New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-11
DOR SAFETY APPLIANCES.
,.1RoAp MEN DISCUSS THE QUESTION.
,,,,,rrrv GIVES HEARING on CARrcoUP-
rms AID pRAKEs-sUGGEsnoNs OFFERED.


-. committee appointed by the last National
-.ro,.,on OF Railroad Commissioners 10 secure &C
w Nv congress looking to uniformity in safety APP
W" for railroad cars yesterday at the Cham
~" - commerce. -Four members OF the committee
ues,nt They were George A.
seO Of Massachusetts: Spencer smith. OF
Wv. ~ William E. Rogers, of New-iork. and
w. King of South Dakota. The absent member
~. lanes c. Hill. Of virginia Isaac " Baker one
.s. Railroad Commissionersof this state. sat as an
associate memocr. IL, ,-.s
- the secretary OF the committee. said: "When
= 4 rccslled that 5000 railroad employees were Killed
"a Qs 600 injured for the year ending June o.
go and that tho number is constantly increasing
80 ,rortance Of the subject is manifest not only to
w.. directly concerned In railway operations. but TO
80 who are interested In the cause oil huuahV'
T%.-e was large attendance Of railroad men from
- narts Of the country. Among them were
49,, T. TYLER of The Chicago Railway Review;
~ / Fowler Of "Thc Railway Age; James C.
-. representing the Brotherhood OF Locomotive
.,sers: James T. Gluck, attorney for the New
80 Central in Buffalo; W. McWood, OF the Granu
1T \. Ely. the Pennsylvanias general supern-
-. ~ motive power: l.. 5. Coffin, of Fort Dodge
.sontinc the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen and
o..r ~ Railway Conductors B. b. Adams, jr., OF
INC, pou,oad Gazette; Colonel II. S. Haines, presi-
=. md G. A. Hammond and W. +. Allen, Oh the
.-ican Railway Association; C. w. Bradley, gen
~, sunerntendent Of the West shore; ID. W. sanbrn'
-,u,endeut of the Southern Division OF the Boston
y,Ins J. T. Chamberlain, master car-builder OF the
80 and Maine E. b. Thomas. vice president OF the
~. Work. Lake Erie and Western; Angus sinclair
-. q, the American Railway Master Mechanics
.,,ton E. T. d. Myers, president Of the Klch
e fredericksburg and Potomac; Lucias lu'ue,
-"-.-al manager of the New-York New-Haven ana
,,1,,sors r. C. Blackwell e. W. Rhodes and NJ ~
80 Of the Master Mechanics Association.
NJ croeker read replies which the committee
"a r,celyed from companies representing I-oVoo VI
70 ~. 40 900 miles Of railroad in the country Ihey
Oh. total number of freight in the United
-, IN he 97sl6l, Of which only l:0,3O4 are
'Su,o,sd with automatic coupers or this mum
re- oos are fitted with the Master Car Builders,
srn,tical hook. coupler. Exactly llo'l2' are
.o~,rnsd with train brakes, mainly of the "eeuAs-
- pattern The vast majority of freight cars now
AVER ave fitted VITA hand brakes only
srty.nine roads representing 1901 miles favored
.,o-.l legislation 10 secure uniformity. Eighty
- r0,ss representlng 46,701 miles, wanted volun
80 .,,ion bv the companies. Two roads, represent
80 lao miles wanted state legislation; seventeen
.osss representng 1875 miles, favored the adoptoh
=, ,bs Master Car Builders coupler ten roads repre-
-, 600 miles. advised the use of different
oruu,.rs on different roads; fifteen roads, repre-
,sntnc o447 miles, said that the subject was
., In the experimental stage, and 145 roads, repre-
,entne IS 0s5 miles, expressed no opinion
n, Crocker who is the chairman OF the committee,
said that In view OF the fearful sacrifice OF human HE
that was now being made. it was the beef oil the COM
mittee that action by Congress 10 hasten ana compet
tbs eouipment of freight throughout the country
with Uniform automatic cOupers and train brakes was
imperative. ,
colonel Ha,nes the president Of the Ameri-
can Railway Association said that as fast as
possible the vertical hook coupler was beng
made standard throughout the association
though It's adoption not binding upon the
companies aud that such action vas the general ten
dency among railroad companies. the time, money ana
brains Of the officials having been devoted 70 the solu
ton Of the problem. Mr.. llaines reminded the com
mttee however that the introduction of the auto
matte coupler costs S25 which would make the total
eos for the equipment OF freight throughout the
country B25 900 900 and that IL would take at least
FIVE years TO accomplish the change. The Introduction
Of raE brakes uld entail further cost OF $4,000
100.
NJ n Farney OF the Master Mechanics Association;
c. w. Bradley, Of the West shore; Theodore W. Ety.
Of the Pennsylvania Lucus futile, of the New-York,
New Haven and Hartford, and f. T. d. Myers, of the
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac, all spoke IN
favor Of the adoption Of the automatic coupler out
thought that the railroads were dong an IN ae
could not hasten improvement ,...,r ,,hoso
when several representatives. of the Swtchmen's
Natasl Aid Association, who were present on IN,
yIatlon. were called TO speak All deh0nnGea
the now devices for carcoupnng, Including
Se favonte vertical hook type adopted by the
Master Car Builders Association. and favored th9
ttnrn 10 the old Z" link and PIN coupler. The mem
he's of the committee sat in absolute astonlshmehl;
and could scarcely be persuaded that they hearu
arht when told that National convention OF Swltch
m held RECENTLY in Philadelphia, had unanimously
Condemned the improved eogpers as ,h increasing n
~ tse link and min The switchmen present were
Frank sweeney grand master Of the owtcImSns As
sorslon. d. d. swe sney. a Switchman on tiio tile
80 md Iohn A. Hall OF the cupreme Council OF the
tinted Order of Railway Employs: Close questioning
showed that their objections were based more on te
Sp their absolute merits Nevertheless they stuck 70 It
maj The link and pin was the best, and they were
s S nm I'm This view bv j. T. Chamberlain, master
esrbHilder of the Boston and Maine, and j. /.
NcwOoA of the Grand Trunk. -, ., ,od ~,
The Consideration Of the subject viii be resumed py
the committee this morning.