Year: 1859




and uttering denunciations over another railway ac
cldent. They have reason. Thirteen persons are
reported as killed. and twenty wounded, bv the
breaking down of tressel-work bridge near Schagb-
tlcohe, on the Vermont and Canada Railway, as a
traln was passing over it. Report NAV exapgerate
the numbers of the injured; but few victims more
or less are of little moment in the consideration of
the morals of the question. The coroners iury
found the of the accident in the 'Erotten and
unsafe condition of the bridge and severely CEN
sured in set terms the managers of the road This
Is step in the right direction as also was the var
ulcI carrying heayy damages against road in Mas
sachusetts, on which, by want of due care, a man
was torn to pieces sometime since, leaving a wife
and family behind him. But in spite of verdicta
OF censure, and verdcts carving damares we
fear that the United States will, for sometime to
come MAINTAIN the position which they hold at the
head OF the accident column in railway statis-
tics: And this will not result from the want of
skill, or from a niggardly expenditure of money,
out from the temporary and make shift character of
so many OF the buildings bridges and other struc-
lures in this country at will do for the present
says America, as she pushes hurredly forward in
her rapid march of Improvement And for the
present 1t does do but the present soon becomes the
past anu the future, unprOvided for, the present:
and progress never turns back upon its stems to
rsassure itself Of its position 1t is satisfied for the
moment that it has reached the point at which il
aimed, and there it stops only to take breath for
another push forward. Meanwhile, what served
well enough a temporary purpose, wears away
under constant wear and tear, and presently there
Is crash, and tale of suffering and death. Such
were the circumstances of this very case. The light
ness OF this tressel bridge had excited the fears of
the people living near it, but the builders of the
road quieted their fears by telling them that the
tressel work was only temporary and would socn
be replaced by more substantial structure.


But we have not yet touched upon the one cause
OF accidents of this kind, which this calamity
brought to mind. 1t is lack of pluck. No one
would Tor moment suppose any than the
Americans themselves would admit that they
mn r,l,r H.,
Ter to, is that determination in the everyday af.
fairs of life which makes the Englishman seem
grutt; such a determination Wadsworth showed,
who' when IN his straitened days, friends and ac-
quaintances would visit his house and remain for
few days, told them plainly they were welcome to
share his frugal fare and it was of the very hum
olest kind, but that if they wanted anyt thing
costler, they must pay him board which is re-
corded by Emerson, we believe, as the " "pluckiest
thing he ever heard Of


1t is to an unwillingness to brave the unpleasant
emotions caused by saying disagreeabe thing to
a man face to face, that we attribute much of the
interior discipline, which, it is admitted on all
hands, characteristics this country. Men arc so
much upon an equality here and so tender of each
other that where their own personal interests are
not Immediately and largely at stake, they shrink
from eXacting rigorous performances of duty
merely because it is duty, the absolute fulfill
ment OF a contract, merely because it is contract
lhe consequence is a slack, good-natured, "accom-
modatng" way of getting along, which allows



that unless some very grievous consequences ensue
there will be no penalty suffered, hardly repri-
mand received


We are the more convinced that this mistaken
Kindness Is at the bottom of the evil in question
because wherever an opposite mode of administra-
ton has been adopted, and strict discipline asserted
accidents have occurred rarely as they do in
Europe. This is notably true with regard to the
hudson River Railroad and the Central Park of
New ork. On the former road the strctest per-
iormance OF contracts, and Of duties from the
highest officer of the road to the lowest is cxacted
and neglect, whether followed by disaster or not,
ensures penalty if not a discharge. At the Central
fark similar adherence to routine is insisted upon
and an almost military discipline kept up and the
consequence is, that although there are more than
5000 men constantly at work there and visitors are
constantly passing through the park while basting ia
gong on at the rate Of thirty barrels of powder
aally, accidents even of trfng nature are hardly
ever heard of. The discipline of the place. how
ever, Is still surprise to the public; and many peo
pie, well meaning enough, but lawless in small
matters, daily subject themselves to rebuff and
sometimes tG arrest, because, believing that the
park regulations will not be enforced they will go
where they ordered not to 60 and do what
they are ordered not to do. The Superintendent
or Architect in Chief says also that his chief diff
Guilty IN prosecuting the work is, in making CON
tractors believe that they are expected to fulfil their
contracts in their spirit and to the letter. and la
porefS ana other persons employed on the park
Lhat heir duties will be vigorously exacted of them
Let this untnching discipline become dilused, and
railway and steamboat accidents will diminish.