New-York tribune., 1891-02-22
TIE TrNNEL INVESTIGATTON.

Investigation of the tunnel disaster has not
vet proceeded far enough to fix the immediate
responsibility. The railroad companies are pre-
sumably making diigent inquiry on their own
account. though they are not inclined to be com
municative. and Coroner Levy has begun to
collect evidence which will bo considered at the
inauest this week. Our surmise that the CON
troyersy which broke out within an hour of
the accident could not be readily settled is al
ready justified by the fact that the engineer oi
the New-IIaven train and the slgnal-man al
the Seventy -Second-st station have been held
in bail of $40, 900 each. The Coroner expresses
a laudable determination 10 establish the whole
truth, whomever and whatever it may involve
In the meantime, while condemnation for tho
dreadful bunder which was the Immediate
cause of the catastrophe is waiting to fall upon
one of two individuals, the corporations which
control the tunnels may proiitably consider
whether they are altogether free from blame
General Manager TOucey is reported as saying
that the question of lighting the tunnel by
electricity was debated not long ago, and the
decision was that il was desirable TO keep them
dark 50 that the colored lamps might be seen
more distinctly the suppoSition being that the
ncs would render colorcd disks such As are used
on the surface tracks invisible. Right here ii
is proper to ask whether the companies are
justified in permitting the tunnels 10 De hHed
with smoke and yapor. There is WIDE choice
in varieties of coal, and, moreover, there are
steam condenScrs and smoke consumers IN cx-
iStcnce which do their work efficiently. 1t Is
admitted that electric lights at long intervals
would not dspcl the gloom, but it is difficult to
believe that the tunnels could not be made and
kept bright everywhere and always. When the
adverse arguments have been respectfully lis
tened to Tho fact remains that if the Ncw-llaven
train had not been rushing over an unhghtcd
track on Friday morning its engineer would
have known that there was another train NOV
ing slowly just ahead of him.
Another point to be considered is that since
the system Of operation below Harlem junction
was reversed giving outgoing trains the left
hand tracks the signals are not on the engineers
| side That is the case in England, to be sure,
| but in England locomotives as a rule have no
| cabs and on lines where cabs are now in use
| the onside signals have been found objection
able. Fircmcn arc more less relied on 10 look
out for signals, but they have many other things
| feror to the engineers in experience, and there
fore in quality and trustworhineSS.
Another fact ought not TO be ignored BY
way Of extra prccaution in the tunnels a gong
rings automatically when the dangersignal is
set. The purpose Of this regulation is com
mendablc but its utility is at least doubtful.
This duplication of signals may not always
emphasize the warning. 1t is conceivable that
an engineer who has become accustomed TO hear
the clangor Of bell announce danger ahead
may come to depend upon his ears rather than
his eyes, instead of upon both eyes and ears
| If. then, the mechanism gets out Of order and
the bell doesn't ring-a familiar experience with
all electric bes--a disastrous result is likely w
follow. 1t would not surprise us to learn that
this is precisely what happened on Friday morn
| ing Several witnesses declare. on the one
hand. that the signals were properly set and on
the other hand, the engineer and fireman Of the
New Haven train declare that they did not hear
the bell 1t is possible that, not hearing bell
which rang feeby or not at all, they did not
sec the danger-ight because they did not look
I