The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-21
RAILROAD NEWS.
Santa Fe Employees Agitating
a Watch Inspection Bill.
Object to the Rule Requiring
So Frequent Inspection.
TO COME JANUARY 1ST
Employees Think Company
Should Furnish Engineer
With a Standard Watch In Ad-
dition to His Own
TO COME JANUARY 1ST

There IS an agitation well under way
among the railroad men of Kansas, and
especially the Santa Fe employees. to
have the next regular session OF the
legislature pass a bill regulating the in
spection and carrying OF watches by
engineers.
The present rule, as in operation on
the Santa Fe, requires that every en-
efneer and conductor shall carry a
watch that will pass the examination OF
the watch inspecting department. The
watch must be a II jeweled movement
and must be rated once a. year by the
general watch inspector at Topeka The
watch must not vary over 80 seconds a
week in three positions, viz dial up,
dial down and stem up. If the watch,
during the rating in the three positions
varies more than the rate of 80 seconds
a week the owner is compelled to secure
a watch that will meet the requirement
before he is allowed to go out on an en-
CINE.
The engineers and conductors have
never liked the arrangement as they
are required to register their watch ev-
cry time before making a run and Tor
the reason too, that the company makes
it compulsory that a new watch be Sc
cured if the one turned in for rating
does not come up to the requirements.
When the watch inspecting department
was started a new movement called
1.-THE Santa Fe Route" was adopted by
the company as the standard watch.
Employees were not compelled to buy
this particular movement but as it was
named as the standard movement, many
purchased them in place of their own
watches OF less than II jewels or of
watches that did not meet the require
ments of the inspection. The engineers,
in many cases, have claimed that the
standard movement was not a good in
VeStment and for several years there
has been more or less trouble on this
score with the watch factories in the
east taking q lively interest in the
question.
The movement has been started to
have the legislature pass a bill to re-
quire two watches on each engine The
present rule is that the engineer only
is required to have a. rated watch. The
bill proposed is that the company shah
be required TO furnish the engineer with
a watch in addition to his own. The rea-
son given is that in case one watch
should give out there will be another
on the engine to refer to.
A year ago wreck occurred on the
cutoff that was caused wholly by the
handspring breaking and stopping the
engineers watch. It was Engineer Nc
Cauly's watch. He was running on the
local freight and glanced at his watch.
He saw that he had time to make the
siding at EdgertOn and went on. His
watch had stopped from a broken main
spring and a head end collision. with
freight No. % with Engineer Welch was
the result. Engineer McCauly and Con-
ductOr Neughbauer were both laid off
on account of the wreck which would
have undoubtedly been averted had
there been two watches on the engine.
This is cited as an instance in favor of
the bill to be proposed.
A new rule goes into effect January
LIST, that all watches carried by engt-
neerS and conductors must be rated
once a month and that a. certificate
must be had every week. The rule has
been that the watches should be rated
once a year and a certificate be issued
once a month.
The railroad men are determined to
push the proposed bill and active steps
will be taken at once to work up a.
sentiment in favor of it.