The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1898-04-13

FIGURES WHICH GO TO SHOW THAT
THEY ARE oVERESTlMATEO

iheh' are Oueneht Victims bnt the
Statistics Quoted May lie Exceptional.
benefits From Safety Appliances.
1t has been estimated, and, in fact.
railroad mon frequently make the re-.
mark. that the average life of man
actively engaged IN train service Is
about seven years. lii other words, that
they arc either crippled up so as to rem.
der them unfit for service again in n
like capacity or ara killed on an aver.
ago in that time. 1t has been found by
looking over tho records of ono of the
leading railroads entering Louisville
that this is untrue. During three years.
ON ono of tho busiest roads entering tho
city, there were only killed and l6S
injured, all of whom were brakemen
except two, and they were freight con
duetors who had assumed the duty of
brakomen. ono by making coupling
and the other by assisting i'll unloading
freight
1t would seem that inexperienced men
would be most apt to get injured, but
tho figures show differently. as indicat-
ed by tho following: Eleven, or Q. SO per
cent of the total number of traimmcn
were injured during their first year Of
service; Is, or l2.l6 per cent, were in
jured who had been in the service two
years 10, or ILL per cent, had been
Ill tho service three years; -, or 10. 30
per cent, -four years; 20, or 20 per cent.
five years; -, or. 2i.77 per cent. six
years; Ii, or 9. IS per cont, seven years
., or 300 per cent, eight years 3, or
AZ per cont, nine years; 8, or 4. 10 per
cent, ten years. and II. or $50 per
cent, over ten years, some of whom had
been Ill the service 10, Is and 90 years
IL will be noted That tho largest aver.
age of injuries occurred after the ON
ployoe had been in service six years,
and the figures given would Indicate
that employees IA general rule are
careful up To tho time whom they have
been in the service three to four years
and then become moro careless until
about their eighth year of service, when
the Indications show that they again
become careful, Hs those who had work.
ed over ten years have very small
comparative per cent of injuries com.
pared with those who had worked six
years. With tho completion of the equip
mont of all box cars with automatic
couplcrs, arhrakes, etc, the liability
of II trainman being injured will have
been reduced 10 minimum, as the rec
ord COOS to show that Mt least two. thirds
of tho injuries were caused by attempt
ing To couple automatio drawbars with
II link and pin To tho old fashioned
solid on skeleton drawbar, which Is
very dangerous oven to the most expe.
rienced railroad man. Other causes
were on account Of uneven drawbars,
some being rs much as three inches
higher than others All this will be REQ
titled with the law which requires all
d""''i'a"s Ia - If standard hainht
great many trainmen were injured by
stopping upon stones or links III jump
ing oil to throw switches eto., quite n
number by being thrown Off on account
of the ley condition of the tops Of tho
cars
There was one case where brake
man was standing near the end Of car
when another cut of cars struck 10, and
he was thrown from tho top Of tho eur
to the ground, aliRhting squarely upon
his icut and "stovinR him up" severe
ly, us Wiil DO readily understood A
few were compelled to jump from the
top of ears in cases Of derailment 9th
ers Ind their feet mashed by uttompt-
ing to shove an automatic drawbar over
IA few inches to enable it to come more
Hquarely III contact with the automatic
coupler. This IL ono Of the serious OBJ
joctions to tho automatic rawbnr-that
it will not couple readily ON curve,
and IL il necessary for the trainmen
either to pull ono Of the drawbars over
or shove il over with their feet
ono OF tho most general causes of
pinohed fingers was ON account Of tho
pin failing to drop all the way down
into tho h0lo when coupling with II
link and pin Tho brakomen invariably
reach over To give tho pin start no IL
will drop into tho hole, when tho cars
frequently roll one way or the other
just few inches and catch tho pin just
before it gets all tho way down, causing
it to tilt back and catch the fingers be-
tween pin and end sill Of tho car.
A few were injured by holding tho
grab iron on tho end Of tho car-rccently
added to all freight cars by an act of
congressman attempting To mako the
coupling when long lumber on bridge
iron would DO extending over the end Of
the car to bo coupled to, and catch their
hands between the timber and end Of
the car. However, this dangerous meth
cd Of coupling cars together that have
lading projecting over the ends Of them
will soon be u thing Of the past, ns it il
becoming general rule for all com
panies not to permit the loading Of cars
in this manner Whenever there Is long
timber to load tho companios require
tho uso Of two cars instead of one. as
heretofore.
With the taking effect Of the new law
compelling railroads to have all cars
equipped with automatic drawbars and
have tho dfawbars Of equal height from
rails, the position of railroad brakeman
will MT hp such "A hazardous one. -
Louisville Courier journal.