The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-02-11
Locates the Blame.

At the sessions of the State Railroad
Commission held in Trenton Tuesday, the
commission, in reporting its finding on the
wreck in Camden on December ~, finds
that the rear brakeman Of the Atlantic
City train, the engineer Of the Pemberton
local, and the antiquated and unsafe sys-
tenn in vogue by the Amboy division Of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, were the causes OF
the accident, in which three persons lost
their lives and twenty-one persons were
injured. The report reads as follows:
"a train from Atlantic City, over the
West Jersey and Seashore Railroad, en-
tered the train yard and was stopped by
signal near the train shed. Another
train of the Camden and Amboy division,
approached the train shed on the same
track and behind the Atlantic City train.
The signal known as home signal was
about TAO feet distant from another signal,
known as the distance signal The second
train passed this signal At the moment
of passing, this signal indicated caution
and meant, under the rules then In vogue
and understood by the employees Of the
company, that the engine and train might
pass beyond the signal, but at reduced
rate of speed.
''The accident occurred about $50 a.
M the track was obscured by fog and
also by steam and smoke, which came
from an engine standing upon parallel
track and on grade about twenty feet
below the main track, and the engineer OF
the second train, by reason OF these con-
ditions, had his vision obscured and did
not see the rear of the first train until
within one-half car length, according to
his statement.
"The exact rate of speed at which he
was moving at the time of the collision is
left in doubt His engine crashed into
the rear car of the first train before he
could bring it to stop. The telescoping
of the first car of the second train by the
tank of its own engine indicates that II
(the second train) was moving at too
high rate of speed, having regard to the
conditions present
1--WE conclude as the result of our In.
vestigation, first, that the brakeman OF the
Atlantic City train was not as alert and
active as he should have been in hasten
ing back from his train at the moment II
came to a stop, to warn any other trair
that might be approaching between thu
caution signal and watch tower "a IL
failed in the discharge of his duty, which
required him to place red lights at thu
rear end of the Atlantic City train, al
ordered by rule that they should be 81
displayed in case of prevailing fog
SO. The engineer of the second trair
was grossly negligent in not materially re
ducing the speed of his train on approach
ing and after passing the distance signal
s'S. The system of running trains int
this terminal was inadequate and unsafe
in that two trains were allowed between
the distance signal and the home signal
the same time. The fact was shown tina
there existed no telephone or telegraph
communication between towers HID an
A, whereby the imam stationed In tower
might be notified by the guard on duty a
tower I'D whenever he admitted trai
to the block HID to A. The responsible
ity for these conditions, as shown by th
testimony, lies with the superintendent
charge of the terminal"