Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-06
ROADS ASK FOR TIME
Petitions Received by the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
BRAKES and COUPLERS REQUIRED
An important Matter Demanding
Consideration.
SACRIFICE OF MANY LIVES

The interstate commerce commission will
hold full meeting in this city the latter
part of next week. This will be the first
meeting held here in some months. Chair
man Morrison, who has been taking testi-
mony in some cases at Chicago and Kansas
City, has returned to Washington. Com
missioners Clements and Youmans are at
Philadelphia hearing the case of the ware
housenen against the Pennsylvania and
Philadelphia and Reading roads. which. it
is alleged, give free storage al depots and
yards to certain shippers and thereby in
jure the business of the warehouses. Com
missioner Knapp has gone to Nashville.
where he will make address and also
serve on the jury of awards. Commissioner
Prouty has just concluded the taking of
testimony at Buffalo in several cases, and
is expected here in a few days.
Brakes and Car Couplers.
By far the most important question
which will come before the interstate COM
merce commission this fall will be that Of
the extension of the time in which the rail-
roads of the country engaged in interstate
commerce must equip their trains with
train-brake systems and automatic car
coupiers. The act compel ng the railroads
to SO equip their trains v as passed in the
closing hours of the Harrison administra-
tion, after protracted and bitter contest.
The act was approved March = 1888, and
gave the railroads about five years, or until
January 1. 1888, to comply with the law.
The same act provided that railroads
should equip their cars with hand rails and
draw bars before July 1, 1895.
The whole purpose of this Il gislaticn was
to insure greater safety for passengers and
to give greater security TO brakemen aid
ether railroad employees in coupling and TN
coupling cars During the five years prior
to the passage of the act the statistics show
ed that each year one employe in every 433
had been killed and one in every thirty-one
injured. Before the time for equpping the
cars with handrails and drawbars had ex-
pred. many of the railroads pe.itioned the
commission for an extension. This the
commission was empowered To grant. and
after an examination, extended the time
when the operation Of that portion of the
act relating to handraiis and drawba
should go into effect from July /, 1875, to
February 1, 1896
Roads Want More Time.
The commission is now beginning to re-
oeive petitions 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 be-
fore January /, they must decide this i'm
portant question. The railroads ask from
one 10 ten years longer than the law pro-
vides The last reports of the railroads
nent (April 1. 1886 shows that the pas
senger trains Were almost entirely equip
ped as required by law, but that only about
one-third of the freight trains and cars
mad been provided with the proper safety
appliances.
The figures on that date showed that of
the i3.32G passenger cars owned by the
railroads of the country. :;22 ..;;34 were equip
ped with automatic couplars and 81. 965
with train-Drake appliances. OF the 12II-
$40 freight cars. 45S, i10 were equipped with
automatic couplers and ;GO3G3 with train
bIakes- OF the 36.2S5 locomotives freight
ard passenger. % 1876 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 hut
ii is doubtful whether more than 20 Or 60
per cent are even now supplied with the
safety appliances required by law.
Lives SACRIFICED.
TIE last annual report of the commission
shows that 1,S11 railroad employees were
Killed during the previous year and 25,6,6
injured. a decrease of II in the number of
killed and 2,274 in the number of injured
The decrease in both killed and wounded is
largely attributed to the Improvement and
NOR NOR general use Of safety appliances.
Members OF the commission feel that in
extending the tine they jeopa-diZe human
life, but tney also realize that some of the
railroads have not been financially able to
comply with the law.
should the commission decide not to
grant an extension. the railroads whose cars
are not equipped January L. 1885, will be
liable to "a fine of 500 for each and every
cnense against the act. BY the terms of
the law an employe injured by any loco
motive car or train in use contrary to its
provision shall not be deemed to have as
suined the risk occasioned thereby, al
thouSh continuing in the employment of
the road after the unlawful use of such
locomotive. car OF train has been brought
To kis knowledge