The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1916-07-21
TOO MUGIIIsPEED.

The people of America feed too
much speed. Practically everybody
and everything except the leeches and
the drones seems to be hurry crazy.
The thrifty and ambitious, no matter
what their degree Of success. are inn
patient to make money more rapidly;
the manufacturer doesn't want TO
give the product Of his furnaces time
enough 10 cool until he has II on the
market, and the price It represents in
cash or due bills doing the work Of
showing greater volume of business
and more profits; the tanner rushes
the hide of beef through a new hur-
ry process impatient 10 have the
leather in use while the food supply
ing portion OF the carcass Is drawn
from the packing eompanys refriger-
ator; the sawyer. the lumber merch-
ant, the builder. impatient to turn the
products OF the forest into money.
keep up a system Of push and rush
30 that the resin oozes from the
frame work OF the finished building:
the traveller Is impatient to see New
York and Chicago On the one day and
then reach Denver over night.
So impatient has the public become
In this matter Of speed In travel that
the practical humiliation Of distance
has become a business necessity with
transportation companies. That the
world has been growing speed mad
for years has been more clearly
manifest in the matter Of travel and
transportation than IN anything else.
The demand for rapid transit In
cities brought about various changes
In travel methods and the elevated
succeeded surface lines. the subway
succeeded the elevated. On the big
trunk lines of steam roads the insist
ence that the running time between
important centers b reduced brought
about schedules thai read more like
fairy tales than statements of fact.
was brought to amazing breyity.
Transportation companies were not
blamed for the risks they ran, for
travellers We're willing to take a
chance" IL the odds we're one or two
that the train would reach its desti-
nation on schedule time.
There is ray Of hope occasionally
that this speed madness on the rail-
roads has run its course and that we
are to be forced 10 be satisfied with
greater moderation IN this regard.
The finding of the safety division Of
the Interstate Commerce Commission
In the case of the wreck Al Amherst,
Ohio, March %, indicate, hopefully
that a change Is slowly coming about
and that in time We vii be more dis
posed to realize that safety Is much
more TO be desired than a catas-
trophe. big death list and a great
property loss. The report states that
the train was being run al speed
much higher than thai contemplated
by the rule of safety. and had II been
normal II Is probable that the engin-
eer could have read the signal and
acted accordingly.
Il is recommended IN the report
that in foggy, stormy weather when
the signals are difficult to read. posi-
tive orders should be given by rail-
roads forbidding running At high
speed. This naturally brings up the
query, What Is high speed" The
demand for quick transportation has
resulted in perfection Of motive pow
er. tracks, signal devices and other
appliances that make safe speed
that few years ago would have been
considered reckless. Speed must be
considered in reference to these chang
e. conditions. In murky weather
the normal speed should be reduced
and even then trains would be speed
Ing through the country at rate to
make one dizzy when considered In
plain figures Safety has become the
demand, where few years ago II
was all speed The masses are
coming to the proper conclusion that
we are going fast enough for all prac-
teal purposes. From Cumberland
Evening Times.