The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-02-21
VOL. XLvI.--N0. ia.
TIE SAFETY OF TRAIN MEN.
An INTERESTING DISCUSSION By THE
MISTER car BUILDERS.

class whose MORTALITY u said To be
ereatcr than IL an Army's in War Time.
The Master Car Builders Association held
n omceting Inst evening in their rooms and dis
c,ssed the subject Of Inspection and repairs
of freight cars. in connection with the safety OF
,rain men on freight trains "a topic already
oeita,ed by THE SUN. About forty members OF
,he association were present. all experienced
,ailroad men and railroad car builders. Mr..
1eander Carey President was In the chair. In
opening the meeting, and stating it's object. he
reverted to the change that had grown up in
,he work Of inspection and repairs OF freight
cars in late years. through the system Of inter-
changing cars. so that those Of each road are
now scattered all over the country. and conso-
ouently are far less subject to careful inspec-
tlon and Keeping in order than when they were
in merely local use. Particularly in those
respects upon which the safety Of the limbs and
lives Of the train hands depend. there is reason
10 believe that Information Is lacking. To get
the views Of the men who are most deeply in
terested in this matter. the yard and train
hands had been invited to appear at this meet
ing and speak for themselves. but. unior-
tunately they are In this busy season. unable to
do so. Letters had. however. been received.
which would point ont some matters worthy Of
consideration.
Mr. NJ. y. Forney. editor Of the Railroad Ga
asiis read several letters received by the Secre-
tary One OF these. from Mr.. John Kirby. mas
ter car builder Of the Michigan Southern Rail-
road said in substance: OF the several con-
siderations imperative for the preservation OF
the lives OF men on freight trains, the first is
that the steps for them to ascend to the tops OF
the cars and descend by should be safe. Steps
should be at the ends Of freight cars. and the
NJ ba tlchn ha AZ hat "a
foot cannot slip of. There should be a strong
step secured to the side sill. with firm hand
hold at proper height above II. Then the
steps should be made reliable. Too often
they are fastened on simply with screws
that have been hammered in to their
heads and consequently give away nwhen a
strain is put on them precisely at the moment
when n mans life depends upon their solidity
Then the running board on tho car tops should
be not less than eighteen inches wide. The
draw bars. brake wheels and stats and their
attachments. he hoped, would be considered by
others as they were OF the highest importance.
but he pissed them over as too obviously serious
and requiring too much attention for him to
take them up.
Jos Sanger. yard master OF the I. p. and c.
Railroad. wrote concerning the causes OF acct
dents to train hands that they were due. FIRST.
10 the different heights Of the draw bars sec
ond the insufciency OF follower heads and
springs. which should be strong enough to
stand reasonable concussion without giving
way; third. to the different kinds OF draw bars
employed. He strongly urged the adoption OF
auniiorm style OF draw bar. and recommended
the Stafford ms best for saving fingers and hands.
Particularly when accompanied by the Grffiths
attachment heRpproved Of IT, Brake stats. he
thought shouli br uniformly on one side. not.
as now sometimes on one and sometimes on
the other, so that ofttimes brakemen are In
iured for life. or even killed. by being caught
between them.
Vile Madison and Indianapolis Railroad. also
wrote TO urge the draw bar question upon the
builders as one Of the highest importance The
height Of the draw bar from the track should
BE- uniform. lrregularity makes tbs work oi
coupling cars exceedingly dangerous, He also
urged the adoption OF a bar that would stand a
severe shock. and a dead wood twenty inches
long and six inches thick. He expressed his
opinion that the general adoption Of the Stafford
bar and It's use at uniform height from the
track would render mntations and deaths in
the work Of coupling a lees' infrequent-would
In fact do away with ninety per cent. OF the
present proportion OF INJURIES.
Mr.. Hopkins was introduced by tho President
ss gentleman who had worked his WY up
ini-ndent. and perhaps higher. and corss-
ouently one who WAS thoroughly posted on
railroad affairs. Mr.. Hopkins said that. having
experienced them in his younger days. he
necessarily remenlb bered well and fully appre-
ciated the dangers encountered by train hands
time when the running board Is wet. icy. OF
covered with snow. and single slip OF
,reacherous path in the darkness viii
hurl him down 70 an instantaneous and
horrible death. And he must not only run over
the cars. but must lump from one 10 another. a
distance OF three or four feet Let his foot slip
a. he Jumps. or as he alights. and in second
be will be down between the cars and cut 10
pieces. The SPEAKER at one time while con
Quoting on the Erie road. had an excellent gang
o. brakemen, and while he was with them none
rfafN hfNN D. In
years after he left three OF them were Killed
whie IN performance Of their duties. One
while disentangling bell cord. had TO stand
with his back toward the way the train was go-
lng, and while in that position had his brains
TRsH'G TRl obeTs oq M sy strS6s SaGdon low bridge &c
ears and were crushed. Not only should
ne cars he brought closer together. but the
brake should, if possible be guarded; and he
upright guard around which a man might
,,hhr9w one arm while, applying the brake. SC
or slipping of Of the brake wheel-accidents BY
70 means lnlrequent-he might save himself
from from being preepitated between the moving
eaI3' lhr almost inevitable consequences now al
hNch az accident Az Tor the deaths and inIu-
lles lles suffered by men in the perilous work Of
coupling cars. be believed every railroad man
present had known some one whose life had
peen sacrificed IN that way. Statistics gath
ttbpel by nm in 1852 demonstrated thai
way on certain United States railroad.
was was greater. 70 the number employed than thu
war. That which Ii wanted Is a reliable standard
lihW par. one that is sei-coupllng or not at the
WV OF the operative But II we cannot have thai
perfect protection against accident let US al
lehst ADOPT a Uniform draw bur. one that the
men may all become accustomed TO and eXper
w me use ot not score Of various kinds each
ol Whlch mas lis special dangers with which
man must become acquainted. II railroad OF
1cAls would give any such care to protecting
he lives oi thrlr employees AS they DO to saw nQ
passengers or freight twO-thirds Of the accident.
That now occur might be avoided. But they &c
afaT a TnF fftttf ff..tr
human, sometimes. They should remember
that brakeman IS worth nothing in the ca
boose. His post OF duty il on the top oi n,
train. where he Is exposed to all the inclemencl
OF the weather. bW where he must remain to be
on the watch against possible dangers 10 TIN
IRAN. He often becomes 50 benumbed by colo
lhat his hands lose feeling: he can OniY tel
tlnt ne has a hold upon the brake by seein.
tLHt be has his limbs are So stn that II hi
SIPS he can do little or nothing 10 save him
hri from death. Not one man in nit
VINO does his duty properly as brake
man on freight train through one o
our lnfeuent Northern winters, will escape
permanent injury TO the. constitution from -
qolhH, The speaker NJ one time suggested L
9alhes SIX. when he was at the head OF th'
Llis road system Of sending out men as re
Isls IN the most severe weather, to take thu
plh'es oi men who had been one or two hour
exposed on the ira MS NJ such places Of relic
~ eoud best have been arranged along the line
uius keeping fresh men in good condition nj
~ u uihe Tor the work, and avoiding the de