Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-07-11
Interstate Commerce Com. Reports
Engineer Doherty's lncxperience
In Handling High Speed Pas
senger Trains Cost Six Lives.
Responsibility Rests with Railroad, Decides Conn.,
Should Have Put Capable Man on Run.

particular service or for the determi-
nation of the competency of an en-
gineman when he was first given IL
high speed passenger train.
The neglect of precautions Tor
! safety was here a neglect upon points
which the enginemens agreement left
open to the management.
There mere absence of demerit
marks while in freight service was
J considered a good record. sufficient
ly determined, to justify employment
on fast passenger trains, a class of
service requiring the highest degree of
qualification. No determination of
] special qualification for higher grade
| of service was made. The agreement
with the enginemen in no manner re-
| stricts examination or competency
| tests on the part of the management.
| The absence of all competency tests
of this engineman is matter for
which the management is solely re-
sponsible. His good judgment in bring
an express passenger train to stop
ought not to have been tried out at
the risk of passengers lives.
When, in handling a first class pas
senger train, this enginman on his first
trip went by station and reported
| that it was due to the brakes being no
good, it is strange that no one in au
| thority then saw any necessity for
test either of the man or the brakes,
| before ne was again sent out in the
same line of service The general man
ager, however, reached the conclusion
| that there was no suspicion that he
| was not in all respects capable when
u. b., l,te
| high class train This conclusion was
| in no respect justified by the facts
Even though Doherty's work in 9TH
| er grades of service was good, the alb
sence eff any supervision or tests for
| a work in which his failure was SO
complete and disastrous cannot be
evaded by the officials of this railroad
The safety of the public requires that
| these officials shall take all reasonable
precautions, by test and supervision to
know that such men have the positive
qualifications of good judgment and
knowledge of their duty
| ''Other railroads have rules provid-
ing safeguards in this respect, as was
shown by the testimony of the railroad
! experts The general manager said that
the judgment of the enginman was
bad. unjustifably bad and after de-
scribing his version of Doherty's hand
| ling of this train, said:
| 81 cannot conceive of any man in
his right mind doing thing of that
kind He then stated in general terms
his belief that the trouble arose from
| the employees organizations and the
| attitude of the public, and said that it
is true of the New England railroads.
today, that they have not much left
but their corporate Identity
/ mo organization but that of the New
York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad
Co is responsible for placing a man in
| charge of this locomotive without tests
| or supervision by travelling engineers
of his qualifications and judgment for
this special work. The determination
of the ability, fitness or qualifications
of an engineman is the duty of the rail-
| road itself. 1t was not delegated to any
other organization nor could it be so
dele gated. 1t was neither delegated nor
performed. 1t was neglected. 1t was
unwarrantahly assumed that man at
the head of the list of spare enginemen
was qualified, without any special con-
siderdtion of the character of the SER
vice in which he had experience. Some
thing is out of gear on a railroad
where high class trains may be given
J over to an uninstructed enginman. And
this is true even if he is sent out on d
run with the caution of his superior
: Don't let it get away from YOU. Here
was doubt from the man who ought tc
i know.
1.-THE responsibility for having compe-
tent man with positive qualifications al
a post of duty is a corporate RESPONSE.
bilty. The fault for placing an INFESTED
man in a position fraught with danger
to life is the fault of the company an6
Its officials. Man failure can only ex
cuse the railroad and its officials wher,
the man has been properly tested AND
found to possess the positive qualifica-
: tons required. No automatic working o.
names from a list Of men who may, Of
, may not have the requisite qualification
can excuse from the duty of making rca
sonable effort to ascertain that the mar
selected is qualified.
'"rhere is no evidence which raises an,
IL doubt that for the work he had pre-
vIously been engaged upon Doherty wa
competent, reliable and trustworthy. Hi
! reputation and record were good Blu
when he was placed in charge of new
) engine attached to one of the fast mas
senger trains someone In authority sig
: nally failed in duty In entrusting sucl
} an engine and train to hts charge with
out any test of his capacity for this
grave responsibility.
ut seems hard to realize that no prac
teal tests were applied to such sitna
tion on this railroad and that there wal
, no supervision by travelling engineer;
over an engineman called upon for thu
first time to take up class of work call
ing for the highest qualifications.
This investigation discloses that ther'
r was no rule upon this subject.
? at Is but fair however. to say of thu
; present general manager that his connec
ton with this railroad Is recent and tina
, his efforts in the promotion OF safet,
| during the short time he has been II
= charge encourages the hope that he ma,