FRENCH STATE RAILWAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1057, 21 February 1911, Page 5

FRENCH STATE RAILWAY.

—— . ■ A CHANGE IN'THE MANAGEMENT; Dy TelccraDh—Presfi AnsuclMlftn—CopyrlzhL ' ; Paris, February 19. The Government lias clscwliero the director and assistant directors of tho. Western Railway. ■ \ M. Clavescille, Read Surveyor, and other public works officials will replace them.

APPALLING LIST OF DISASTERS. The 'Western Railway of Franco lias been Slate-owned since 1909. Tho liuo hus lately become notorious for tho number of railway accidents which have occurred on it. A few days »ro "1.0 Figaro" stated that 30 accidents had occmred on tho system within 75 days. Tho rolling-stock, has been reported to bo defective, and tliero have also been many criticisms of the condition of tho permanent way. ' "Tho Times,'' writing of one accident in tho latter nart of last year, said: "The driver, who fs n young man of 21 years of age, and holds the certificate of an engineering school, has been driving engines for about a month. Liko many of his comrades, ho complains of tho new regulations uuder whicli drivers and firemen no longer work ono and tho same locomotivo for a consecutiv'o period, but ara told off for duty on the first locomotivo which is duo to leave the yard. Tho men consequently havo lio opportunity of becoming familiar with tlieir engine, and there is no inducement to take n pride in its upkeep. Tho locomotive which got out of control yesterday is described as an ordinary compound cngiiiO, and the unlucky driver liad never sot foot on it before. According to tho official account, a preliminary examination of tho brakes has shown them to be in working order. "The wreck of the Cherbourg express has been attributed to the fact that the train, which was drawn by ono of Hit) now 'Pacilic' tyno of engines, included two carriages of a class which even when new are not designed to travel at nioro than 50 miles an hour. Tho management of the State railways has, however, explained that tho inclusion of theso two carriages in tho train was duly notified to tho engine-driver, who, upon such notification wns" bound according to the regulations not to exceed n speed of 50 miles (90 kilometres) ail hour. As the enginedriver was killed and the sneed register damaged in the accident, it lias not been possibio to determino tho speed at which tho train was travelling when it loft the rails."