Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-08
RULES NOT ENFORCED
Fatal Collision Caused by Negligence
of Trolley Employees.
STATEMENT BY MR.. BISHOP
w., B. and A. President Says Com
pany Employs Only Ex-
perienced Men.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
BALTIMORE Md. November 1.-THE
grand jury Of Anne Arundel county inits
report today to the circuit court at An
napolis handled the Washington. Baltimore
and Annapolis Electric railway without
gloves in commenting upon the wreck on
the Annapolis branch Of the line at Camp
Parole on June last. when nine persons
were killed and score injured. The
grand jury in its report says that had
the employees been sufficiently impressed
with the necessity of a thorough knowl-
edge of the roads very essential rules
the wreck would not have occurred.
In directing it's attention to the Wash
ington. Baltimore and Annapolis wreck,
the body says that it Investigated the mat
ter carefully and summoned number Of
witnesses. including the higher officials
of the railroad company and others who
appeared before the coroners jury that
first probed the matter Immediately after
the accident. In its Investigations the
jury says 1t found evidence that the "offi-
cials were grossly negligent In the matter
and that their employees seemed to have
been deplorably ignorant of the rules of
the company, having given on the one
hand verbal orders, and on the other
hand written ones partially erased"
High officials Censured.
Continuing. the report says: ''The Jury
feels that 1t cannot too severely condemn
the high officials Of the railway company
for the lax enforcement Of their rules.
1t is the sense Of the jury that had the
employees been sufficiently impressed with
the necessity Of thorough knowledge
Of the very essential rules the wreck
would not have occurred"
In concluding it's reference to the
wreck the jury says that it considers that
certain officials of the railway company
have been equally negligent as the
operator at Annapolis and the motorman
and conductor of car No. q. They SEEM
ingly did not realize the sacredness of the
human lives intrusted to their care"
The operator at Annapolis was the man
who received the telephone train orders
and delivered them to the crew of the
extra car. which was running light" and
extra" to Academy. when. through what
the grand jury calls negligence. the spe-
cial came into collision with the regular
car coming to Annapolis from Academy
junction.
George T. Bishop, president of the
Washington. Annapolis and Baltimore
railway. gave out from his office here last
night the following statement:
Il regret exceedingly that the grand
jury in the case of the accident on our
branch line to Annapolis last June has
deemed 1t necessary to blame the general
manager and superintendent of this COM
pany. Every man connected with the
company, from the general manager down.
has been employed because Of his special
fitness for the position he occupies. Our
company, in order to secure men familiar
with the operation of cars on an inter-
urban electric railway. has paid higher
rate of wages than was ever before paid
for similar service In this part of the
country In addition to this it's operatives
are compelled to pass a rigid examination
in the company's rules.
Crew of Experienced Men.
1.-The west-bound crew which was at
fault consisted of motorman who had
a good record over a period of eight
years as a motorman on a single track
line between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio,
with much more frequent service and
heavier traffic than we have on our An
napolis division. The conductor had been
for years assistant division superintendent
of the United Railways and Electric Com
pany of this city.
Unfortunately accidents of this kind
occur at one time or another on nearly
every railway, notwithstanding that all
companies are constantly endeavorfng by
improved facilities and discipline of men
to avoid them. Since the accident this
company has added q block signal system
to its Annapolis single track division