Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-14


wrong, placing obstructions on the rails
and in numerous other ways trying to
square themselves with the road that will
not permit them to ride free. Accidents Of
this kind are but just beginning to occur.
and will be much mistaken II we do not
hear Of many Of them within the next four
or five weeks.
II will have to acknowledge that a ma
tority of the wrecks that have occurred
lately were the direct result Of some en-
ploye's oversight, but to my mind mys-
terry overhangs them all. Take the wreck
that occurred out In Indiana about six
weeks ago. There is a mystery surround
ing that accident to this day, because 1t
involves the explanation Of the secret opera
items OF the human mind. The switchman.
man who had been in the employ OF the
company ten years. always sober, always
faithful. insisted that he had set the sig
nal right. and that he had seen 1t thus
man as careful and faithful as the company
employs. on the other hand, insisted that
ne saw the signal and that 1t was set for
SAFETY. One of these men was wrong, and
while, OF course, each of them would natur-
ally be disposed to defend himself never
theless 1t is the opinion of the railway peo-
pie that each Of these men believed that he
was telling the truth.
MY earlier experience as a railroader
was passed on a road leading out Of Pitts
burg, and the superin tendent told me a
story then that covers a case like the fore
going exactly. He said that on his line
there was a switch which caused the COM
pany more trouble, because Of accidents,
than had been experienced anywhere else on
the road. The superintendent took q tried
man there, one of sober habits and q clear
head, and yet within two weeks he had
ditched a train. The man was discharged
and others were placed there who sooner
or later brought about an accident At last,
selecting one Of the most careful and ex-
perienced Of the employees, a man who had
never been known to make a mistake, he
put him at the switch. and for a year and
half no trouble was experienced there.
But there came one day when he, too.
Numbered and a train was ditched in con-
sequence. The superintendent summoned
the man before him, and this employe. ex-
pecting to be discharged. was. nevertheless.
honest, for ne said he had made a mistake.
He said he didn't know how or why. nor
could he understand 1t, but he had made
the mistake that caused the accident.
THE superintendent told me he was per-
picked for moment. for he thought he
ought to discharge the man. Then he
reasoned that If he placed any other human
being at that switch he. too, would be just
liable to make mistakes as this man,
so he decided to send him back to guard
that fatal switch. He told the man to go
back to work and that he would never
make another mistake there and he never
did,
An Oniciars Views.
While this conversation was taking place
between the conductor and the reporter a
third man Joined in the discussion. who
previously had been introduced and recog-
nized as a railroad official Of considerable
prominence. This man. after considerable
persuasion, consented to talk on the sub
ject. He said:
Il have never discharged an employee for
making a mistake. / have discharged them
for stupidity. incapacity. or for drinking.
but no man usually faithful. known to be
anxious to do his duty. has been dismissed
because he made one mistake. for I have
always reasoned, and found my reasoning
just. that such person will not make the
same mistake a second time.
Take the case of John Roy. I knew
him for years as a faithful employee, who
had worked his way up through the smaller
positions to that Of passenger conductor
No complaint had ever been made against
him and his first accident was that on one
of the roads between Washington and Bal
timore and at the worst possible time-in-
auguration week. Everybody on the road
had been working fully twenty hours out
CT the twenty-four and were in a condition
very similar TO that of a sleep-walker The
routine work is 50 impressed on ones mind
That he does II, but cannot recall the action
an hour afterward. Roy was conductor Of
an empty engine coming toward this city
to pull out one Of the many extra trains
bound north. AS the engine neared a small
siding on which they were to await the
passage Of a north bound train the entire
crew apparently We're overcome and lapset
into Inconsistencies. The lapse was for
but half minute hardly that but IL was
sufhcient to carry the engine by the siding
ana into the north bound train. Several
men were killed in that wreck and many
injured. Public sentiment made US Law
Roy on, but We secured him another place
between Philadelphia and New York That
accident happened fully twelve years ago
ana Roy has been conductor ever since
but no complaint has been registered
against him. That one fuke has registered
nc .sv.1
1t has almost made a fanatic out OF him
as regards obeying orders to the strict let
ter OF the rule. ] don't know bat that tho
experience of an accident is about the best
schoohng railroad employee can have
Strange Lapses.
Take the case Of the brakeman who
turned the switch on the second section of
a through passenger train out on tho
wabash road and let it through into the
sidins to Its destruction. 1t is beyond the
power or any human being to explain what
mysterious mental condition led that here
tofore always faithful and sober brakeman
TO do that thing. Many railway men are
OF the opinion that there comes at times
to men in railway employ a peculiar, un-
accountable and unblanable mental condi-
ton of paralysis. which for a brief time
makes them unconscious There was an
unquestionabie illustration of that condition
furnished py an engineer upon the New
haven road about year ago. He had beer
running fast express for twenty years So
faithfully that he was never even renri
manded. He was regarded as one of their
star engineers. AS he was approaching the
city of Bridgeport he passed by ianxer
signal, and his train plunged into the rea
OF another one standing at the station
When questioned. this engineer said he had
no recollection of passing the signal. in
fact no recollection at all Of where he WIS
or what his condition was at the time thu;
he passed, ana that he only came to con-
seriousness when he saw the train upon tn.
track ahead of him. Yet the fireman testi-
fed that the engineer could not have been
asleep; Tor he had pulled the bell rope as he
passed the signal, and the fireman had
noticed him just at that moment with his
hand upon the lever. The man had been
oVerworcled, and his employers were salts
fed that he had lapsed into a momentory
vacuity, condition that he was not "a.
snonSihle Cor ~, .hu,, h. -