New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-24
THE ,JTGGERNAIT or NiNHiTTiN.

There was anOthc' warning of disaster on
Wednesday evening. A Broadway cable-car
crowded with passengers a. usual was sent
hying at top speed round the Fourteenth ST.
curve. II crashed against a ere sstown car which
was at that moment passing. The latter ear
was wrecked. The driver OF II was serious
" injured escaping death by what seemed a
miracle The conductor and one passenger
Jumped for their lives from the rear platform
and were unhurt. Happily. there were no other
passengers Had the car been crowded rs was
the one that crashed into II. Wholesale manning
and slaughter would have been the sure result
1t Is not to the credit Of their management, but
merely Of their luck, that the Traction Company
people have no, to-day the blood Of dozen
murdered victims on their hands
For lct there be- no mistake as to the response
bity not only for this accident. but also for
the greater one which may come to-day or to-
morrow. and which is morally certain to come
nj some time. The grlpman Of the offending
car on "Wednesday was arrested for sending his
car along AT a rcckl, IS rate Of speed lie Will
perhaps be fined by the court. and dismissed
from the service Of the company But that will
be sorry kind Of justice. The grpman was
not at fault for the collision. His only fault lay
in ever taking service under the Traction Com.
pany. Once he did that, he was compelled TO
obey It's rules. and its rules required him TO do
the very thing for which he Is now to be pun
shed 1t is the makers Of those rules. the man
ayers of the company, who are at fault They,
instead OF their wrctchcd agent. should be
brought to the bar OF justice.
This Traction Company orders lts men, under
penalty Of dismissal from It's service. 10. send
the cars along at reckless speed. II requires
Them II they want to get their wages, to cndan-
ger the limbs and lives Of the public. That Is
the simple fact Of the case. And II does this so
deliberately and wantonly that II really seems
TO be doing II just for the sake of malice and
sheer devilry. Years ago, when ears were
dragged by horses. the rule given to drivers. and
painted conspicuously on every car. was, walk
your horses on curves and switches" Now, with
cable traction with speed twice as great and
cars twice as heavy az before the still more i'm
perative command Is TO go around the sharpcst
curves at the highest possible speed. and under
circumstances that render it absolutely impos-
sible to stop the car until the curve Is passed.
1t Is an incessant and fragrant violation Of the
common law Of the land, and Of every law of
sense and decency. That II should be permitted
for single day Is reproach 10 our civilization.
That 1t should be permitted year after year is
a damning Indictment Of our law and justice
and Of our estimate Of the value Of human safety
and the sacredness OF human life. The system
Is as dangerous and us nexcusable as II would
be to turn a menagerie OF wild beasts loose in
the streets. or to stack up dynamite cartridges
at every corner. There have been 30 many jokes
made and so many comic cartoons drawn, about
the acknowledgement Of the cable roads that a
large share Of the public may have come to dis
regard the serious side Of II. Such an occur.