The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1913-10-03
CLAIMS SAFETY
WAS IGNORED
Interstate Commerce Commits.
sion Makes Report
RECENT NEW HAVEN WRECKS
Direct Cause of Accident is Laid 10
FIagman Murray, Engineer
Miller and Conductor
Adams.

Washington-"In view Of the focus
ing OF public attention upon the ques-
tion of safety in the operation or this
railroad, and in view Of the subse-
quent governmental inquiries, both
national and State, as to the causes
OF and remedies for the frequent dis
astrous accidents, it would seem as II
the directors themselves would feel
called upon to turn from the consid-
Grafton OF the financial questions IN
which this road is involved ana for
the time being, at least. give the bene-
fit OF their consideration and Judg-
ment to the question of safety"
Such is the declaration OF the In
terstate Commerce Commission IN lts
report, on the causes OF the wreck
on the New Haven road at Walling-
ford Sept. 2, in which twenty-one
were killed and thirty-five injured
Man failure" all along the line,
from directors and officials OF the
road down to the trainmen, is held
by the report to have been the chiei
cause.
In use at the time Of the disaster.
the report points out, were antigua
ted signals, condemned by the locomo-
tive enginemen, as well as by the
Public Service Commission Of Con.
necticut," and old wooden cars, un-
suited by construction for such traffic
as they were expected to accommo-
date. These were held to be con
tributory reasons for the excessive
number OF casualties.
Commissioner McChord indicates
the results Of a similar accident at
Tyrone, Penn, in which the equip
ment was all steel, and In which none
OF the passengers were killed, as al
object lesson in favor OF the use OF
modern equipment.
Man failure in this case" says
Commissioners McChord, who prepar
ed the report after an exhaustive per.
sonal INVESTIGATION OF the accident,
began high up in official authority,
and IL was not an unnatural sequence
that it reached down to those lower
in official rank but still weighted with
great responsibility.
The report points out that a meet
ing Of the directors of the New Ha-
ven, after disasters at Bridgeport and
Westport, a resolution was adopted
directing President Mellen, then head
OF the system, TO leave nothing undone
(which in the judgment of himself
and his associates, will conduce to
greater safety in operation OF the
road and that there should be no
limitation placed upon the installa-
ton of signals, safety APPLIANCES
or anything else which will improve
the safety of passenger travel upon
this companys lines
II was stated in the testimony OF
General Manager Bardo of the New
Haven that IL was the policy Of the
company that all passenger equip
ment purchased in the future should
be of the allsteel type" Contracts
were shown indicating an eNpendi-
ture by the New Haven for all-steel
equipment of $5.571, 500 and for inn
proved safety appliances, including
liOhNil SlEhANiO VI Pl,ipVsbobs NNhNA-
al Manager Bardo said the new equip
ment and apparatus were being put in
to use as rapidly as possible.
After comparative review of the
testimony taken at the investigation,
Commissioner McChord says in part:
The direct cause Of this accident
was the failure of Flagman Murray to
properly protect his train the failure
of Engineer Miller TO properly con-
troll the speed of his train in order
that he could bring IL to stop be-
fore passing automatic signal No. %
and the failure OF Conductor Adams. 10
make certain that his train was
properly protected An additional
cause was the failure OF Engineman
Wands to bring his train to stop. as
required by the rules, before passing
automatic signal No. %. which was In
the stop position.