The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-30
ITS SCHEDULES
DEFY THE LAW.
The Southern Pacific Run
ming High-Speed Trains
in the City.
THIRTY MILES AN HOUR.
An Entire Disregard of the Legal
Provisions for Safety at
Crossings.
TWO SETS OF INSTRUCTIONS.
Employees Asked to Conform to Each
Though One Is Directly Opposed
to the Other.
TWO SETS OF INSTRUCTIONS

In connection with the two wrecks that
have occurred on the coast division atten-
ton has been drawn to the methods en-
ployed by the Southern Pacific to evade
both the law and the responsibility for ac-
cid ents.
According to the companys printed
rules and timetables directly contradic-
tory orders are given to the men who oper-
ate the trains on this division.
In the special instructions to employees
rule is as follows:
Trains will not run faster in city and town
limits than the speed allowed by law, namely,
San Francisco, eight miles per hour.
The time table Of the coast division line
from here to Monterey shows that trains
are run within the City limits of San Fran
cisco at speed that is never less than an
average of fifteen miles an hour, and which
in two instances is an average of thirty
miles an hour, or nearly four times the
legal rate of speed.
Where the company comes nearest to
observing the City ordinance prescribing
the eight-mile speed limit within the City
is on the daily passenger train which
leaves here at 6:45 A. NJ. and runs through
to Hillsdale, five miles the other side of
San Jose The run from Third aud Town
send streets to the Valencia-street station,
a distance of three miles, is made in
twelve minutes, an average of a mile in
four minutes, or fifteen miles an hour.
Then from Valencia street to Ocean
View the train reaches the thirty-miles
an-hour speed. The distance between these
points Is four miles, and it is covered in
eight minutes, or should be according to
the timetable, thus giving a speed of a
mile in two minutes. But this Is not an
isolated instance, for the same speed is
shown by the timetable for the daily San
Jose express, which leaves this City at
$50 clock, the train on which Engineer
Jack keyer lost his life last Sunday.
Ten trains leave this City from Third
and Townsend streets each day, a few of
which, however, do not run on Sundays,
and every one OF them is operated on a
time schedule that is gross violation of
the law, and the same holds good of the
ten trains that arrive daily at this point.
This state Of affairs is one that hasI long
been source of bitter complaint with
! people who reside along the line of the
road, and the killing of Mrs. Ellen Fury
on Monday last would have been avoided,
| it is claimed, had the trains been operated
! according to law.
Railroad men who are familiar with the
coast division run, and who knew Jack
Keyer, the victim of the wreck near Baden
! on Sunday, are positive that the dead en-
! gineer did not know of a red light signal
! flashed for him. They say Keyer was too
| old man in the business and too careful
to have taken any chances such as Fireman
! Gill saws he took. The general opinion is
that Gill was not properly attending to his
| duty, and that in order to make it appear
that he was he claimed to have seen the
| signal and to have communicated the fact
to the engineer.
One of these men explained his reasons
for believing this theory as follows:
In oil 10 bat
View and Baden the engine is generally
allow to run by gravity, as there is
sufficient grade. In consequence there is
no need OF the fireman attending to the
duties OF keeping up the fire in the furnace
OF the engine, and when fireman is not
employed in firing he is expected to
keep on the lookout for danger of all
kinds. Now, the chances are that Gill was
not strictly attending to his duties and
failed to see the signal which was on his
side OF the cab"
1t was further stated by former rail-
road employee that the accident at the
Santa Clara crossing was not matter OF
much surprise to those who have worked
on either the narrow-gauge or broad-gauge
road. It is almost the invariable rule fo1
the trains at this point TO violate the State
law, which requires all trains to stop not
less than 200 feet from railroad crossing.
IN this case the railroad men say there
and that in the race that took place to see
which train could make the crossing first
the collision was brought about.
They add that had the law been com
piled with such a collision as that which
occurred on Saturday would have been
impossible. The trains would have come
to iulI stop each about 300 feet from the
crossing. Thus there would have been nc
danger of a collision. But trains moving
toward one another, they say, present {
very different proposition.
The railroad officials who have been in
vestigating the train wrecks of Saturday
and Sunday are not ready to make public
, their con illusions as to who is to be hello
responsible. They claim they are waiting
for additional witnesses, among Others
Engineer Stanley, who is still unable tt
give testimony.
, 1t has been feared that the injured engi
, neer would have to lose his leg, but it wa
concluded by the physicians yesterday
that amputat1on would not be necessary
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