The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-23

Totals OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. .2Ul 54S
1t IS a horrible list. And what makes it
the worse is that the latter and more seri-
ous accidents have been to worlds fair
trains. Cannot something be done to end it :?
Gross criminal negligence is wholly re,
Sponsible for the appalling list of railroad
horrors and awful attendant sacrifice of
human life during the last three months!'
4 Such is the unqualified statement Of Of
ficers of the various organizations of rail-
road employees. There is no attempt to
palliate the circumstances, no apparent
either the employees or the management of
thesaifferent roads as being the more Gull
pahle. 1t is a simple statement of fact
that there is reasonable excuse, no Suf-
ficient cause for one of the collisions that
have occurred; that all have been due to
some form of criminal negligence or care
leSSneSS.
q These officials who from interest, If not
from necessity keep close watch on all
Il The increased worlds fair traffic of the
roads has nothing to do with the accidents.
70. They are not due to the enforced over
working of employees.
8. Thousands of trainmen are frequently
left in charge of trains who are utterly in
competent for the duties intrusted to them.
T. There is a manifest laxity in the is
suance of orders or the conveying on orders
to trainmen.
8. The officials are criminally response
BILE for the horrors, through indifference or
cupidity, ~and the employees from ignorance
The list of fatal accidents has been so
Unusual and so terrible in its results that
the attention of the world has been called
to the prevalence of collisions, and those
best qualified to get tb at rn inside ce facts nave
Never in the history of railroading in
America has the holocaust been so terrible.
1t has been assumed that there must nave
been some extraordinary reason for the
fatalities. This, it is declared, 1t not fact.
The centennial is cited as witness that
the collisions are not the result or the
worlds fair and the travel it has induced.
Then the traffic into Philadelphia was as
great it has been into chicago, ana a
frightful series of collisions did not occur
There must be some other cause and train
men, even to the condemnation of their fell
low-workmen, find the cause In lncompe-
tence and laXity.
The majority of well-informed trainmen
are voiced by John Downey, first vice
grand master of the Switchmen's Mutual
Aid Association of North America he Salo
this morning: .
"Ail talk of the worlds fair being the
cause of the disasters is rubbish. 1t is as
easy to run twenty or fifty trains as two or
three The schedule runs them, II only the
instructions are clearly given and fully
obeyed. Besides, the traffic into chicago
has not been so very great. L can see no rea-
son why the worlds fair travel should nave
caused a single accident and L don't think
it has.
overworking of the men is meaningless. NO
railroad employe is obliged to work over
given number of hours; ana ,,, no o rdlii %ot
only would they not; they could not, Tor IL
is prohibited by the rules of the various
associations. Some roads Will not even per
leave il optional with the men whether
they do or not. Certainly If the men put In
extra time it is their own choice, ana tnat
they do SO even to the jeopardy or those
whom they carry / know to be fact
There are men who, for the sake or making
a few extra dollars, will work Two or
three DAYS necessarily, and that, too with
out the knowledge of their superior ofii-
Gals. Such practices should be abolisned as
a menace to the public. If the men follow
them they are guilty, and If the road per-
mits them they are equally cuipable
1.-The fact of the matter is there are
host of incompetents on the road who are
no more capable of running tram IMAM
they are to play Wagnerian music: There
are engineers now in charge or trains VINO
train in ten-mile run. They scarcely
know a steam valve from box car How
they got on the roads is mystery: 1t is
a reflection against the men having. IN
charge the examination OF employees. There
is no warrant excuse for hiring such
dolts. and it is sin against the public
earning OF n fair salary, and they never
stop to think whether or not they have
right to take in keeping the lives of pas
sengers. There is no lack or bona fide ana
alleged railroad employees. Proper dis
elimination on the part of the roads would
obviate these repeated accidents.
Then, too, there is a manifest laxity,
either IN the absence of orders or in con-
veying those orders TO trainmen. Take the
late Pennsylvania wreck, for instance. The
order relative to the passing OF the two
trains was conveyed to one engineer and
not 10 the other. A collision was inevita-
bic. In the absence of restraining orders
the one train had right to pass the point
at which ii was intended to stop.
And so IL has been with every railroad
disaster this Summer. There has been
confusion, or g disobeying of orders-some-
thing, in consideration of the trust i'm
posed in the roads. eminently culpable.
There were fewer accidents during the CEN
tennial than during this year. because
there was then a better body of employees
all around. IL has to my mind been care
lessness rather than anything else that has
brought about such list of horrors in so
short time. The same would have &C.
Cured under the conditions OF ordinary
travel. Negligence In hiring incompetent
men, in permitting employees working over
time. In issuing and transmitting orders
this and this alone is the crying evil.''