Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1912-04-23
SPEED MADNESS.

Ii does not appear that the Titanic was being
driven at excessive speed, and blame for that
which has been expressed in some quarters is
premature at the moment, to say the least Yet
speed madness had its part in this disaster. for
every passenger steamer on the Atlantic crossing
was on the short course to save time. though all
knew ice had been sighted unusually early in the
season. The compulsion to take chances came
from the demands of the passengers. General
dissatisfaction would have been expressed if all
these vessels had swung without warning into
the long southern course and nothing had hap
pened If one line had stuck to the northern
and its ships had beaten the rest by
few hours it would have been the one favored by
all the speed maniacs who would cross the ocean
for the rest of the year. That is supposing no
accident occurred. They are all taking the long
course when il is too late, for sixteen hun
dred brave men now in their watery grave
To make rules or laws that will guard against
risks recognized is one thing, but the people
Of this country should not blame steamship own
ers too severely without taking into account what
is permitted to go on every day on shore This
general mania for speed has inspired an other
wise and level-headed of prominence
to ask as representative of the automobiles that
they be allowed to drive their ears through the
crowded streets of New York City at the rate of
thirty miles an hour. 1t is seldom that a drunk
en- driver JOY ride attains such speed but
the death roll mounts steadily License to drive
automobiles at thirty miles an hour anywhere in
a city is license to commit murder To swing
around a corner or past a street at even
fifteen miles hour is more likely to cause loss
of life than laundering across the Newfoundland
banks AT a speed of twenty-five knots ON an ocean
liner The chances are a thousand to one in
favor of the ship avoiding disaster and the odds
are much the other way with the automobiles
in streets filed with playing children
Speed MANAGES patronize only the limited
trains running between New York and Chicago
though wreck after wreck attests to the gravity
of the risk The passengers force such eompeti-
ton on the railroads Were the people to demand
the greatest possible measure of safety and travel
on slower and safer trains the railroads would be
glad to stop trying to make ears stay on the
rails while running at more than sixty miles an
hour
If the loss Of the men that went down with
the Titanic check this general craze for speed
in all directions they will not have died in vain.
To a sane man difference of two hours to Chi
acgo ten hours TO Liverpool can mean little.
Most of the hurry that metropoitans indulge in
is nothing but a pose Men will rush through the
streets pretending TO themselves that minute is
of vital impprtantanee in getting somewhere. and
then stand for ten minutes watching street
fakr selling puzzle or man painting flag
pole They drive automobiles so fast that they
cannot the scenery and then talk about the
pleasure of going into the country. II is time TO
sober up and regain the of proportion in
such matters