The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1897-10-07
SAFETY DEVICES
Compliance by Railway Compa-
MES With the Law of 1893
Not Complete.
Time Limit Expires in January
and all Extension Will ;.
Be Asked.
Only a Third of the Freight Cars
Have Automatic Couplers.
Other Statistics.

A0NS -" ISL S~S
most important question which will
come before the interstate commerce
commission this fall will be that of the
extension of time in which the rail-
roads of the country engaged in inter.
state must equip their trains
with train brake systems and automatic
car couplers. The act compelling the
railroads to so equip their trains was
passed in the closing hours Of the Har.
rison administration after q protracted
and bitter contest.
The act was approved March 2, 1893,
and gave the railroads about five years,
or until Jan. l. 1898, to comply with
the law.
A Large Percentage Injured.
The same act provides that the rail
roads should equip their cars with hand.
rails and drawbars before July l, 1895.
The whole purpose Of this legislation
was to insure greater safety for passen-
gers and to give greater security to
brakemen and other employees in coupl-
ing and uncoupling cars. During the
five years previous to the passage Of the
ANV VAAO oVtAGAoVAOS GU AAGbV OAO ~
ploye in every 432 had been killed and
one in every 81 injured. The commits.
sion is now beginning to receive petit
tons asking for an extension of the
time in which the other sections of the
act, providing for automatic couplers
and train brakes shall go into effect,
and before Jan. l they must decide this
important question.
What Has Been Done.
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 /, 1896 show that the pas.
senger 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.
The figures on that date showed that
Of the 1896 passenger cars owned by
the railroads of the country, 81, 1884 were
equipped with automatic couplers and
80, y65 with train brake appliances. OF
the 1,2l7,340 freight cars, 45S, 410 were
equipped with automatic couplers and
500, 3O3 with train brakes. or the &c..
265 locomotives, freight and passenger,
20. 1876 were equipped with the driving
wheel brakes provided for by the act.
Since this report the work Of equip.
ping the freight cars has gone steadily
on, but it is doubtful whether more
than 80 or 80 per cent are ever now
supplied with the safety appliances re.
quired by law.
The last annual report of the com.
mission shows that 1871 railroad EN-.
ployes were killed during the year, and
70, 696 injured, a decrease of IL in the
number of killed, 2,274 in the number
of the injured as compared with the pre-
vious year. The decrease in both killed
and injured is largely attributed to the
improvement and more general use Of
safety appliances. Member of the com.
mission feel that in extending they
jeopardise human life, but they also re-
alize that some of the railroads have
not been financially able to comply with
the law. 1t is probable that an exten.
sion will be ultimately granted.
Should the commission decide not to
grant an extension, the railroads not
properly equipped by Jan. l, 1898, will
be liable to a fine of 800 for each and
every offense against the act. By the
terms of the law an employe injured by
any locomotive, car or train in use con.
trary to its provisions shall not be
deemed to have assumed the risk occa-
stoned thereby, although continuing in
the employment of the road after the
unlawful use of such locomotive, car o,
train has been brought to his knowl'
edge.