Life, 1912-10-17 · page 25 of 44
Life — October 17, 1912 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes railroad corporations' practice of blaming engineers for crashes while avoiding accountability. Following two real 1911-1912 accidents on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (killing dozens, injuring many), the company officially blamed the engineers for excessive speed. The comic dialogue mocks a Mayor threatening merely a "scolding letter" rather than genuine investigation. The accompanying poem (by Arthur Guiterman) is the real bite: it sarcastically praises blaming the dead engineer while exposing the actual culprits—corporate greed, exhaustion (engineers worked 16+ hours daily), disregarded safety rules (15 mph limits ignored), and profit prioritization ("Holy, Holy Dividends!"). The verses suggest divine justice might eventually expose these injustices. The satire critiques how corporations used expendable workers as scapegoats to escape liability and regulation during the Progressive Era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Oh, Mayor, we haven't enough evi- dence yet for that.” “ Of course not, but if you do, Lire, J will write you a very stinging letter administering a vigorous and well- merited scolding.” “You are safe, Mayor. We would do anything to escape a scolding, espe- cially one of those scoldings par ex- cellence.” “Good! I kne Lire. Good-by.” “Au revoir, Mayor.” you were sensible, E, 0. J. 2009 Blame It On the Engineer THE WARNING, N July 11, 1911, the Federal Express on the New York, New Haven and * Hartford Road ‘was wrecked at Bridgeport. Thirteen persons were killed and fifty-five injured. An official state- ment given out by the railroad company read: “The cause of the accident was due to the engineer striking the cross-over from Track No. 2 to Track No. 4 at a high rate of speed, estimated at close to sixty miles an hour. He was going from Track No, 2 to Track No. 4 in order to make the station stop at Bridgeport.” TIME CARD RULES SPECIFY FIF- TEEN MILES AN HOUR. DISREGARDED. On October 3. 1912, the second section of the Springfield Express of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Rail- road was wrecked near Westport, Conn. Running at the rate of forty-five miles an hour, the engineer tried to make a cross-over, The train was ditched and caught fire and twelve persons were burned or crushed to death. At least fifty were injured. —From the N 1912. York World, Oct. 4, The following verses are reprinted from Lire of July 27, 1911, with apologies to the N. Y., N. H. & H.R. R: LURCH that flings the rushing train, A roaring shock that rips and rends, The groan of death, the shriek of pain And—Holy, Holy Dividends! “The Engineer? Poor chap, he's killed, t makes explanation clear, A trusted servant, tried and skille We'll blame it on the Engineer. “Too bad; he served us fairly well. Of course, we gave him ample pay And worked him, through this torrid spell, Not more than sixteen hours a day. “His train w , it seems agreed ; He disob And tore ahead at reckless speed Let’s blame it on the Eng: ed commands, we fear, peer.” some day, the Truth may Some day, leap In lines of flame across the Blue, Of eyes weighed down for want of sleep. Of Greed that works one man for two, Of coward shifts, of simple zeal; And when the appear, Perhaps the Court of Last Appeal Won't blame it on the Engineer. frthur Guiterman witnesses comicbooks.com