St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-02-12
TO PRESERVE LIVES.
Disposition by the Senate Of
the Automatic Car Coup
f9it Ter Bill.
sIsI5
The Bill Passed Was a Sub
Stitute for the House
e1 Measure.
Full Text of the Bill as
5,7 Passed by the SEN
~ ate.
Nd
Exposition Rates to Be Con-
70, sideped by the Transeon-
tinental Lines,

promote the safety OF employees and
travellers upon railroads by compelling
railway companies to equip their cars
with automatic couplers and continuous
brakes, and their locomotives with driv-
ing-wheel brakes. was finally disposed of
In the senate today. The substitute for
the house bill of last session was agreed
to and the bill was passed-yeas 80.
nays 10. 1t now goes back to the house.
The negatives were given by MeSsrs.
Blodgett, Brice, Daniel, George, Cor
man, Harris, Morgan. Sawyer, Stewart
and Vance. The following is the text
of the bill as passed:
That from and after the first day of
January, 1898, it shall be unlawful for
any common carrier engaged in inter-
state commerce. by railroads to use on
its line any locomotive engine in NOV
ing interstate traffic not equipped with
power driving wheel brake and
appliances for operating the train
brakes system, or to run any
train in such traffic after said date that
has hot sufficient number of cars in it
so equipped with power on train brakes
that engine or the locomotive drawing
such train can control its speed without
requiring brakemen to use the common
hand brake for that purpose.
Autom a tic Couplers.
See. 2. That on and after the 1st day
of January, 1885, it shall be unlawful
for any such common carrier to haul or
permit to be hauled OR used on its line
any car used III moving interstate traffic
not equipped with couplerS, coupling
automatically by impact, and which can
be uncoupled without the necessity of
men going between the ends of the cars.
Sec. 3. That when any person. firm,
company or corporation engaged in in
terstate commerce by railroad shall
equip sufficient number of Its cars so
as to comply with the provis
ions of section l of this act,
it may lawfully refuse to receive from
connecting lines of roads or shippers
any cars not equipped sufficiently in ac-
cordance with the first section Of this
act, with such power or train brakes as
will work and readily interchange with
the brakes in use on its own cars, as re-
CURED by this act.
Sec. 4. That from and after the first
day of July, 1895, until otherwise
ordered by the interstate commerce
commission, it shall be unlawful
for any railroad company to use
any car in interstate commerce
that is not provided with secure grab
irons or hand holds on the ends and
sides of each car for greater security to
men coupling and uncoupling cars.
Height of Draw Bars
Sec. 5. That within thirty days from
the passage of this act the American
Railway association is authorized
E hereby to designate TO the interstate
commerce commission the standard
height of drawbars for freight cars,
measured perpendicular from the level
of the tops of the rails to the centers of
the drawbars. for each of the several
gauges of railroads in use in the
United States, and shall fix a max
imum variation from su CHI standard
height to be allowed between the draw
bars of empty and loaded cars. Upon
their determination being certified to
the Interstate commerce commission,
said commission shall at once give
notice of the standard fixed upon
to all common carriers, owners or leSSees
engaged in interstate commerce in the
United States by such means as the
commission may deem proper, but
should said association fail to determine
a standard as above provided, it
shall be the duty of the interstate
commerce commission to do so before
July l, 1894, and Immediately TO give
notice thereof as aforesaid, and after
July l, 1895, no cars, either loaded or
unloaded, shall be used in interstate
traffic which do not comply with the
standard above provided for.
Sec. 6. That any such common car
rier using any locomotive engine run
ming any train, or hauling or permitting
to be hauled or used on its line anyscar
in violation of any of the provisions Of
this act shall be liable to
A Penalty of 800
for each and every such violation to be
recovered in suit or suits to be brought
bv the United States district attorney
in the district court of the United States
having jurisdiction in the locality
where such violation shall have been
committed. and it shall be the duty of
such district attorney to bring such
suits upon duly verified information
being lodged with him of such vio-
lation having occurred, and 1t shall
also be the duty Of the interstate
commerce commission to lodge with the
proper district attorneys information of
any such violations as may come to its
knowledge; provided that nothing in
the act contained shall apply to four
wheeled cars or to locomotives used
in handling such trains.
Sec. z. That the interstate comm cree
commission may from time TO time.
upon full hearing and for good cause,
extend the period within which any
common carrier shall comply with the
provisions of this act.
Sec. 8. That an employe of any such
common carrier who may be injured by
any locomotive, car or train in use
contrary to the provisions of this
act, shall not be deemed there
by to have assumed the risk
thereby occasioned, although continuing
in the employment of such carrier
after the unlawful use of such locomo-
tive. car or train had been brought TO
his knowledge.
A conference on the disagreeing votes
was asked, and Messrs. Cullom, Wilson
and Harris were appointed conferrees
on the part of the senate.