The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-01-26
OYerwork Upon Railways.

1t deserves to be known by the public
that some of the largest and most inn
portant railways are in the habit of
overworking their employees to such an
extent that even engineers, fremen and
switchmen fail asleep at their posts
from sheer exhaustion. 1t is stated on
good authority that a majority of all
the collisions that take place are due to
this cause. A correspondent of the New
York Times has been Investigating the
matter. and came across such cases as
the following: A staion-keeper said that
he had often tagged train and found
the engineer fast asleep. the conductor
snoring in his cab. and only the fire.
man awake to obey his signal. We're
the fireman also to doze off, thing not
unlikely to happen, inasmuch as his
hours of service are the same, no one
could foresee the consequences. It is
not unusual for train men to work
twenty-five hours continue 9sly, and in
case of detention or accident, or other
disarrangement of the rotation of serv-
ice, the time frequently extends to thir-
ty hours without rest. A certain sta
tion-master has to be at his post when
the midnight train goes by, and then
again at four o'clock. When the mid
night train is two hours late the station
keeper night is thereby shortened
1t is stated that five or six hours at a
stretch is all that an engineer can stand
without being overtaxed. Six or eight
hours should be days work for con-
ductOr. The engineer of coal train
stated that his trip was twenty-five
hours. " It's an awful hard task to
keep awake the last eleven or twelve
hours of the time.'' ''The other night, y
said he, ION the return trip, | dozed
of, and dreamed that everybody was
asleep on the train, and that we ran into
Scranton depot i'll that manner.
aWoke with start, and there was the
confounded fireman that had left on
watch, fast asleep. Scranton was Just
ahead and in few minutes more my
dream would have been a reality.''
The writer has been assured by old and
trusty eng neers that near the close of a
long trip, especially if it has for any
cause been unusually trying, it is utterly
impossible to keep awake. A man will
fall asleep while standing on the foot
board and with his hand on the throttle.
A few years ago in the outskirts of the
city one freight train ran through the
middle of another at crossing, the en-
gineer of the invading train being
asleep at his post. He was awakened
by pieces of freight cars coming into the
| cab.
All the testimony goes to show that
the overwork of railway employees. is
universal, especially on the more i'm
portant lines. Aside from the in Justice
to the men, there is the important con-
sideration of the safety of the public.
To tly-along in an elegant parlor coach
over smooth track is certainly pleas
ant. But if the occupants of the cab,
or the man at the next switch, are
asleep, all this magniticence goes for
nothing but ruin. Che of the leading
railways out of this city has had a
number of serious smash-ups lately,
fortunately without loss of life, under
conditions which point plainly to over
worked employees or else to the selec-
ton of incompetent men. The matter
is one for the Legislature to deal with.
Meanwhile every traveller will do well
to watch out for himself, and wherever
he finds such condition as this, shun
the road from that time forth. Cbaca-
90 Herald.