THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1907. A CAUSE OF RAILWAY MISHAPS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 9004, 14 December 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1907. A CAUSE OF RAILWAY MISHAPS.

An article appears in a late number of the "Pall Mall Gazette," which throws light upon the probable cause of some of the recent railway accidents in England. An ex-railway inspector, who has run his course through the grades of fireman and driver up to the higher position, in an interview with a representative of the "Gazette," stated that in each oi! the three greatest railway disasters of recent years in England, Grantham, Salisbury and Shrewsbury,, the drivers were elderly men,, and they had strange firemen —competent men, but not their ordinary mates. He illustrated the significance of this from his own experience. "Towards the end of my time 1 was a fireman to one of the best drivers on the road, a driver of one of the fastest trains. Many a time I have looked up and seen this man standing, as it were, in a dream, his wits for the moment wool-gathering, and 'the sticks shut' (the signals dead against us). The moment he heard my voice of warning he came to himself, and everything was all right, t was myself expecting to be made a driver in a few months. I didn't go and tell his superiors. No one ever does tell under such circumstances; one only does what one can to help the dreamer." It appears that there is a danger in having a strange fireman with an old-driver because the latter

is apt to go "wool-gathering" with- j out the fireman being aware of the fact. It was declared by the exinspector that no locomotive man had any doubt that the drivers at Shrewsbury, Grantham and Salisbury were in a sort of dream for the moment, and had no warning from their firemen. The evidence showed that they came to their senses when too late, for every effort was made to save the' train. This dreamland condition is attributed to exhaustion, and every driver when past a certain age is said to be liable to momentary lapses which may prove fatal. A man who goes on duty at night may not have had a good sleep during the day, so may not lie at his best. Put a strange fireman with him, and the wonder is not that there are so fewaccidents, but that there are not more. The contention of the exinspeitor that "promotion should be by merit and experience and not by seniority," is undeniable, as is also the assertion that "all fast trains ! ought to be handled by fairly young ! men in perfect health." There is something in the "interview" given above to make the travelling public feel uneasy, but there is also much in it that shouH prove a valuable lesson to railway administrators. There must b3 a good deal of anxiety attached to the position of an enginedriver, and his hours of work should give him ample time to recuperate from nervous strain. But in England, hours are long, and we have occasionally heard of drivers sleeping momentarily while on duty. In this dominion complaint has with apparently solid foundation been made of over-wox-k on the part of drivers, and herein lies a source of danger to those who travel by rail. A remedy should be easy, and it is to be hoped our Railway Department will give the matter serious consideration.