New-York tribune., 1903-02-07
LETTERS TO EDITOR.
TWO IN THE CAB.
A Criticism and a Reioinder


Sir: I old. old reader Of The rr;h,,p.
ano was interested in sour editorials in veur sun
cay issue of February J. but YOU are certainly IN
error Ia f@o OF your positions taken therein /
refer to the sentence in vour editorial entitled
penalties Of Progress wherein YOU saw:
The money that railroads pay in indemnities 70
sufferers from accidents would probably have been
accidents altogether.
and tho whole position taken in your editorial en-
titled Two in the Cab
Now, doesn't it strike you that If the statement
quoted was true there would be no such acci-
cents as occurred on Central Railroad of New-Jer-
sey last week? Men in business things
VIZ, proTlt and reputation and If such accidents
could be avoided by the spending of one-half the
rncney they cost such accidents would be thing OF
the past, If for othsr reason the considera
ZION OF profit, without regard the humanity side
am not railroad man. but old timer
and all my life have had great deal to DO with
railroad men manufactures of certain sup
plies which mad 10 be well and carefully made lest
serious accidents result. Thirty years ago it
more matter Of price than quality, due mainly
'he lack Of knowledge and experience. and also
want OF capital Now, il is absolutely and
Jlrely the reverse. We have not a customer on
books that does buy the best that the
most advanced knowledge OF engineering can pro-
euce, snd inspection is most rigid. This applies,
OF course, to locomotive and passenger equipment
but it is almost true in regard freight equip
Inent. ] have been often told; DO not talk about
cheaper article: make your price the best.
for the best is good enough, either for salts
factory service or safety"
The trouble abeut the Jersey Central accident
and all others like II is that SO long as we
dependent upon human agency they VIII occur
casionsiiy. But. when consider the whiTi
rush that prevail railroads. the wonder is
that resrend collisions net Of frequent
cgrrence. As class locomotive engineers are
splendid lot OF men, both physically and mentally,
and necessarily most Of them having minds
afr.aoS and
that know ny intuition the right thing TO do; but.
in ali other bodies of men, there some slower
il mind. and there Others whose judgment in
emergencies is not So good, and al
lays his best Hence such failures poor
Davis made. which cos; hra his own life, which
vas as precious 10 him as that of any other human
heng.
There is no better or more advanced block system
in the world than that Of the jersey Central.
but the thing may occur soon again and
keep on occurring until the block system is
developed that when a train stops in one
tlock viii automaticaly stop the train following
Il from entering the same block, even II the
ongineers in both caBs asleep or dead Ihfs
is coming in my opinion certainly as the sun
shines. as progress is steadily being made toward
il but il is net here yet-
Now. as TO the TIVE in the Cab" proposition; If
you had taken the trouble investigate this you
would not have fallen into the OF advocating
i. Fer years this has been discussed by the most
sdvanceG railroad men IN the country, and not one
Of them as far as / know. has been able to
see anything but detrinent or disadvantage In it
Tsven the engineers themselves class are the
most strongly opposed TO IT.
Two in a cab is not analogous TO two at the wheel
ia the pilotheuse. In the cab there is usually no
tine for consultation while in the piiothouse there
Is as A rule and sight and hearing both play an
important part the wheel, while in the cab Ii is
sight ony. Such quick decision as is often re-
suired in running engine can be got better from
ane man than two. The responsibility OF handling
the train If given to than one man would,
without doubt, often lead to disagreements and
confusion and that il does not give an extra
amount OF safety is evidenced by the fact that
there are greater percentage Of wrecks in freight
service. where there almost always two in the
cab-the engineer and eonduetor-and by the large
number OF accidents that have occurred when there
have been even more than two men. sometimes as
lsany in the cab, and in some Of the cases
where there have been four men on the locomotive
accidents have recently occurred where at least
three have been killed
II is the falIibility OF human nature that is the
roo; of this troubles if is the engineer has his
-irernaR to refer to fall hack upon If he is In
Ce,,ft of anything or feels sickness coming over
him; and. so far as have been able to learn, the
placing Of two engineers in cab is not practised
On any system of Importance in the world
while there is much about the management Of
railroads that newspapers may criticise with JUS
rice. when they criticise hastily and unjustly
hey become instruments OF harm in making pub
lie orinion too severe in its criticism.
EQUAL RIGHTS
Beurd Brook, y. J., Feb >, 1868