The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1901-12-13

THE greatest railway accident since the falling
OF the Ashtabula bridge was that on the
Wabash road in Michigan.
AS the passenger traffic on American railways
amounts every year the hauling of fifteen billions
of people mile, it will be seen that whatever re-
duces to a minimum the chance for accidents is Of
much importance to our people as the prevention
of fatal epidemic.
The investigation OF this casualty makes it appear
that the engineer confused in reading his orders
and confounded the station names of Seneca and
Sand Creek. The sibilant sound of each and the
haste in examining order not plainly written
on tissue paper caused the disaster for the engineer
ran for meet at Sand Creek instead of lying at
Seneca for the opposite train to pass.
This danger has been for some time recognized
by railroad men. In California we have many sta
tons with Spanish names beginning with "San"
that the practice is to use in raroading only the
last name emitting the prefix San" Thus San
Leandro and San Lorenzo become Leandro and
Lorenzo, in which form they are more easily dis
tinguished.
railroad does not always have the opportunity
to name its stations as it runs to towns already
established But these, as rule avoid similarity
OF names for the purpose of individuality and pre-
vent confusion in the mails. But where stations are
close together the prehxes La, San, Lake, Mount
Las lie, Lone, Los, New and others supply the
cause of accident by misleading and confusion. The
use of the points of the compass as prefxes comes
the category When railroads are free to name
new stations which they create for the purpose of
traffic they should be careful to make selections that
are incapable of confusion with others
1t is advisable to avoid beginning the names
of contiguous stations with the same letter of the
alphabet, since too often the engineer in his haste
catches the first letter and takes the rest for granted
The physical equipment of American roads has
long occupied the attention of railway operators
Improvement in grades and curves and such stout
construction of passenger-cars to enable them to
Withstand the impact OF collision at high speed have
progressed toward perfection. But they have paid
less attention what may be called the psychology
of operation, that action of the mind applied to the
responsibility of train crews who have in charge the
safety of person and property
Nothing is more common than what is called
absence of mind" that passing aphasa which
makes man forget an appointment or to
mail a letter, errand, the name of friend
and sometimes even his To this every man is
subject matter what his training or his occupa-
ton. In the majority of instances in which it
occurs the results not serious, and the lapse of
memory its displacement from the object intended
to one not intended is treated as Joke
In justice to railway crews let it be remembered
that they exception to the rule which affects
all men alike But in their case the consequences
are apt to be immediate and awful, and there is too
great tendency to treat them as if they were the
only subject this infrmity.
They are entitled to every aid that can be brought
TO the support of their wits and their memory, and
the entirely dissilar naming of contiguous stations
! is such aid and is of first importance.