The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1913-09-26
A SCATH|NG CENSURE
FOR THE NEW HAVEN
Failure and Inefficiency Cause of
WallingfOrd Wreck, Sept. 2.
REPORT OF COMMISSION.
hcohord severely Condemns Use of
Signal System, Old Wooden Cars
and Dead Letter Rules.


held by the interstate commerce
commission to have been the cause
OF the Wallingford wreck, September
= In which 21 were killed and 35 in
Jured. In its report, made public to-
day, the commission blames the
crews of the wrecked trains for
lapses, and scores officers and direc-
tors for 'inefficiency of manage
ment."
Operating officials of the New
Haven and the officials and directors
or the system are grilled scathinglv
Tor promulgation of regulations prac-
tically permitted to become dead
letters' and for not personally super
Vising operating conditions.
STARTS HIGHER UP.
MAN failure in this case said
commissioner McChord who prepar-
ed the report, "began high up in Off
clal authority. 1t was natural that
1T reached down to those in lower
positions, but still weighted with
great responsibility"
In use at the time of this disaster
the report points out, were anti
quated signals condemned by the To-
comotive enginemen as we'll as nv the
public service commission of Con
necticut, "apd old wooden cars. nm
suited for such traffic as they were
expected to accommodate. These
were held to be contributory reasons
Tor the extensive number of casual
Ties. commissioner McChord indi-
Gates the results OF similar recent
accident at Tyrone, Pa, in which the
equipment was all steel. and which
none OF the passenger was killed. as
an object lesson in favor OF the use
or modern equipment.
The commissioner demands OF the
New Haven road the immediate
adoption OF an adequate system of
superintendence and supervision
which Will give those in authority
positive information as to whether
or not the safety requirements and
rules OF this railroad are observed"
CENSURE OF McCHORD.
After a comprehensive review of
the testimony taken at the investiga-
ton, Commissioner McChord saws in
part:
THE direct cause of this accident
was the failure of Flagman Murray
properly to protect his train, the fail
ure of Engineman Miller properlv To
control the speed of his train, in or
der that he could bring it to a stop
before passing automatic signal No.
20 and the failure of Conductor
Adams to make certain that his train
was properly protected. An additional
cause was the failure of Engineman
Wands to bring his train to a stop.
as required by the rules, before pass
ing automatic signal No. 23. which
was in the stop position. While this
accident was directly due to failure
OF employees properly to perform their
duties the signal system in use was
entirely inadequate safely to direct
and govern the movement of the
large volume OF traffic over this line.
and there was a deplorable lack of
supervision on the part of operating
officers; on this account, the condi-
tions which led up to this accident
were possible"
After giving a list of executive Off
GERS and directors OF the New Haven.
including many OF the foremost men
OF the financial world, Commissioner
McChord continues:
"On this directorate were and are
men whom the confding public rec
oniZe as magicians in the art Of fl
nance and wizards in the construc-
tion, operation and consolidation of
great systems OF railroads. The pub
lie therefore rested secure that with
the knowledge OF the railroad art
possessed by such men investments
and travel should be safe. Exper-
ience has shown that this reliance of
the public was not justified as to
either finance or afety.
VOICE OF DIRECTORS.
The report points out that at
meetings of directors OF the New
Haven after disasters at Bridgeport
and West Port, a resolution was
adopted directing President Mellen
then at the head Of the system. to
leave nothing undone (which in the
judgment OF himself and his associ-
ates, will conduce to greater safety
in the operation of the railroad and
that there shall be no limitation
placed upon the installation of sig
nails, safety appliances, or anything
else which VIII improve the safety of
passenger travel upon this company's
lines"
There the directors stopped, the
report says.
This typifes the whole situation"
declares Commissioner McChord.
"They assumed the vote was self-en-
forcing.
"But no intelligent system was de-
vised by which to ascertain when
rules were disobeyed.
Rules were disobeyed largely and
only small proportion of these vio-