Railroad Accidents Part 4

A house and contents burned April 20, one-half mile south of Fort Andrew, started by engine No. 1759. This engine was inspected and reported to be in good condition, but upon re-examination was found to be defective.

On August 17, engine No. 539 set out three fires between Selkirk and Belmont. Fires were observed by train crew, but train was not stopped, and no effort was made to extinguish the fires, which burned over 15,000 acres of ground, destroyed about 1,100 tons of hay in stack, one building, a large acreage of winter feed, fence posts, etc.

INJURIES TO EMPLOYEES CAUSED BY THE CARELESSNESS OF OTHER EMPLOYEES

And, first, as in the case of pa.s.sengers, those caused by collisions.

From the number of collisions on the main track and in yards one would almost think that the general and fundamental customs and rules on railroads that "In case of doubt always adopt the safe course," and that "Speed must always be sacrificed to safety" were seldom observed; on the contrary, I believe it to be the exception and not the rule, else the number of accidents resulting from such failure, though many times what they should be (and as long as men are human we will have some accidents), would be so much greater in number that people would be unwilling to travel at all. I believe that in the near future the number of such cases will be so greatly reduced that the least thoughtful of us will stand aghast at the record of 1904 and 1905, and that these fundamental rules and the instructions contained in what are known as the "Flag Rules" and "Caution Card," will be so strictly observed and enforced _and that blocking of trains by s.p.a.ce_, not time, intervals will become so general as to practically eliminate this cla.s.s of accidents, which are caused:

By failure to watch for and observe block and other signals.

By trains following each other too closely.

By trains following at too high a rate of speed.

By failure to protect trains stopped on the main track.

By cars not being left in to clear at sidings.

By switches being left wrong.

By lack of caution in time of storm or fog; and

By general carelessness and failure to realize the terrible result which is bound to follow any lack of care, failure to comply with the rules and _the uncertainty of detection and punishment if such carelessness and failure to comply with rules does not cause an accident_.

Every man in the train, engine, and switching service ought to have every requirement of these rules by heart, understand exactly what they mean, and be ready at any instant, and in any weather, to execute them to the letter, and no punishment should be too severe for failure to observe them to the very letter, for on their faithful observance depend the lives of pa.s.sengers--it may be some of your own loved ones--of employees, and the safety of the property entrusted to the companies for transportation, as well as their own. And yet, if the instructions contained in the two fundamental rules and those known as the "Flag Rules" had been observed, none of the following cases and many others that help fill the records and the daily press would have happened. It is a standing disgrace that such accidents happen, and the sooner employees help get the careless and reckless men and the drones out of the service, as it is your duty to yourself and the companies to do, the quicker the traveling public, yourselves, the property in transit, and that belonging to your employer and yourselves, will be safe and the greater your certainty of getting to the end of your run to be welcomed by the wife and children awaiting you.

In this connection I want to suggest to the enginemen that when you discover a cause for the sending out of a flagman give him a chance to go back before you get stopped, so that he can cover the required distance quicker. And as these rules are among the most important, if not the most important, in the book, I call especial attention to them.

The following cases will ill.u.s.trate how much room there is for improvement in this regard:

Joseph Atkinson, brakeman, injured September 26, at Muggleton. He was standing on top of way-car in train which stopped just west of the depot and then started up and ran into side of freight train.

Alexander Peabody, engineer, George F. Smivins, fireman, injured at 10 p.m., October 3, on track 3, near Penryn Ave., Peltonville; engine No. 784 was backing down track 3, and collided with engine No. 1891 standing on that track. Instructions require engines running on this track must run at slow rate of speed, so as to be able to stop within their vision. The engine was running so fast that it could not stop, although Engineer Peabody saw engine No.

1891 when 300 feet distant.

J. L. McPherson, yardmaster, and Jacob Gonorowski, brakeman, injured at Peeweezle, July 28, were in caboose of extra engine No.

