The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1906-07-12
AN UNSATISFACTORY FINDING.

fatality at Moore's Corners to the best OF his ludg
ment and ability He has severely censured the
Rhode Island company, mildly criticised the motor
man OF the ill-fated and formally declared the
tragic affair 10 have been due TO accident and mis-
fortune"
That many of the people OF this community
will agree with Coroner Babcock in his hndng is
open to serious question In the public view the
shocking disaster in which eleven lives were sacri
feed and two score persons injured was due less
TO accident and misfortune" than to gross negli-
gence, responsibility for which rests somewhere
and should be fixed.
Censure of corporation VIGOROUSLY indiffer-
ent TO the safety and comfort OF its patrons is but
poor salve for the sorrow Of those whose rea-
tves perished in a tragedy that to many sober and
discerning minds could have been and should have
been prevented, and it gives but fimsy and
fabby guarantee against similar happenings in the
future.
What effect is censure likely to have upon
corporation so caous and so greedy for profit that
il fails to adopt those ordinary precautions for The
security of passengers that taken by traction
companies elsewhere? None at all.
Is the legislation the coroner suggests for the
protection Of the travelling public likely to be en-
acted by general assembly dominated by Bray
ton the political ally and retained lobbyist of the
Rhode Island company's management? Not at all.
So far as the verdict of Coroner Babcock is
concerned it is entirely impotent 1t will have no
sautary effect whatever the policy and prac-
tees of corporation that does not hesitate to
expose those who ride its cars to grave perils
in order to increase its profits
In arriving at his conclusion that there was no
criminal negligence the coroner appears to have
ignored two facts which in public estimation had
a direct and powerful influence i'll causing the
disaster.
He does not seem to have considered as OF vital
Importance the assigning of motorman unfamiliar
with the Crescent Park route to take car over it
during the night when its ordinary perils were
multiplied because of darkness.
Nor does he appear to have taken into account
the fact that at the time the car toppled over,
crushing the life out of dozen unfortunate pas
sengers there were several persons riding on the
running board
There is widespread belief that the funda-
mental mistake made by the traction authori-
ty that sent motorman out with the Thornton
party who, because of his lack of knowledge OF it,
should not have been trusted to take car over the
Crescent Park route, which was known to be
dangerous for night traffic.
If motorman accustomed to running over
this route had been assigned to the car that took
the people OF Thornton to and from Crescent Park
the fatality at Moores Corners would never have
occurred, because however dark the night, however
obscured by fog the tracks might have been, such
notorman would have known the position of his
car at every stage of the journey
He would have known when he reached the
decline approaching the curve and would
have allowed the car to plunge downward without
brake control and under the momentum OF full
power.
Motorman Leuchner had been this route
but once before and that many months prior to the
night of the tragedy. On account OF the darkness
and the fog he did not realize that the decline was
ahead until he found the car dashing downward.
Amotorman who knew the road thoroughly was,
therefore, the only safeguard against accident
Why was not such sent out with the Thorn
ton party. Was it not criminal negligence on the
part OF the traction company's agent to assign to
this duty man whose unhtness because OF his lack
of knowledge OF the road and its pcrls must have
been known and understood?
Coroner Babcock, as he ignores this vital fea-
ture does not believe il constituted negligence,
criminal or otherwise. With that view very few Of
the citizens OF the community coincide.
Nor do they agree with him that the riding Of
a number OF passengers on the running board is a
matter OF so little Importance as 20 have deserved
no consideration in reaching verdict. The coroner