Evening star., 1935-04-12
Member of the Associated Press.
The Rockville Death Trap.

A railroad grade crossing is never
safe, whatever the safeguards against
accident. 1t is especially dangerous
when it is left for any period. day or
night, without any safeguards at all.
Such is the crossing a short distance
beyond Rockville, where a highway in
tersects the line of the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad, without gates, without
a watchman after ten o'clock at night,
without warning lights. And last
night that crossing was the scene Of
a disaster which caused the death of
fourteen children and the injury of
practically all the other occupants Of
the bus in which they were being
driven to their home in Williamsport,
Md, from the State University at Col
lege Park.
In reckoning the responsibility for
this horror primary consideration
must be given to the fact that per-
sistent efforts have been made to OBJ
tain from the railroad company more
dependable method of warning of the
approach of trains. pending the elm
ination of the crossing, which is the
only cure for the dangerous condition
The fact that the driver was stranger
to the region and the further fact
that the night was thick with mist
contributed to the disaster. But the
situation was dangerous in any case
and should not have been tolerated.
A grade crossing cannot be made
safe SO long as reliance is had upon
knowledge of conditions on the part
of the users of the highway, which is
q shifting of responsibility by those
who permit the use of road crossing
railroad tracks in the path of trains
and those who continue to use the
tracks for the dispatch of trains.
Failure to observe the old rule to stop,
look and listen" does not absolve either
railroad or the State from blame.
1t does not matter that this road
IS not frequently used. What does
matter is that 1t is in use, that 1t in
vites travel and that it crosses the
tracks at grade, for considerable
portion of each day without a guard,
without warning lights properly placed
to give notice of the presence of pos
sible peril. 1t does matter greatly
that this condition has prevailed for
q long time, and that repeatedly
efforts have been made to correct it,
without results.
Some years ago, when motor vehicles
were rapidly coming into use on the
highways and grade crossing accidents
were increasing in number and serious
ness, it became a commonplace Of
public expression that the correction
of a dangerous crossing-every grade
crossing is dangerous-could only be
had when a shocking accident oc-
CURED, to cause compulsory public
pressure to be brought to bear upon
the railroads and the communities to
effect the construction of an under
pass or an overpass, with constant
guardianship meanwhile, not part-time
service by watchmen, but for the entire
twenty-four hours, with every possible
means of giving warning, day and
night, of the presence of tracks on
which trains might be met at any time.
The fact that major disaster has not
heretofore occurred at this particular
point near Rockville does not absolve
either railroad or community from
responsibility for the maintenance of
this death trap without such a guar
dianship pending the final correction
of the condition.
Now these fourteen lives have been
sacrificed. Will the slaughter at last
bring about an immediate elimination
of this crossing and all other crossings
in the area of frequent road traflc?
There should be no doubt whatever
on this score.