Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-03
INCOMPETENT MANAGEMENT.
ono Excuse for the Slaughter OF
which Railroads Are Guilty"

Indianapolis News.
When we think that during one year In
Great Britain there was not one railway
passenger killed, and then read of the
slaughter OF scores OF people on the Central
Railroad OF New Jersey and the Southern
Pacific in two days, 1t is hard to believe
that there Is not something wrong with our
way OF conducting railroads. The New Jer-
sey disaster was the result of the gross
carelessness of-whom? The officers OF the
road say that the engineer Of the express
was at fault inasmuch as he ran by the
danger signal. He himself is said to have
declared when he was taken from his en-
CINE that he paid no attention to the green
and red signals, az he thought they would
turn white. Later in his delirium he said
that he saw no signals.
The station agent at Crawford says that
"a minute before the accident" he received
orders to hold the express at Crawford.
Even then he could hear the train coming,
and without waiting TO answer that he I'M
derstood the instructions, he grabbed his
lantern and rushed out on the platform.
Just as he reached the platform the train
flashed by and Engineer Davis was leaning
out of the engine cab looking straight
ahead. and apparently attending to his
duty" Then the agent tried to warn the
next station, but before he could do so the
train had passed IT.. going at the rate of
more than sixty miles an hour Certainly
this was a narrow and dangerous margin
on which TO run such a train on such a
road. The vice president OF the road, w.
@. HessleT, declares that the accident was
due to 1.-The element OF human fallibility."
1t is so wit practically all our accidents,
And the question is whether a few convic-
lions and executions OF some Of these fall
lible men, no matter how high their posi-
trus, would not lessen 1.-THE element OF
human falllbility."
The frightful accident on the southern
Pacific also seems TO have been due 10
human "fallibility." The story is that an
operator failed to deliver orders TO the
westbound express stopping 1t to allow an
other train to pass. Whether the operator
had his orders or not Is yet to be proved.
But it does not matter. For II he did not
have them the Responsibility is merely
shifted to the man who should have given
them to hims II he did have them, Of
course, he is to blame. But no explanations
can bring 70 life the dozens Of people who
we're killed in these two accidents. or heir
the scores who were injured. What we al
want is not explanations, but fewer mur.
derous accidents. We talk about, then
when they happen. and demand that the
guilty be punished. and that some stepi
be taken to make their recurrence less FIRE,
quent. But we soon forget all about II
Rarely do eoroners or grand juries do theil
duty In such cases. Neither one of thest
accidents should have happened. Boil
were entirely ayoidable. So there is Grim
inal negligence In both cases that shout,
be severely punished.
There is no excuse for the great slaughter
Of which the railroads are guilty. Their
were a half dozen or more wrecks recent.
in all OF which people we're killed or seri
ously injured. II is certainly time tina
something was done.