Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-12-09

rowing circumstances OF the re-
cent railway horrors az Atlantic
I6le1M city and Woodville Ind fresh in
N1TEsN mind. We urged that a system
FOR the thorough investigation Of railway
accidents by government experts should no
established in this country. Such a svs-
tenn Of accident Investigation has been in
operation In Great Britain for over thirty
years. We printed one OF these expert
reports on an English trolley accident in
our issue OF November p. and I'm this is.
sue we print the report upon the disas-
trous dernilment at Salisbury, England
last summer. In which number OF we'll
known Americans were killed.
Two causes impel us to return TO tho
subject again. One is the recent Of n
letter printed below from the presIdent
81 one Of the largest American railway
systems The second cause is the shocking
death OF President Samuel Spencer OF the
Southern railway in rear collision which
occurred on that railway on the morning
OF Thanksgiving day
The letter referred to reads al follows.
Sir; | have read your recent comments
~ IN sle suoJect OF department Of the gov
ethmeht 70 Investigate railway accidents
IL does not seem to me that Engineering
NeWs Is taking the view which a technical
-A'AaAN RAbbtIlg DC expected to take.
You have Jumped at the conciusion that
railroads. do not thoroughly investiRate ac-
elaents; l think this is a very unwarranted
o 90 ,hH On ana seems TO be based wholly
me results OF their investigations nv
own observation leads me to think that
every important railway company and
every good railway management makes a
most thorough Investigation OF any serious
accident, and that these accidents are dis
cussed between the officers Of various rail-
ways, with the view Of trying to determine
what the proper remedy is.
Lhe recent serious accident on the At
lantic CITY line OF the Pennsvlvania. and
on the Baltimore & Ohio line i'm Indiana,
near Chicago, have been common subjects
Tor discussion by railway officials. What
right has Engineering News to saw that
Lhey nave not been thoroughly investi-
Then again, Engineering News suggests
That the proper remedies are not applied
In many cases the most effective and COM
piete remedy involves very large expen-
tracking, automatic block signaling and
nther devices. Can railway officials get
these improvements by simply wishing for
them? with freight rates Stationary or
going down, with passenger rates being
reduced by. state legislation, with the price
OF materials and the wages of employees
going up, many railways of the country
are unable TO secure the added capital
which they very much desire for many
notice you refer to the precautions
taken to protect the cotton manufacturers,
interests OF the country from fire. Ed
ward Atkinson, to whom you refer, 1 knew
very well. He was employed by prominent
cotton manufacturers who allied themselves
IN an association for mutual protection.
This Is as If the railways should get to-
gether and select man to investigate &C.
cidents and devise n remedy which is a
very different thing from having the gov
eminent take 1t up. Yours truly,
T.. A. d.
Western Union Building Chicago No
vember 26, 1906.
Our correspondent says that every i'm
portaut railway company and every good
railway management makes most thor
ough investigation of any serious accident. -
Does he not really mean as thorough an
Investigation as the operating officers can
make in such time as they have to spare
We are well aware that It is the practice
70 have train masters and division superln-