The Detroit times., 1915-04-15
All Favor Grade Separation
At This POint-At This Time!

At This POint-At This Time!
The worst grade crossing accident in
the history of Detroit has happened.
Fifteen persons have been killed, and
many of 26 injured will probably die.
The accident occurred late Wednesday
afternoon on west Jefferson-ave., at the
intersection of the Detroit, Toledo &
Ironton tracks.
A train of freight cars backed into a
FOREST. car loaded with passengers.
II looks as if misunderstanding of
signals by green motorman, or a stu
dent, as motorman learning are called,
caused the accident.
"A charge of manslaughter has been
brought against the student and the ex-
perienced motorman who was with him
a. instructor, and there is much senti-
ment in favor of vigorous prosecution of
these men.
Which is all right.
It is charged that nearly everybody
on the car saw the freight train back
ing down on them and that neither the
student nor the experienced motorman
appears to have seen the train APPROACH
ing, until just before sthey jumped and
saved THEMSELVES.
However, what has happened has been
. possibility at any hour for years.
Another accident of its kind, with as
dreadful or more dreadful results, is a
possibility at this very minute at score
Of points in Detroit--or at as many
points as there are crossings in this city
at grade.
These motormen may and should 60
to jail, but they will not carry with them
al Of the responsibility for the number
Of lives lost in this horror.
We hear that since the train and the
street car crashed and since % homes
have been saddened, that in addition to
. sentiment against the motorman there
ID also q strong opinion that danger
Gus condition at this crossing warrants
grade separation.
But the same opinion was expressed
several years ago when train crashed
into street car at Gratiot-ave. and De-
quindre-st., AND THE GRADES
THERE HAVE NOT BEEN SEPAR-
ATED YET.
AT dusk last night, Railroad Commits
sioner Cunningham left Lansing in a
high power automobile to investigate a
certain condition at the intersection of
west Jefferson-ave. and the Detroit, To-
ledo & Ironton tracks.
The commissioner reached the scene
too late to prevent the killing of Is per
sons and the injury of 26 more, some
fatally.
Could he or some other member of
the commission have discovered another
condition at this intersection in time
which is to say, il his commission had
been on the job, this loss Of life might
have been averted.
There had been installed at this in
tersection a derailer, device whose
presence damns all state and city Off
Gals wherever it is found, because il is
there IN LIEU OF GRADE SEPARA-
TON, and is an acknowledgment that
HUMAN LIFE Is PLACED IN JEOP-
ARDY BY THE ABSENCE OF GRADE
SEPARATION.
Investigation the day before, or the
week before or the month before or the
year before or two years before, we are
informed, would have shown the state
railway commission that the derailer.
the one thing that could have prevented
this accident, was full of mud and
COULD NOT HAVE BEEN USED.
The motormen should suffer for their
carelessness and negligence, but they
should not suffer alone as scapegoats for
this accident.
The common council of Detroit and
the state railway commission are not
without share of II. and. too, for care
|sosnsss and negligence.
.&. .. 4. |.. ~. 4 II. d = Z ~ /. = N. "A. &.