Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-09-27
CAUSE OF WRECK
New Haven officials in WaIling-
ford Disaster Finding
TRAiNMEN AT FAULT;
REMEDY DEMANDED

Shortcomings Are overerowded By
the "Hieh upsv Who Neglect to
Enforce the Ruies--lnterstate Com.
merce Commission criticises the
Equipment and Methods Employed
BY Company.
WASHINGTON, d, G. Sept. 25
Man failure" all along the line from
officials aud directors OF the New
Haven railroad down TO it's trainmen.
Is held BY the Interstate Commerce
Commission to have been the cause
Of the Walingford ereck. September
2, In which 81 were Killed and 80 In.
iured, IN Us report made public. the
commission blames the crews Of the
wrecked trains for lapses and scores
officers and directors FOR "inenlclency
OF management" AZ
Operating officials OF the New Hav-
en- and the officers and directors at
the system are grilIed scathingly for
PRONUNCIATION OF regulations that were
permitted TO become practically
dead letters and for not seeing "a
II personally that operating i.
tons we're what they had directed
them to be.
Man failure IN this case says
Commissioner McChord, who prepar.
ed the report after an exhaustive per-
sonal investigation Of the accident.
began high up In Official authority.
and II was not an unnatural sequence
that II reached down to those In pc.
sitions lower in Official rank, but still
weighted with great responsibility.
In use at the time Of the disaster.
The report points out, were antigua.
ted signals condemned BY the locomo.
tive enginemen as well as by the
Public Service Commission OF Con
necticut," and old wooden cars un-
suited by construction for such truf
iic as they we're expected to accom-
modate. These were held to be con-
tributory reasons for the excessive
number OF casualties. Commissions
ar McChord indicates the results Of
a similar recent accident at Tyrone,
Pa. in which the equipment was all
steel, and in which none OF the pas
sengers was killed as an object les
son IN favor Of the use Of modern
equipment.
Must See Rules Are Observed.
The Commission demands of the
New Haven road the Immediate adop-
ton OF IAN adequate system OF SUI
perintendence and supervision which
Will give those in authority definite
and positive information as to wheth-
er or not the safety requirements
and rules OF this railroad are observ-
ed" After a comprehensive review
OF the testimony taken at the nves-
tigation, Commissioner McChord says,
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 properly TO
control the speed OF his train In or
der that he could bring 1t TO stop
before passing automatic signal No.
20 and the failure OF Conductor Adj.
ans TO make certain that his train
was properly protected An addition
al cause was the failure OF Engine
man Wands TO bring his train to a
stop, as required by the rules. before
passing automatic signal No. %,
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 entirely inadequate
safely to direct and govern the move
ment OF the large volume Of traffic
over this line, and there was de-
plorable lack OF supervision on the
part of operating officers. On this
account the conditions which led up
to this accident were possible.
TN reports by this commission OF
the Investigation OF previous acct
dents on this railroad. defects OF man
agement, neglect OF obvious precau-
lions for safety, ineffective rules, and
and these not systematically en-
forced; high-speed trains closely fol-
lowing one another without adequate