was illustrated IN
a conversation which occurred short
,lme since. A number Of natives
were discussing the labor situation. and
ali agreed that over-population
as the cause Of the trouble.
nut how TO change inns was
m. question. Emigration bureaus had
not teen successful, aud babe falr 70 he
is effective In the future. An Amefi-
can Ia resident Of Logan, Utah, BY the
way' stood near and suggested that as
solution the Government grant ifan-
chis. 10 AN American Company 10
IIild and opcrntc u railway system In
their own fashion. This proposition
vas accepted M n huge Joke on Uncle
SANS railroad.
Hui testing aside, Britons have n
very serious question before thum In
IN, disastrous accidents that are hap.
nening, with serious loss OF life.
..Jumping the switch" IN one cause Of
nIshap, In downtown station the
other DAY ono Of these occurred In a
way that Ia At all times liable IN. frosty
weather. The switch rails here'dO not
III solldly end 10 end ms In America,
b1t n train l. turned from one track 10
another by rails that taper down 10 a
narrow point, and thus catch the
wheel flanges. In the accident ~
fcrrcd 10, the ice prevented the switch
rail from being drawn close up 10 il
fellow, and the locomotive continued
on the same track. The heavy engine
wheels, however, had shaken the oh.
struction out, AMI thc rails closing up,
the passenger cars turned 90 the slide
track, while the locomotive crashed
int a passenger train ahead, with
fatal results.
Another source Of accidents, aud one
A a. -. IL 0aH
tfou,ic In the near future, II the over
working Of the men. Whom n disaster
occurs, N the causo can DO traced 10 an
employe. he receives severe JAinish-
ment. Recently II has developed that
mistakes have been made by signal.
men aud others, because the long houfs
they have had to remain st work have
exhausted them until they arc incapac-
ilated for safo discharge OF their
duties. This was the cause Of the
Chalk Farm aud n number Of other
fatal accidents. Tired aud sleepy TIL
they do not fully realize what they are
doing, they have either misplaced
switches Operated by wires from a
signal houscl, or have failed 10 get all
the signals properly set. A catastrophe
l. certain 10 result within five or ten
minutes, 10 heavy 10 the traffic.
II Il through this last feature that The
strikes ON the Scotch railways have re-
ceiycd the support VI public sympathy.
They claim that fifteen Ia seventeen
hours work day IL too much for them,
aud disqualiiies them from being
on the alert 10 an extent that
IL necessary under the circumstance.
The directors, however, take the View
that the machines they hire should
never get out Of order, at least I'LL they
arc worn out and drop from the service.
The managers don't complain OF their
business hour, and why should the
dfudges complain Of thcirs?
To talk of the weather may be tlro-
somc. but one can hardly help II here.
Besldos, II brings changes. The Thames
frozen over, people chilled 10 death, the
water In pipes and sewers CONCEALED 10
Ice. Last weeks record Ii "the cold.
est season since 1874" And yet the
mercury did not get down 10 zero,
Fahrenheit. IL was ut eight degrees
above. hut that was more piercing
than twenty degrees below zero In the
valley u the Great Salt Lake. The
cold, clammy atmosphere penctrni,e
inside and out, absorbing all heat and
making one feel very much like an Ice
cream freezer might " II had
the sense OF feeling, with
tho frozen mas inside and
the Ice and coarse salt being turned
and churncd aud rubbed against II
outside. 50 every that hasn't 10
rnWi, doesn't, unless there u pro.
fusion Of robes anu shawls aud rugs
handy.
As the water pipes 10 the resi-.
denc,s we're frozen IN many parts OF
the city, tho municipal officers opened
the pipes In the streets, aud all thcse
are Temporary "spill-'-half.inch pipes
connecting with the mains-at which
people are able 10 III buckets for im-
mediate use. while this IN the ease
outside, In the houses the people
cluster round the cheerful looking
not feeling-grates, and Ms one side II
warmed turn the other TO yet the
frost out. Added 10 NIL IL the dense,
heavy fog which seriously impcdes
taiiic.
But there Ia one feature Of the long.
continued cold spell on which Il would
Probably bo not well TO gaze ut present,
bN'aurc w inhuiilNs w 'HbuhN w hhu'
l., the terrible sutitrings OF tile tens Of
thousands Of poor who have neither
sufficient food, clothing, nor fuel, hut
must bear II on II they have strength
enough TO last or recuperato when
warmer weather COMES; n not, they
must pass through the 10y door TO the
world beyond. Perhaps In many cases
u Ia better thus than TO live on In thu
sinand wretohcdness Of the poverty
10 which the avarice and passion OF
their fellow-beings have consigned
them. THESE scenes Of distress are mol
confined TO the East End districts VI
TO the haunts Of "Jack the Ripper y
but can be witnessed In every parish
OF the great metropolis, from High.
gate To Herne Hill, from Blackwell 70
Hammenmith.
Reference To "tho Ripper" remind,
one OF Whitechapel, which IL pre-.