Year: 1871

before an audience OF at least four thousand people
at Music Halp In this city might. The occasion
was rendered all the more eventful, insOmucb az
Lynn besides being the rst large city out OF Boston
on the line Of the Eastern Rauroad, which, by the
way, caught q severe raking down for its g0ings
during the past three weeks IL also the largest
shoe manufacturing town In the Commonwealth and
has been the scene Of as many labor strikes. per-
haps any city OF It's size In tile United states. It
was only the other day that the daughters OF st.
Crispn made stand for themselves IN this goodv
city, and like the rest or their brethren. succeeded
In accomplishing their end. The views of the GEN.
era this subject. therefore, were looked forward
to win great deal or interest," and possibly
the expectation of hearing them clearly
aud forciby enumerated was the impell-
ing power which filed the hail. He said
little about labor. however, except o repetition OF
the subject matter OF his Springfield and Worcester
speeches, but devoted the greater part Of his
t0a


REVIEW OF THE RECENT RAILROAD DISASTER


at Revere. In The frat place, he said an investt.
gallon OF the causes OF the accident, so far as
all matters OF prevention are concerned, through
cOrOner's jury Is illusory and vain. The coroners
jury was an invention OF our ancestors for an
entirely dinerent purpose 1t was to fix the quit 0t
the act upon some one individual In the case Of
homicide. IN order that he might be arrested. Its
purpose was wholly primitive. Suppose we nx the
blame, either criminal otherwise, upon conductor
or engine driver B, through this jury will 1t bring
back the dead to lIfea Wil 1t restore manned limb
OF the livings Suppose the utmost rigor OF the
law is brought to bear upon these Individual
Orenders-as it can hardly be with justice because
1t very clear that they perillea their own lives
by their own acts. They took as good care Of the
lives others as they did of their own: does that
even tend to prevent another accident OF like
kinds We need no corOner's Jury, In this case. TO
tell where the fault lles-nor. indeed, in any case
or railroad accident-Or whence the mischief
springs. II will be all found to spring from the
pr esent


IMPERFE CT SYSTEM OF RAILROAD MANAGEMENT,
ana emphatically III the case now before US. Let
me not be misunderstood. do not mean to say
that any one OF the directors OF the Eastern Rail-
road. either all, are men who intend TO be remiss
in their duty or to leave anything undone which
they think ought to De done, as railroads are now
managed for the safety and convenience Of travel;
but DO mean to say that the system OF manage.
ment OF the railroads OF the commonwealth ami of
the country Is Oneons and not equal 10 the re-
quirenent OF pubic travel and can be changed and
regulated only IN one way, and that way s ny
stringent accurate anu well considered legislation.


The General next enlarged, In pursuance OF this
subject. upon the importance OF consolidation OF
the Boston and Maine and Eastern railroads. II any





been long since consolidated. They would have
pnt an end to an expensive and fruItless compete
ana motive power. 80 that whenever there was an
excess OF business on one line The resources OF both
that the very catastrophe we are contemplating
might have been averted ir the reserved rolling
used to meet the Increased demand OF The camp
meeting ana muster passengers on the
tan could nave left the te Tne Gepoa
grounds or these two roads lie side Dy side and
although both are more or less pmched for room,
neither will give way. BY consolidation by
merger of the two, their depot can arranged at
once so as 10 accommodate the public and save the
great nuisance and danger 10 the lives OF citizens by
Running trains into Haymarket square across the
crowded streets OF tue city; yet neither OF those
to unite, whlcn would seem to the commonest
apprehension to be for the interests OF both.
Why then, Is 1t not the duty of the Legislature to
come and compel these creatures OF Its own CHAR
ters into which 1t has breathed The breath OF life Dy
ITS own power, 80 to exercise their chartered
the prblics II Is said that the people
tends to lessen the rates Of fare and reGht, to that
answer that The iares and freights or these roads
out OF Boston to points where there Is such COM
petition. have felt 1t IN, duty and privilege to
make these suggestions, but the difficulty why we


ABSOLUTE SAFETY IN RAILROAD TRAVEL


lies deeper tnan all this, ana Is applicable to the
general system OF railr DAD management and can he
summed up IN single word. 1t Is because the
railroads are managed with view solely to private
safety. only In so much Ms that safety and conve-
nience cOnduce to the private prOIts OF the own
management to accommodate the public except tnat
which viii draw the public into Its cars. Nothing for
ever aGn eMcep o 80 ar as s
from their consequences aud even III that regard
very niggsrdy and therefore sliort-sighed policy IS
distinctly than III The employment and payment OF
the engine driver or engine man who manages the
fr.tn vof fnr a hat. III
9s driver a"1a''s do ssi sis duty %l!y ent.ns sns
uerIence and knowledge OF his machine how may
be put together. how taken apart; how. any part
as T practically, ali It's powers and action. lie must
be punctua and exact, he must be faithful, he
ceoness ad lie a
mind TO cope with an emergency; OF
iatexencs ana with me Keen n' eyesisht OF the
sailor at masthead. Add TO all these the endurance
and watchlulness that never sumbers. He Il
charged with a train having on board It may he |
thousand iives The most precious and valuable OF
all ON earth. On the qualities ! have enumerated |
hand they are committed to be carried with |
lightning-like speed through series OF
dangers. Subject to' everrecurring accident, |
requires more OF tue nigh qualities with which God
NOR @ Of SI stale Indeed, II tue engine driver fails in
any one he may do more damage and cause more |
loss or e and property than the Governor OF State





such man as have descriDed, charged with such |
hiyh interests, requiring the highest qualities re- |
ceve the greatest reward for MS aDOrsy Especially
when we take into consideration that In addition to
ALI this occupation depl ives him or The comforts
OF home, win wife and children and he perils his
ov life every hour, because II any accident hap.
pen his Is the post OF exposure, ana n he escapes
the danger OF collision or from BENG thrown |
from the track IL Is only 10 meet |
the still greater danger OF Investigation |
and a charge OF criminality with MS late |
employers interested To throw upon him a blame |
which would otherwise attach TO them. Besides |
experience shows that the constancy OF his occupa-
tiOn wears him out In short period OF years. Now,
tnen the safety OF travellers upon the railroad re.
curing all these high qualities, 1t ecomes the duty
OF railroads 10 provide them. How is that pro- !
vision madeS 1t Ia suficlent Tor either buyer |
or seller that the ordinary ana cheap |
article OF merchandise may be weighed IN the ordL |
nary and common SCALE II hay Il weighed on q |
scale that Will turn the beam with loss or pounds
only ills enough; but when one deals IN diamonds |
aud Jewels the scale must turn on knife edge sup |
ported on agate. The railroad management are |
dealing with the most valuable thing on earth,