Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1901-05-23

near SHENANDOAH JUNCTION cduseS IVY
reflections.
The first is that where the railroad
company spends thousands of dollars
for improvements ofvarlous sorts along
its lines and in its rolling stock, 1t
scarcely spends one for precautions to
save human lives. Take the B. & o.,
for instance. Including its new bridge
and tunnel at Harper's Ferry, within
the past few years hundreds of thous-
ands of dollars have been spent in this
county in changes and additions to its
tracks to facilitate the easier handling
of trains, and yet the only thing done
TO eliminate danger to the people has
been the construction of one under
ground crossing-and the county paid
even a large part of that expense 1t
will be only short time until there
will be four tracks between Martins
burg and Harper's Ferry. This means
that we may look for great increase
in the already fearfully long list OF
victim. claimed in the two counties
by this Unsuitable railroad Moloch.
Every person who attempts to drive
across four tracks upon which are
swift passenger trains and innumerable
freights, sometimes two trains running
in the same direction, takes his life IN
his hands, for there are no watchmen
to warn him and the bells are not to
be relied upon, In a thickly settled
section such as this, every important
crossing ought to be either above or
below grade. This is something that
will eventually be done, because few
accidents such as the one recorded
will so arouse public sentiment that
even great corporation will have to
heed it. We think our county court
ought to take steps now looking toward
a system of proper crossings at the
principal roads and so protect the lives
of the people.
The second thought that comes to
us is the answering way In which
men go to their inevitable doom, Mr..
Kennedy, well and strong and hopeful
started from his post Of duty for his
home. What mysterious influence
halted him at the railroad tracks to
await the coming of the mighty engine
which was to hurl him into that eter-
nifty for which, fortunately, he was so
we'll prepared? Why had he not
stopped one moment sooner? Why did
he not drive twenty yards further?
Was it chance, or was some unknown'
unyielding force relentlessly pushing
him on to his predestiued end? 1t has
only been few weeks since a youth
went blindly to his death near where
thi. other accident occurred. Elmer
Boyer had but dozen steps to take
to lead him to the path in which was
safety and where he would quite nat
urally have walked. Yet he took the
more awkward and less accessible way,
climbed from the platform and STUN
bled over pile of cinders to meet his
fate under the cruel wheels Of car.
Recently Joseph Montague, of Way
nesboro, Pa, started on journey to
New York. At the last moment he
changed his mind as to the route he
should take, and instead of going the
most direct way, and in spite Of the
wishes of friends with whom he was
to travel, he obeyed some irresistible
impulse and took the longest way to-
ward his destination Before he had
gotten thirty miles on his way he
stepped from the train as it tarried a
moment at a station, and, when he
attempted to get aboard again, his
foredoom, waiting, saw him crushed
to death beneath the wheels. What
is it that impels men to these mysteri-
Gus ends?