Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-10-07
RAILROADS ASk MORE TINE.
Not Ready Yet to Make Their Equip
lent Safe for Trainmen.

nent Safe for Trainmen.
The Law Compelling the Use of
TraiI Breaks and Handbars and
Automatic Couplers Will Be Be-
fore the Interstate Commerce
Commission Again in a Few Days.
RAILROADS Presenting Petitions for
Further Extensions.
Washington, October 6.-By far the
most Important question which will
come lefore the Interstate Commerce
Commission this fall will be that of
the extension of the time in which the
railrods of the country engaged in the
fntersate Commerce, must equip their
trains with train brake systems and
Rutontic car couplers. The act COM
pellir the railroads to equip their
train was passed in the closing hours
of It'd Harrison administration, after
protected and bitter contest. The act
was approved March 2, 1893, and gave
the Ailroads about five years, or until
Janary 1, 1898, to comply with the
act.
lie same act provides that the rail-
roas should equip their cars with hand
raj and drawbars before July l, 1895.
Th whole purpose of this legislation
wa to insure greater safety Tor passen-
ges and to give greater security to
bikemen and other employees in coup
Zig and uncoupling cars. During the
fe years previous to the passage of
lie act the statistics showed that one
mploye in every 433 had been killed
Ind one in every 81 injured. Before
The time for equipplng the cars with
many of the railroads petitioned the
Commission for an extension. This
the Commission was empowered to
grant, and, after an examination, ex-
tended the time when the operation of
that portion of the act relating to hand
rails and draw-bars should go into eff
feet from July /, 1895, to February /,
1896.
The Commission is now beginning
to receive petitions asking for an ex
tension of the time in which the other
sections of the act, providing for au-
tomato couplers and train brakes shall
go into effect, and before January A
they must decide this important Ques-
ton. The railroads ask from one to
ten years longer than the law provides.
The last reports of the railroads made
to the Commission upon their equip
ment april, /, 1880 show that the
passenger trains were almost entirely
equipped as required by law, but that
only about one-third of the freight
trains and cars had been provided with
the proper safety appliances.
>iKhe figures on that date showed that
the 1895 passenger cars owned
ilroads of the country, 1913
pped with automatic coupler
with train brake appliances.
$40 freight cars 45S, 410 were
ed with automatic couplers and
20, 1903 with train brakes Of the &c.
2S5 locomotives, freight and passenger,
29,196 were equipped with the driving
wheel brakes provided for by the act.
Since this report the work of equipping
the freight cars has gone steadily on,
but it is doubtful whether more than
80 or 60 per cent. are even now sup
piled with the safety appliances re-
quired by law.
The last annual report of the COM
mission shows that 1911 railroad en-
ployes were killed during the year and
1866 injured, decrease of II in the
number Of killed and 2,274 in the num-
Der injured as compared with previous
years. The decrease in both killed and
wounded is largely attributed to i'm
provement Of more general use of safe
ty appliances. Members of the COM
mission feel that in extending the
lime they jeopardize human life, but
they also realize that some of the rail-
roads have not been financially able
to comply with the law. 1t is probable
that an extension will ultimately be
granted.
Should the commission decide not to
grant an extension the railroads whose
cars are not equipped January 1, 1898,
will be liable to fine of $100 for each
and every offense against the act. BY
BY the terms of the law an employe in
jured by locomotive, car, or train in
use contrary to its provision, shall not
be deemed to have assumed the risk oc-
casioned thereby, although continuing
in the employment of the road after the
unlawful use of such locomotive. car
or train has been brought to his knowl-
edge.
DAY OF ATONEMENT.