674, which was stopping for drawbridge, when engine No. 937, Engineman Isidore Guggenheimer, ran into the rear of train.

Luke M. Peters, engineer, injured April 14 at Aromintap, was in charge of engine No. 2143, backing around Y, when train No. 31 backed into extra No. 7326, to which engine No. 2143 was attached.

L. P. Jarvis, engineer, and Samuel Minns, fireman, injured November 20, at 7:15 a.m., one-half mile east of Peeble's Corners; engine No. 759 had just backed in on side track with work train, and switch had not yet been closed; engine No. 1473, train No. 48, Engineer Tibbits, Conductor Perry, came along at a high rate of speed, and ran into this open switch just east of the home signal, colliding with engine No. 759.

February 14, at 8:20 p.m., one mile north of Indianapolis, Ohio division, extra freight engine, Packard conductor, collided with Ohio division pa.s.senger train No. 11. This freight train had an order to run from Indianapolis to Cameron as an extra. Indiana division pa.s.senger train 141, due at Indianapolis at 8 p.m., was 15 minutes late. Conductor Packard of the extra was on station platform when this train pulled in. He supposed it was Ohio division No. 11 and so told his engineer, and pulled out and met No. 11 a mile from the station. Two engineers and one fireman were killed and five trainmen injured. If Rule 53 requiring conductors and engineers of trains at meeting points to ascertain by word of mouth what trains they are had been complied with accident would have been avoided.

Nov. 5 freight train No. 52 slowed down to take side track at Park Rapids when extra freight moving in same block, on caution card, ran into caboose and rear brakeman was killed. If Rules 7, 14 or 15 had been complied with accident would not have occurred.

Rule 12a says: When you get a train order the conductors must read it aloud and then sign it and show it to the engineman, the rear brakeman or flagman, and the engineman must show it to the fireman and in case of freight train to the head brakeman, who are required to read it, the object being that every employee on the train will know what the order is and if the engineman or conductor forget it the brakeman or fireman may remember and by remembering prevent an accident.

DERAILMENTS

Next come injuries caused by derailments, which generally result from running into open switches, off derails, too fast running at bad places in the track, defective equipment or track. Nearly all of the cases would be avoided by careful running, proper inspection of track and equipment, and by compliance with the rules.

Oct. 21. 10 a.m. Pa.s.senger train 41 derailed near Venice while running around a reverse curve fifty miles an hour. Engineer killed; fireman and twenty pa.s.sengers injured.

April 27. Way car jumped track at middle lead switch in Pewaukee yard and switchman Jno. Williams killed; Jas. Grant and Robert Riley injured.

Lemuel Izzard and L. Wackles, killed; R. P. Bownes, engineman, Roderick Bloke, stockman, Robert Castel, fireman, C. Plympton, brakeman, injured, four miles west of Beadleston, July 24. Train No. 36 had broken air hose or axle, derailing and throwing third car from engine onto westbound track just as train No. 98 was coming. Train No. 98 ran into derailed car and 14 cars of time freight burned up. Izzard and Wackles were stealing a ride on train No. 36.

ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT

I shall next call your attention to accidents caused by defects in the equipment, especially in that of freight cars and engines. They are of such frequent occurrence as to no longer attract attention, but when the time comes _that the man who inspects reports not to the foreman, whose duty it is to keep the equipment in repair, but to a superior, whose duty it is to find defects_, there will be a material reduction in such cases. Train and enginemen should report defects discovered by them on Form 995 and attach card to truss rod of car or locomotive tank. And first we will take up those caused by defective cars:

J. I. Smindorf, brakeman, killed at Snook's Junction, by falling from car, September 8, at 7:40 p.m. The running board was rotten and full of holes; the brake at the north end of the car would not hold on account of having a loose ratchet wheel.

P. L. Merritt, conductor, injured at Pencost, November 12, was climbing down side of car; screw pulled out of top handhold, allowing Merritt to fall to the ground, striking on a rail.

