New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-29
UNACCEPTABLE.

Announcement is made that the official IN
vestigation Of the recent fatal wreck on the
Pittsburg division OF the Baltimore and ONO
Railroad has been completed. and that the OH
ciai conclusion is not merely that no empioye
of the company responsible, but that the
disaster was unavoidable. In consideration or
prospective damage SUITS Il is not difficult 10
see why the company should choose to adopt
that position instead of confesslng liability In
advance; but 1t can hardly suppose that the pub
lie will be satisfied. There is one acknowledged
and indisputable fact, namely, that the acct
dent was directly due to the falling of lumber
from westbound fatcar on the eastbound
track. The investigation must, therefore. have
started with the question, Why did the lumber
fans That question was promptly and frankly
answered the next day in the statement, attrib-
uted to an officer of the company, that one or
more of the stakes inserted along the side Of
the car TO hold the lumber In place were
weak or improperly secured. That explanation
which originally seemed and still seems natu-
raj and reasonable, has not, so far as we have
observed, been reaffirmed, and It certainly is
not so much suggested in the published re-
suit of the explanation. But, on the other
hand, it does not appear TO have been either OIL
cialIy withdrawn or practically discredited. 1t
is obvious that the lumber would not have
been dislodged IL it had been securely fastened,
and in the absence Of evidence to the contrary
it is fair to conclude that the stakes gave way.
At all events. the company's case would not be
helped by an hypothesis that some other con-
dition essential TO security WINS lacking.
If the finding were merely that no employee Of
the company was TO blame implying, perhaps,
that the company meant to disclalm response
bility on the ground that the lumber car had
been received from some shipper who was
bound to see that ii was properly loaded-that
of itself would be exceedingly disquieting
proposition. 1t would warrant the inference
that the company was not accustomed TO in
spect rolling stock delivered to 1t for transporta
tien but was willing TO take great and con-
slant risks The assumption of that attitude
would be an invitation to the travelling public
to dread a succession Of disasters. 1t would be
interesting to know Just what meaning we are
expected to attach TO the declaration that no
empIoye of the company was responsible
But the company does not stop with acquit-
ting itself. It proceeds to acquit everybody.
The accident, we are informed was unavoida-
lie. That is to say, when heavy freight, on the
careful hestowal of which the safe operation Of
q railroad depends, falls in the way Of a pas
senger train, and scores of lives are sacrificed
In consequence, no human being is to blame in
the slightest degree. We must huInbly bow to
an inscrutable decree and murmur, at was the
act of God" Such is the verdict gratuitously
| found for us IN this case by a great corpora
| ton. But it viii not be accepted. 1t is af-
| front TO reason and an insult TO the Almighty.
Some man who ought originally TO have made
that lumber secure defaulted. Some other man
| who ought to have corrected the first error was
remiss Until the company has found those
men the public will justly consider it's investi-
| CATION q farce or fraud.