The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-02
Driven to Death.

Mondays accident at Valley Stream could
not we'll have been made more horrible in
its nature or more revolving in it's utter
lack of reason or excuse. The railroad man.
agement's share in it can be discussed later
on. 1t is easy to say now that the bell at the
crossing was not in order, or that a f1agman
should have been there, or to repeat the COM
mon condemnations of crossings at grade.
Whatever may lave been blameworthy in
the railroad system, or in the engineer Of
the murderous train, whom, by the way,
there is not a shadow of reason for accus-
ing of error, the immediate and unpardona-
BILE cause of the catastrophe was the driver
of the coach, HENRY MCCORMICK, now
lying in the hospital with a fractured skull
and other injuries yet undetermined.
MCCORMICK is a young man. possibly as
alert and as competent as most men for
meeting mental and moral responsible
ties imposed on them but If he had been
the most evil of criminals and the most in
genious, and ben or murder in cold blood.
he scarcely could lave brought about the
lamentable result with an arrangement of
circumstances more inviting the disaster.
The ponderous coach, the unwieldy team,
the hidden track, the flying train and the
inconceivable heedlessness of the driver, all
combined, make one think that the scene
had been planned, 80 precisely were the
coach and the locomotive timed at the
fatal spot, and 30 deliberately were every
habit and rule for avoiding such an acct
dent ignored.
MCCORMICK can find no excuse in any
failure on the part Of the railroad. A
grade crossing is a common thing, with
which q man fit to go without a keeper is
supposed to be able to deal. But about this
crossing the woods concealed all approach.
ing trains from persons coming up by the
road. Every man who has ever driven
knows the difficulty or the impossi.
bility of hearing sounds from outside
above the noise of the vehicle itself.
At this drivers ear there were young
people singing, chattering, and laughing
and making racket enough perhaps to
drown an engines whistle or the gong OF
the crossing, even If the coach had been run.
ming on velvet. 1t was a heavy coach, very
heavily laden, and with team of six horses,
extending SO far ahead that by the time
the leaders reached the track, the driver
might still have been hidden in the trees
1t was not a light or single-horse Wagon
Iudt COulu 10 "ulTlcu dTOuHu dlUuObU ike .
saddle horse II danger arose suddenly.
Added to that, bicyclists beckoned and
shouted to the careless driver that danger
was at hand. Any signal or any gesticula
ton or commotion at such a place, intended
forthe driver rnot. or understood by him OF
not, SHOULD have been enough to tell hin
that something was in the air. and witch
railroad right before him, it is difficult t.
imagine how he could have failed to wax
to a sense of the situation, and to stop unit
all uncertainty should be removed. Blu
fate was otherwise, and on the coach wa
driven to the most pitiable death and in
jury of the many victims.
Blame of the driver Is useless, for, II h
lives, the remorse that will live with hin
to the end of his days will immeasurabl
exceed any punishment that could com
from the feeling of outsiders. The case O
the railroad will be considered in due time
All that it behooves the public to do Is t
be mindful always that, no matter wha
safeguards a railroad may provide, in fac
or theory, against accidents at crossings, n
one but a fool will approach one withou
himself taking every possible %precautio
for his safety.