New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-07-12
NEW HAVEN TO ACT AT
ONCE ON WRECK REPORT
Immediate Steps To Be Taken
to Bring Operation Up to
|. C. C.. Standard.
CHANGING SIGNAL SYSTEM
Operating Officials to Meet En-
gineers to Take Up Assign
ment of Extras on Pas
senger Trains.

The recent reports OF the Interstate
Commerce Commission on the financial
affairs OF the New Haven system and the
wreck at Stamford on June y will be
taken up at once by the roads officials.
according to authorized announcements
yesterday. The executive committee will
refer the matter Of answering the report
on the financial condition to the board Of
directors, which will meet here on Thurs
day.
Meanwhile. the operating officials will
meet with the division and mechanical
superintendent 10 consider the Commerce
Commissions report on the Stamford ac-
cident This meeting will be held to-day
I'm New Haven.
Immediate steps will be taken to bring
the operation Of the road up to the stand
ard recommended I'm the commissions re-
port" Clinton L. Bardo, general manager
Of the New Haven. said yesterday
Bardo announced that the management
will hold a meeting with committee rep
resenting the companys engineers within
few days TO discuss that feature of the
wreck which had to do with the employ
trains. Bardo's statement continues:
"One feature OF the commissions report
has already been acted upon. For many
months the company has been working
upon a plan for changing the signal sys-
ten between South Norwalk and Siam
ford from a manual controlled lock and
block system 10 an automatic block sys-
TEN. This change was necessitated as
result Of the electrifcation Of the line east
Of Stamford Under the new system the
distant signal is placed 5000 feet east Of
the home signal. which is twice the dis
lance recommended by the commissions
report. This change has already been
made.
"The report OF the commission in re-
gard TO the question Of the assignment
OF engineers confirms the view Of the
operating officials that this is personal
responsibility devolving upon the man
agement and one that could not be dele
gated or safely made the subject Of an
agreement with the engineers, since the
engineers are too prone to exercise the
power OF the organization without accept
Ing the responsibility for their acts.
This being the case. the engineers can
have no voice in the rules made by the
company II these rules are considered
necessary for the safety OF the public.
1.-The Interstate Commerce Commission
In its report upon the financial affairs Of
the company stated that the New Haven
passenger service. aside from safety. is
distinctly better than that of any railroad
coming into New York. The officials Of
the company have always believed that
the trains are operated under as safe as,
II not safer, conditions than any other
road In the country. and the record OF
train accidents upon the New Haven Rail-
road would seem 10 warrant this view.
In the last ten years the company has
had hut six train accidents In which pas
sengers have been killed. The total num-
!. Der of deaths resulting from these six ac-
cidents is only twenty-nine. The passen-
ger traffic OI the New Haven Railroad
IL the densest Of any railroad in the
country.
However. the company desires TO in
crease the safety OF its traffic 10 the full
est extent. The recommendations OF the
Interstate Commerce Commission handed
down "a a result Of the Westport and
bridgeport accidents have either been
adopted or are being adopted rapidly
as practicable. a large number OF new
all-stcel cars are now on order. and the
urossovers are being heightened as fast
as possible. The same diligence will be
taken IN regard to the recommendation OF
the commission on the Stamford acci-
dent"