Randolph Smuck, brakeman, injured at Parrott, April 3, was going down side car; stirrup was gone and he fell to the ground.

Matthew Brummage, switchman, injured January 4, at Keewahtah, was riding on car which was being switched; he tightened the brake, but the dog was in bad order and he had to hold brake with his hand. There was two inches of slack on the bottom brake rod, the chain slipped, and he was thrown from the car and his left foot run over.

How many of the accidents caused by defective running boards, handholds, ladders and brakes would have been avoided had Rules 25, 26, and 28, requiring trainmen to examine cars, brakes, and ladders and to set out bad order cars been complied with, I leave you to guess. And why when such defects are discovered by train and yard men they do not report them to the next crew taking the car, so as to prevent any of the latter being injured, I never could understand.

One cause of the great increase in accidents by trains breaking in two and by defective couplers is probably on account of the fact that many of the automatic couplers are commencing to wear out and are not repaired or renewed promptly enough, and, also, because the levers and chains of the coupling apparatus do not receive sufficient attention.

Another reason is because of the unnecessarily hard usage given the couplers, especially in the yards where trains are made up. Just why an appliance to save life and limb should be abused by the employees, for whose benefit it was put on the cars and engines, is one of the things which it would take a mind-reader to answer. But the truth of the matter is, as every experienced adjuster knows, that the automatic coupler has cost the railroads for equipment and freight damaged many times over what it cost them to settle claims for personal injuries caused by the old link and pin coupler; and when the brotherhoods take up such matters as this and try to remedy them, they will not have so many crippled members drawing insurance for permanent disabilities, which would have been avoided by the proper handling of cars.

Another cla.s.s of injuries which has come with the safety appliance is that caused by the bursting of air hose, and it is surprising how many of them there are.

Some day a man will get up a hose which won't burst, or which will give notice of its intention so to do, and we will all rise up and bless him. The following are samples taken from a job lot of such cases:

G. A. Graham, conductor, injured June 4, three-quarters of a mile north of Bogle; caused by air hose on car bursting, causing Graham to fall against stove in way-car.

K. L. Grobbet, brakeman, injured one mile north of Brandon; caused by the air hose bursting, throwing on emergency brakes. This man, who was in front end of way-car, was thrown to the ground.

Now let us see the result to persons by reason of improper loading of cars:

R. Puddles, switchman, injured at Grammaton, March 4, was hanging on side of car loaded with lumber, engineman shut off suddenly, and when car stopped the lumber slid and caught his hand between lumber and stake on car. Lumber was loaded in two piles 16 ft.

lengths, leaving a s.p.a.ce of about six or eight inches between the piles.

George Brownell, brakeman, injured July 17, one and one-half miles south of Cranton. At Cranton train extra, picked up a car loaded with logs; two stake pockets broke; logs fell under way-car, which tipped over.

And it is just as important to properly unload packages of newspapers and mail from moving trains, and to exercise a little care in throwing coal from engines, as it is to see that freight is securely loaded.

The number of accidents caused in this way since the running of the fast mail and newspaper trains commenced would fill a book and could all have been avoided by the exercise of that care which employees or postal clerks would have exercised if they, instead of the company, had to foot the bills caused by their carelessness. To me, it seems not a difficult or unreasonable precaution to look, before you throw out a heavy bag of mail or half a dozen packages of newspapers, to see that no one will be hit by them, and that they could and should be dropped just beyond the far end of the station platform, but never in a street or public highway; and don't throw your clinker bars or ash bars off engines, or anything else for that matter, without looking to see if anyone is pa.s.sing and when through with them put them in a safe place so they won't project and strike anyone on the next track or fall off and injure someone. If this had been done cases like the following would not have happened:

Henry Forbes, roadmaster, injured November 3, at Marionette, was walking west on station platform, when mail sack was thrown from train struck him on the legs and knocked him down.