The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1913-10-14

Unite ana positive information as &c
whether or not safety requirements
and rules are Observed" To quote
further from the commissions report
The direct cause of this acciden,
was the failure of Flagman Murray
properly to control the speed of his
train in order that he could bring i;
to stop before passing automatic
signal No. %, and the failure of Con
ductor Adams to make certain that his
train was properly protected. An adj
dltlonal cause was the failure of En-
sineer Wands to bring his train to a
stop, as required by the rules, before
passing automatic signal No. 20, 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
to safely direct and govern the move
ment OF the large voiume of traffic
over this line, and there was deplor-
able lack of supervision on the part of
operating officers on this account the
conditions which led up to this acct
dent were possible
Noting that there has been in the
past too great a tendency on the part
OF the boards of directors of banks, of
transportation lines, and other great
corporations to shirk the attention to
details intimately connected with the
which were placed in their
care by the shareholders, the New
York Herald goes Oh to say:
I'VE believe that the time is past
when directors can shirk and avoid
blame for such breakdowns of man
aSement as have so frequently occur
red in great properties, causing loss
of millions of dollars to depositors in
the case of banks and causing the loss
of lives of passengers or employees in
the case of railroads. They should di-
rect or resign. Soon they will discov-
er tina they must
Citing facts to show the negligence
of the New Haven directors in the en-
forcement of discipline, the New York
Times reminds us that
I'm the thirty-two months that re-
cord long series of New Haven rail-
road disasters, the report says, there
were 1853 convictions of enginemen
running past signals and 101 cases of
improper tagging. These are offenses
each of which, according to Vice Pres
ldent Whaley, constitutes the worst
crime railroad man can commit.
There is no adequate punishment for
this capital crime except dismissal. |
But only twenty-nine enginemen were |
discharged and twenty seven flagmen
dismissed At the recent hearing be-
lore the commission there was con-
testimony that running past |
signals was a frequent daily occur
'ence and not usually reported. Yet
he directors, who on October II last
ordered the president to make a
searching investigation into the com
potency of engineers employed by the
Dad, and to leave nothing undone
which, in his Judgment and that of his
associates, would conduce to greater
'afety In operation of the railroad,
lever thereafter called upon the Off
'lals OF the road for a report present
ng the results of their investigation.
instead, disaster followed disaster in
Iulck succession, and the roads Off
ials continued to let off men found
'ullty of the worst of railroad crimes.
The charge is pressed home, and
eservedly. Ultimately, the directors
I a railroad are responsible for its
iscipline, especially the discipline
hat assures safety to the travelling
ublic."
All agree, however, that whatever !
ne negligence of the New Haven di-
ectors in the past, they are now ! !
to sense of their RESPONSE I
llity Thus we read in the Brooklyn s
agile:
After the Stamford wreck the direc- !
RS of the road dropped the president +
lder whose administration most of
disasters have been achieved, and o
'placed him by railroad man of Y
'od reputation in the west. The new +
an had not warmed his office chair 0
'fore the Wallingford wreck hit him, 0
fruit Of the old system which the y
terstate Commission derounces q
nee that wreck he has subdiyided "
e superintendent SO as to secure "
oser contact between the men and y
e superintendent, and so that the Fl
tier may have an opportunity to II
we more intimate knowledge of
e operation Of the sections for which y
ey are responsible, and he has Sc "