The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-25
STEALING SWITCHES.

recent revelations concerning. tba
methods of management employed nv
the officials of the Worcester and Sub
urban and other local street railroads
brought to light by Wednesdays terri.
bic accident, are opening the eyes of
the public. Little by little. as the facts
leak out, it becomes more apparent thst
stockholders and officials, men with
nigh positions in society and big bank
accounts are the real persons to blame
for the loss of life at Leicester The
pubic IS now waiting to see whether
Motorman Hiney and Conductor Gal
vim, who were arrested in Spencer YES
terday, are to be made the scapegoats
OF a system of management which is
cally wrong. ~
All evidence gathered by The Sny in
the last few days leads to the same con-
cluslon, namely, that switch stealing
is common practice. Direct Testimony
says unat While nominally passing rules
against the custom, the officials wink
at It, praising the breaker of the rule
whenever successful and only disciplin-
ing him when from no fault of his own
. l.
thorities can even be quoted to show
that high officials of the Worcester and
| suburban have even ordered their men
to steal switches"
Present employees of the street
railroads are naturally reluctant to Of
Ter testimony calculated to bring the
dlspleasure Of their EMPLOYERS unon
them. Yet one or two of tbe th p,n
have made revelations little likeIv I'd
please the street railroad magnates.
But the best testimony comes from for
| mer employees of the road, whose evil
dence is impartial, and who have no
END 10 serve beyond the desire to see
fair play accorded the two unfortunates
now in the tolls of the law Without
exception the former employees Law the
blame for the catastrophe upon the Of
/ ficials.
Foremost among those who have vol
unfairly come forward to add their tes-
timony in favor Of Hiney and Calvin,
is Albert E. Smith, chairman of the
board Of selectmen in Leicester. Mr..
| Smith roundly takes the side of the
employees. and condemns the magnates
| in no uncertain terms. He makes be-
| sides the positive statement that the
/ crew of the regular car had not the
slightest knowledge that they were to
meet a ten-minute car
Il think it is safe to say positively
/ lIidl Iliiley anu NIdlNil IidQ5 llOL fDeeQ
! Informed that they were TO meet q
ten-minute car" SAID Mr.. Smith last
/ evening. The movements of the ten
| minute cars are irregular at best, and
on a rainy day especially so. A well
organized road would have some way
! of informing the crews of other cars
of the danger Whether or not the
! Worcester and Suburban has any such
means of conveying Information to its
various motormen ana conductors | do
! not know. This much / do know, how
ever, that in this particular instance
no warning of the approach of the ten-
| minute car had been given.
| Il most empharically stand by the
! motormen and conductors and ask, lis
It not well for every one to wait be-
fore passing judgment on these UNI
| fortunate men who were in charge
| Of the Inflated cars that came to-
gether Wednesday afternoon? Do you
| think it fair to go on and hang these
poor men until the whole business has
been properly investigated? | hear
Continued on eighth page.)