Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-23


Washingtcn's latest grade crossing hor-
ror brings cnce more to the front the prop
osition that has previously been advanced
that enough official attention is not paid III
this country to the ratter of accidents on
steam railroads. Each community looks
after its own safety as well as it can. with
out any aid from the central source OF
authority. Notwithstanding the fact that
the railroads, running through all the
states. and connecting all the great centers
of population directly affect the safety
and welfare of all the people, irrespective,
of Jurisdictions and boundaries England S
system of railroad surveillance in the mat
ter of accidents is so satisfactory and pro-
ductive OF such good results that it is
timely to refer just now to the latest report
submitted by the Board of Trade, semi
official organization that has assumed the
function of Investigating all forms of dis
aster on the lines of transportation. A re-
cent issue Of the Engineering News con-
tains an abstract of this document, which
it earnestly commends worthy of care
full attention on this side of the water. The
report shows, in the main, that there are
fewer accidents on the English railroads.
in proportion to their extent. than on those
in America and it appears that this fact
is due TO the better discipline among the
employees. With the causes and effects of
the accidents themselves. the local public
just now is not directly concerned, but
there is unquestionabiy a sharp interest i'll
all matters that bear in the least upon pos
sihle means of bringing the railroad cor
porations TO book for such dreadful occur
ronces as that of last Friday, and for pre-
venting repetiticDs.
IL = ba
Board of Trade in England is recognized
as the final tribunal between the corpora
tions and the public, as it's findings are
taken as conclusive. If q report dscloses
the opinion that accident of any sort re-
sulting in the loss of life or property was
due TO the carelessness of the individual
employees of the company, those men are
considered having been adjudged guilty
by formal process of law, so far as their
accountability to the company is concerned.
II, however, the casualty was due to the
inefficient methods of the company-as
seems 10 have been the case at Deanewood
the findings of the Board to this effect
operate as public condemnation of the
railroad officials. OF course, civil and GRIM
inal proceedings against the company are
wholly Independent of these inquiries and
reports. but SO thorough are the inquiries
and so carefully drawn are the deductions
of the Board that its Investigations have
come TO be recognized as semi-of1icial pro-
ceedinss and the testimony taken by the
investigating body which is most thorough
and minute in its inquiries is available in
courts later. The care with which these
Investigations made to cover every
phase Of the railroad work is remarkable
The Board agents are sent to look into the
ost trivial accidents, ranging from the
mere splntering of a car resulting from
careless switching. To collision with loss
of life. One result of this care is tina. the
railroad companies are made to feel that
they are under constant surveillance and
that they cannot with safety relax in the
least in their efforts to make secure the
lives and properties entrusted to them.
In this country the Interstate Commerce
Commission might readily exercise similar
power. 1t now confines it's official atten-
ton entirely to the question of rates and
;he business relations of the railroads and
the public, except that by operation of o.
recent act or Congress the Commission has
authority TO enforce regulations requiring
the use of safety brakes and hand irons on
freight trains This departure is in itself
suggestion that an extension of power
might proiitably be made by Congress- and
II would probably be well worth the effort
for Congress to seek to devise some means
VI piAhslhS the watchful eye of the gov
eminent to bear upon all manner of rail-
road accidents. The LEGAL courts will doubt
less administer even-handed Justice i'm deal
Ing with Fridays tragedy. but the task of
regulation and prevention would undoubt-
edly be much easier for all communities IL
there were now in operation some such
system of diiigent watchfulness as prevails
in England.