Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-08-04
BRAKEMEN'S PEPns|
DANGERS Are CONSTANT Il 5.
pLINa FREIGHT Cans a9

IN
To the tourist travelling n !. I,
: appointed Sleeper or Alfo4b
glimpse of n brakeman on n nass' ca
train does not often snyDest :, irda.
with which his occupation n e. .ne dala
the immediate peril to which H. b
proximity. 'e Is Ia Cd
10 one who has given the mar.
Thought, however the constans '.a sly3
which brakeman Is exposed IL ~ 'sEa n
,, OF his occupation are indeed ver,s ny Wisi I
Often one has noticed that ~. "pparr
long line OF box cars was coyeraS ~ d
such as would afford a prcca,.;a'' With ii
even on the sidewalk of city, ana 'a'
! when the train Is running 30 miles n Y ~ h
against the wind, walk the length J, 10y
train is about as dangerousa passaaa : Y
well be Imagined, yet the brak eman y. ssss I
plishes this and more. aecla ]
In summer the ice and snow and -,
changed for heat and dust. There ~ ou
the always imminent danger ~ III Ivy
from deralment or collisions Ia Ask
coupling cars, the latter being The ~. i0a
OF the brakeman's life. 'ases q
The last report Of the intarst.,a b
merce commission--for the wear sa
June 30, lS92-shows conclusivelv ths suuii
dents to railroad hands are on tina ino.. s' e
one in every 83 employed being ininsa
that year. The number killed arnsas M
to 2,660 and those injured to %. l40 thas.ss
number of employees being III 81
these sos were killed and S,lol-
jumping or falling from trains. 70
killed and 412 were injured by OVERSEE ~ W.
structions' 3o3 were killed and i,s5Oxs
injured in collisions, POS were killed ana NJ J,
were injured in derailments, and Az
ployees lost their lives and 0 431 suffer- \ N
Jnries in coupling and uncouplino -
These last figures are sufficient proof a. &
coupling is one of the most dangerons
erations IN the trainmen's routine x
number killed being exceeded only bvtb.s
who met death in falling or jumpinc ~ e
trains, while the number injured was ,,s Il III
er than that for any other form of acc;as.
amounting to more than one-third n Il II Y
total injured.
1t Is close calculation of time and Al,
lance which permits brakeman ia bou
the INK OF the advancing car in one ba.s "a
the PIN OF the other car in the Other ~
to make the almost simultaneous n,ot;om
OF releasing the link, dropping the MIN N
stepping aside uninjured before the dr,r
heads have crashed together. 1t is too r.,
calculation for many, and there arc = IS
mefous otherwise fine specimens Of ma,
hooa minus hand or arm, due to an In,
piilty TO Judge this time and distance On
rectly.
An accident, and one usually attenaa
with fatal result, may occur from the braE.
man stumbling over inequalities in Il,
track or the ties-should the road be bad,
ballasted-while advancing with the MOI
ing car with his eyes fixed on the dns
mead, or the foot may be caught in frs
or an angle OF side track, and before il
man can release himself the car passes oys "
him
While many of the railroads have sdoa.
ed automatic coupling gear on a portion At
least, OF their new freight cars (the incresx N
OF equipment fitted with these devices du,
ing the year ending June 80, 1892, being !. #
at 53,7l6 cars), the ordinary tyne
sui IN excess. These ordinary cars are nan f
ouilt' according to the tendency of moden
railroad construction. of larger dimensons
IMAM those formerly used, so that trais
made made up on any of our great roads
apt TO show lack of uniformity in its can III
MS Is another fruitful source of DANCE.
l ne deadheads-leeces of timber wbicA
PROJECT from the ends of the cars-are DS
~ the same level, nor are the drawheads
men two cars come together, the dead
neads therefore cannot exercise their oSr
Is buffers, but pass one under the other. "a
hat the brakeman who has the difficult
ask OF coupling two drawheads at differsu.
eVeis Is caught between the collidiug car
'hd Is crushed to death unless he is pbs
iomenally lucky or remarkably active.
IL IL In recognition of this danger tha
ne orakemen on certain roads protesta
'Saihst the partial adoption of automatR
ouplers, as the cars thus fitted, alwavs d
arger dimensions than the cars sunnla
WIN INK and pin coupling only, are liah.
o cause accidents when coupled withtk
rainary car by hand. For this reason onlr
40 the men for whose relief the measur
7as intended protest against its adonti@
Is proposed now, however, that ali can
nall be of standard and uniform ,,imas
ons. #
IL mas been recognized by inventors thai
AUTOMATIC coupler which would fulfil
ie requirements proposed would reaps
RUNE Tor Its designer, and as cons
fence The patent Office has been flooded
I'm applications for patents on these de
ces. Hardly week elapses without on
more OF them being granted. 1t has been
tted, Know not how correctly. that The
tai NUM- Der issued thus far exceeds s0n
THESE the greater number have never
en- gwen trial. A few have been adout
only TO be discarded, and two or three
e now in use
Ie lrst automatic coupler to be extern
I, eiy USED IN this country was the mil
It's application, however, has beer, CON
on account of its expense
"elght-to passenger coaches. The jar
Is extensively used on both passenger
l freight cars. The Gould and Smile
, I1 are now rapidly coming into use
nat the brakemen will consider an i'm.
Nenent OF secondary Importance, if they
siuer 1t important at all, is the forced
'ption OF automatic train brakes oper
!, by compressed air from the engine, as
,ie reducing the chances for accidents
certainly throw a number of them out
by lessening the numbered
nands required. As is familiar to all
erlcans, this is the device which, as per
Ell oy George Westinghouse of Pitts &
made both reputation and fortune fOr
Though one of the earliest in the field,
INVENTION, improved from time to time
III considered the best. The brakes
ch nave been in continuous operation
assenger trains for the past Is years
low used on freight trains on western
5 where steep grades are frequent
roads are notably the Southern Pa
and the Denver and Rio Grande. The
tlon of these brakes will certainly les
ne possibility of accident owing to the
ialilng from car roofs when they are
cry with ifa ,,i1lr &Itl7$