The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-09-25
OFFICIALS Of
THE NEW HAVEN
ARE CHILLED
''Man Failure" All Along the
Line Cause of Wallingford
Horror, According to the
Commerce Commission.
TRAINMEN SCORED
FOR INEFFICIENCY
Report Is Prepared by Com
missioner McChord After a
Personal Investigation of
Operation of Road.

WASHINGTON, Sept s4.-'tMan
failure all along the line, from Off
cials and directors Of the New Haven
railroad down to its trainmen, is held
BIZ the interstate commerce commission
TO have been the cause Of the Walling-
ford wrech, September 2, in which
twepty-one were killed and thirty-flve
injured. In its report, made public to-
day, the commission blames the crews
of the wrecked trains for lapses and
scores officers and directors for inef-
ficieucy Of management.
Operating officials Of the New Ha-
ven and the officers and directors Of
the system are grilled scathingly for
PRONUNCIATION Of regulations that were
permitted to become practically dead
letters and for not seeing to it per
sonally that operating conditions were
what they had directed them TO be.
MAN failure in this case" says
Commissioner McChord, who prepared
the report. after an exhaustive person
al vestigation, "began high up, and
it was not an unnatural sequence that
it reached down to those in positions
lower in official rank, but still
weighted with great responsibility.
Antiquated Signals.
In use at the time of the disaster
the report points out, were Fanti-
quated signals condemned by the loco
motive eugiuemen, as we'll as by the
public service commission of Connecti-
cut" and old wooden ears nnsuited
BIZ construction for such traffic as
they were expected TO accomm odHte.
These were held to be contributory
reasons for the excessive number of
casualties,
Commissioner McChord indicates the
results of similar accident at Tyrone,
Pa. in which the equipment was ali
steel. and none Of the passengers was
killed, az an object lesson in favor
OF the use OF modern equipment.
The commission demands Of the New
Haven road the immediate adoption Of
sn adequate system of superintens
dcncc aud supervision which will give
those in authority definite and positive
information as TO whether or not the
safety requirements and rules Of this
railroad arc observed. :"
Trainmen Blamed.
After a comprehensive review Of the
testimony taken at the Investigation,
Commissioner McChord says in part:
1.-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 order
that he could bring il to a stop before
passing automatic signal No. 90 and
the failure OF Conductor Adams to
make certain that his train was prop
erly protected. An additional cause
was the failure Of Engineman Wauds
TO bring his train 10 stop, as re-.
duired by the rules, before passing au.
tomato signal No. %, which was in
the stop position.
fWhile this accident was directly
due TO failure of employees properly
to perform their duties. the signal sys-
ten in use was entirely inadequate
safely to direct and govern the move
ment Of the large volume Of traffic
over this line, and there was a deplora-
BILE lack of supervision on the part of
operating officers; On this account the
conditions which led up to this acci.
dent were Dosslble
Rules Not Enforced.
I'm reports BY this commission OF the
investigation OF previous accidents on
this railroad, defects OF management,
neglect OF obvious precautions for safety.
ineffective rules and these not systematl-
cally enforced, high speed trains closely
following one another without adequate
safeguards, dereliction OF duty on the
part Of certain employees. we'll as q
general weakness of discipline. have been
denounced and condemned
TT is astounding that this state OF
ansirs Is allowed to continue to exist"
6cers and directors Of tho New Haven,
including many Of the foremost men oi
the financial world, Commissioner Nc
'On this directorate were and are men
whom the confiding public recognize ar
nastcians In the art Of finance and wiz
ards IN the construction, operation and
consolidation OF great systems of rail-
roads. The public. therefore. rested se-
cure that with the knowledge of the rail-
road art possessed by such men, Invest
ments and travel should both be safe.
Experience has shown that this reliance
OF the public was not JUSTIFIED as to either
finance or safety.
Duty Of Directors.
n In view OF the focusing Of public at
1ne opera ton Of thia railroad and In yieu