The times., 1897-12-04

The Interstate Commerce. Commissions on
cluded the hearing yesterday of the repre-
| sentatives of those railroad coupa anies that
| have petitioned for an extension OF i've
| years within which time to comply with
I the provisions OF the act OF Congress OF
| March 2, 1893, entitled: IAN act to pro-
mote the safety Of employees and traTelers
upon railroads by compelling common car
riers engaged in interstate commerce. to
equip their cars with automatic conplers
and continuonsb brakes and their locomotives
with dri wing wheel brakes, and for other
purposes"
This act provides that on and after the
lst day OF January, 1898, it shall be un-
lawful for any such common carrier to haul,
or permit TO be hauled or used on its line,
any car used in moving Interstate traffic
not equipped with couplers coupling auto
maticany by impact and which can be I'M
coupled without the necessity OF men going
between the ends of the cars.
Some railroad companies have complied
with he provisions of this act, among them
being the Allegheny Valley, Beech Greek,
Boston and Albany, Cape Fear and ldiiin
Valley, Chicago, st. Paul, Minnea polls and
Omaha; Delaware, Lackaw and West
ern, Duluth and Iron Range, Fremont. ELK
horn and Missouri Valley, Lake Shore AMI
Michit al Southern New York Central ami
Hudson River, and a number of small lines
The Southern Railway Company has made
good showing, as it has already equip
ped 80 ~ per cent or the l9, $40 freight
cars owned by it.
Some of the compa MES have made Tery
little progress toward the equipment of
cars, the Central Vermont Railway ha ling
equipped but , per cent Chicago ami
Alton. 3 5 per cent; Cincinnati, Hamilton
and Dd dyton, % per cent; Cleveland, Akron
and Columbus, %; Cleveland and Marietta,
10; Cleveland, Terminal and Valley, 5; Co
lumbus, Sandusky and Hooking, 10; Denver
and Rio Grande, 6; Evansville and Terra
Haute, II; Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe,
81; Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis,
II; Kansas City, Memphis and Birnhng-
| ham, 90 louisville and Nashville, II;
| Louisville, Evansville and st. Louis, II;
| Norfolk aud Western, II; Ohio Southern,
10; oregon Railway and Navigation, 10;
| st. Louis Southwestern, "A; st Paul and
| Duluth, 10; Yazoo and Mississippi Valley,
| 81 per cent. Many smsll railroads have
| not equipped single car since the passage
| o, the act Of 1893.
| The hnaFing yesterday consisted in the
| examnaton OF witnesses as to the cost If
| putting on the life saving couplers, and
| the time required to do it. The railroad
| which petitioned for an extension OF five
| years alleged that the work could not be
| done sooner without serious disturbance to
| commerce ia consequence or the with
| drawai of cars from traffic.
| The first witness was Mr.. Mcconnell,
| superintendent of the motive power of the
| Union Pacific Railway. He testified that
| his company could take down the old
fashion liuk-and-pin coupler and replace It
with al automatic coupler in the case OF
all the modern cars on the line in about
one hour, and ut a cost OF $50 per car.
| The old cars would require more time and
the cost might run up to $50 per car. His
| line could equip is cars at the rate of
35 per cent q year without serious detri-
menu to traffic. He thought that this was
true also of the Oregon Short Line.
Mr.. Alorrissy asked the witness sc ne
| questions which emphasized the risk which
| man runs in coupling up cars with the
old-ti5ne appliances or in coupling two cars,
one Of them being equipped with the auto
! matte coupling, and the other with the
| link and-pin.
| Mr.. Cbappelle, vice president and genera
| manager OF the Chica go and Alton railroa ;!
| was next sworn. 1t was the intention Of
his company when the law was passed TO
| fully comply with it. But it was their
| duty to pay their employees and their sto 3k-
| holders. This made it impractica bic 20
put on the new equipment. If the comp2ny
| had the financial resources, cars could lie
equipped at the rate OF $500 a year with
| out disturbing the traffic of the line. He
said that his company bought the Janasy
| coupler at 81 per car, and the cost Of
| attaching the coupler was S12 per car.
AT noon "a recess was ken till 2 clock
| that Mr. Smith, of the Louisville and Va III
vile, and Mr. Thomas, OF the Nashville
| Chattanooga and st. Louis might be exam
| insd, but these gentlemen were not pres
ent at o clock, and the hearing adjourl-
| ed, 1t being understood that the ro4 Is
| mentioned would submit their testinlul ~
| in the form OF affidavits.