Norwich bulletin., 1913-09-25

all along the line from officials and 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 Mailing t0T0 wreck Sept. z in which 21 were killed and 55 injured In its report made public today, the commission hlames the crews of the wrecked trains for lspses and scores officers and directors for inefficiency of man sEemenL
 Regulations Became "Dead Letters
 Operating officials of the New. Ha- ven and the officers and directors of rne system are condemned Scathingly 1or promE1ga1ion of regulations which " ere permitted to become practically dead letters and for not seeing to it personally that operating conditions were what they had directed them to be-
 Man failure in this case" says Commissioner McChord, who prepared lne report after an exhaustive per SonaL investigation of the accident began high up in official authority and II was noT an unnatural sequence rh-1 fl reached down to those in posi- LiouS lower iu official rank, but still weighted with great spunsibility.''
 Antiqus Signals; Old Wooden Cars.
 Tn use at the time of the disaster the report points ont. were +antiquated signals condemned by the locomotive e1ELnemen as well as by the public service commission of Connecticut and old wooden cars unsuited by con- s-ructlun for such t-cartfic as they were expected to accommodate. These were held GO be cOntT1butorT reasons for the excessive mum Der Of casualties. Com miss toner MCChOrd indicated the re- suits of similar recent accident at Tyrone, Pa in which the equipment was afl steel. and in which none of the Fa-ssengers was killed. as an object lesson in favor of the use of modern equipment
 The commission demands of the New Haven road the immediate adoption of Tan adequate system of superinteD- ceu-e and supervision, which will give those iu authority definite and positive information as to whether or not the safety requirements and rules of this railroad are observed"
 Conductor, Fiagnaan, Engi ueer Blamed.
 After a cUur7Irete1lsi review of the testimony taken a1 tfe I1rves tigatiOn i 7TTrr1f ISs toner AIcChOrd says in part
 The direct cause of this accident was the failure of Fiagman Murray TropeTiy to protect his train, the fail ure of EnginenIau Miller properly to Co1CTul the speed of his train in order rnsr he could bring it to a stop before TsssrIE automatic signal No g, and rle failure of COnductor Adams to 1rz-r1e certain that his train was prop srlE protected An additional cause was the failure of Engin eman .Wan7s tn bring his train to stop. as required z .gnal No -22. which was in the. stop position
 DePiorab7e Lack of Supervision.
 While this aocfdent was directly due to the failure of employees prop
 
 nal system in use was entirely mad suuate to safely direct and govern the movement of the large volume of traffic over this lins and there was g deplCrable lack of supervision on the part of operating officers on this ac- count the conditions which led up to this accident were possible"
 Tn reports by this commission of rhe invest igaIiOn of previous accidents on this railroad. defects of manage 1lent. neglect of obvious precautions for safety, ineffective rules and these not systematically enforced, high speed F1-slDS cIoScelF following one another without adequate safeguards. dereIic- 11on of drty on The paEt Of certain employees. as well as a general weak IeSs of discipline, have been de- nounced and condemned
 Tt is astounding that this state of afalrs is allowed to continue to exist.' Public Confidence in Directorate Not
 Justified.
 After giving a list of the executive of6cers and directors Of the New Ha- ven, including many of the foremost men of the financial world, COmmis- s5oHsF NcChoTd continues:
 On this directorate were and are men whom the conhdlng public recOg- T Ize as magiCisns in the art of finance. end wizards in the construction. oper- q#---t ttGtr, -f tPus pf railroads, The public there fore rested secure that with the Know edge of the railroad art possessed br such men, investments and travel should both be safe. Experience has s1ouu that thIs reliance of the public was npt justified as te either finance CT safety
 .Jn view of the focusing of D51tfic attention upon the question of safety 'n the opinion of this railroad and in view of the subsequent governmental inquiries both national and state, a.s lo the causes and remedies for theI frequent disastrous accidents, it would seem as if the directors themselves would feel called upon to turn from the cousi iteration of the financial ques- lions in which this road is involved and for a time at least give the ben efit of their consideration and judg- uent to the question of safety"
 Where Directors Failed.
 The report points out that at a meet Ing of the directors Of the New Haven after disasters at Bridgeport and West bort. resolution was adopted direct ing President Aeuen. then at the head oi the system. to leave nothing undona (which in the judgment of himself and Dis assistants will conduce to greater saIeIy ln Lhe operation of the road aud that there shall be no limitation placed uHuu Lhe installation of sig 1-ll- S=1-L,r appliances or any thing e--e . Lllh will Improve the safety of R-isseuEeT tray el apon this companys $ hu-=
 There tue dlreeJ JoIS stopped, the re p0IT says. They did hot see to if that lAelr resolution was carried into ef- fec
 This uEpides the whole situation" cerlareS Commissioner McChord They 1 asSumes the vote was self enforcing.
 he president. general mana ger and l q r~fnfcndcnts Issued orders that all | ruisS should be oSayed and that ern-