Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-30
PASSING OF THE BRAKEMAN.
few Appliances Which Will Reduce
the Need for His Train Service.

New Appliances Which Will Reduce
the Need for His Train Service.
From the Chicago Tribune.
The rapidly progressing disappearance of
the railroad brakeman as a necessary ad-
junct of the handling of a train has been
a natural result of improvements that
have made the work he performed practi-
cally automatic. 1t is curious, also, that
largely to the same agency is attributed
the marked decline In the number of cas-
ualties to these brakemen and other rail-
road employees. Reports to congress by
the interstate commerce commission shows
that during the last year 1923 employees of
American railroads were killed and q, ,423
injured, while during the year previous the
number killed was 2,700 and the injured 3d.
OOO The commissioners admit that some
of the decrease Is due to greater efficiency
among the men. but the larger portion by
far Is accounted for by the increased use
Of these automatic appliances.
The government has officially recognized
the effectiveness of these improvements in
reducing the dangers Of operating railroads
to the lowest limits by including in the in
terstate commerce law a mandatory pro-
vision that all railroads must equip their
cars with automatic and continuous brakes
and couplers, and their locomotives with
driving wheel brakes" In obedience to
CnlS reSuldtlOu uedTly Oic.udll VI Tue 1,9Vup.
600 freight and coal cars in use are now
provided with these appliances, and all,
with few exceptions, of the 5000 passenger
cars and 5000 mail and baggage cars are
similarly equipped.
1t Is reasonable to suppose, also, that the
same cause is responsible for the steady
decline of the number and seriousness of
accidents in which passengers have been
involved. In the last year, when 540, ,000. .O60
fnI o11 $k,<a
New York Sun shows in a tabulation that
only one was killed to each 1,66s.791 carried.
or one to each 44.103,22S miles travelled.
By the automatic process trains can be
stopped so quickly on levels or grades.
curves or bridges that full head" COLI
sions are rare and collisions with all forms
of distractions less probable. The ensi-
neer now does in an instant what it took
the brakeman many minutes to perform,
and does it much more effectively. An
explanation of the operation recently pub
lished brings it within the comprehension
of the most inexpert:
Under each Of the cars is a rubber pipe
connected with an air compressor on the
engine. This pipe leads to and supplies an
air reservoir under each car. These reser-
voirs are loaded from the engine with COM
pressed air to the amount Of 70 pounds
each. The pressure Of this air keeps open
Cne DTdkeSs duQ dS louS dS tuS CoHuph SoSS1
air remains in the reservoir under the cars
the brakes are open. By turning the lever
on the engine the compressed air is re-
leased, and as it is released the brakes on
each car close automatically, pressing
against the wheels and practically locking
them. AS soon as the train is brought to
a full STOP of which the painting of the
compressed air as it escapes from under
the cars gives Notice, the reservoirs sre
are again filled by turn of the lever on
the engine, and this fills the reservoirs
under the cars and thereby automatically
releases all the brakes at once"
There have been many other devices for
the safeguarding of the lives Of travellers.
but it is doubtful II the interests of safety
have been promoted moro extensively by
any other one agency.