The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-25

| trains, 439 1850 8, 30S
Coupling and
uncoupling, 251 7,240 6, 491
| 1t may be remarked that every first
class railroad in the United States is now
furnishing its entire eight-carryin G
equipment with air brakes just as fast
as they can be turned out of the shops.
The absence of air brakes is largely re-
sponsible for the fatalities and accidents
charged aga inst collisions and the dread
total in the col umn entitled "othe1
causes"
Up to 1888 there were no freight trains
fitted with air brakes outside of those
on mountain roads, where the grades are
so steep as to render the use of hand
brakes dangerous to the property of the
companies. 1t is interesting to note in
this connection that in twelve years the
Denver, Leadville and Gunnison Rail-
road, commonly known as the South
Park, lost but one passenger and sus-
tanned only nominal losees from col
| lisions.
| There are now in use on freight cars IN
| this country not less than 400, coo air
| brakes, Of which rs, 600 were furnished
the last fiscal year and more than 100. 600
this year. One hundred thousand were
placed In use the year following the pas
sage of the safety appliance act, IN aking
total of 275, 900, which may be directly
ascribed to the enactment of this law.
As matter Of fact the best railroads in
the country are now running in confor-
nifty with the law so far as the power
brake section is concerned without hav-
Ing waited for the expiration of the time
limit, Jan. J., 1898.
In rough numbers there are /, 300, 900
freight cars in the United States Not
all OF these are used in interstate COM
merce, but no road cares to long main
ia IN cars which cannot be sent outside a
certain State when desired. IN 1894
there had been fitted with automatic
couplers total of 357, 621, and according
to an estimate made yesterday by John
N. Cloud, secretary of the Master Car
Builders Assoc iation, the total now
| exceeds 500, 900 freight cars
There is every reason to believe"
sale Secretary Cloud, "that with few
unimportant exceptions the railroads of
the United States will have complied
with the safety appliance act on or be-
fore the date when ii goes into effect. 1
do not mean by that thar all of the
l, 100000 cars will be equipped with au-
tomato couplers. May roads have on
hand number of old fashioned and al
most worn-out cars which can yet be
used for some purposes, but on which it
would not be worth while expanding
money for repairs. Such cars will not
be used in interstate traffic, and in q few
years will disappear. Of course all new
cars turned out of the shops are fitted
with standard automatic couplers The
best railroad men in the country are now
OF the opinion that this investment is a
paying one, and regard the law with
favor from that standpoint. Tt is GER
taln to result In a great decrease in
Killed and injured railroad employees"
Ii has been oonservatively estimate
that it has or will cost the railroads of
the United States not less than $50, 000,-
wy to fully comply with the provisions of
thls law. Such roads as the Northwest
ern, the Chicago, Burlington and Quin-
cy. the Lake Shore and other we'll mana
geo roads have set aside monthly sum
20 De devoted to this work and have so
Planned that their entire equipment will
pc IN shape before 1898. The Chicago
northwestern has total of So, 600
tarelght cars, of which 1000 are now
nlued with automatic oouplers and air
brakes. All of their locomotives are
equipped with power brakes, and the
same Is true with most roads.