The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-04-26
A TRAINMAN'S RISKS
FIGURES WHICH GO TO SHOW THAT
THEY ARE oVERESTlMA1ED.

Brakemen, and the Old Hands Among
Them, Are Oftenest VictIms-But the
Statistics Quoted May Be Exceptional.
Benefits From Safety Appliances.
1t has been estimated, and, in fact,
railroad men frequently make the re-
mark, that the average life Of man
actively engaged in train service is
about seven years. In other words, that
they are either crippled up SO as to rem
der them unfit for service again in a
like capacity or are killed on an aver.
age in that time 1t has been found by
looking over the records Of one of the
leading railroads entering Louisville
that this is untrue. During three years,
on one of the busiest roads entering the
city, there were only 2 killed and 1913
injured, all of whom were brakemen
except two, and they were freight con-
ductors who had assumed the duty of
brakemen, one by making coupling
and the other by assisting in unloading
freight.
1t would seem that inexperienced men
would be most apt to get injured, but
the figures show differently, as indicat-
ed by the following: Eleven, or 1856 per
cent of the total number of trainmen,
were injured during their first year of
service; 18, or IL. 16 per cent, were in
jured who had been in the service two
years; 10, or ILL per cent, had been
in the service three years; %, or 16. 30
per cent, four years; 20, or 20 per cent,
five years; 81, or 21.77 per cent, six
years; 18, or 8. So per cent, seven years;
3, or $50 per cent, eight years; 8, or
LAT per cent nine years; 8, or A. 16 per
cent, ten years. and 10, or $50 per
cent, over ten years, some Of whom had
been in the service 10, IS and % years.
1t will be noted that the largest aver
age of injuries occurred after the en-
ployee had been in service six years,
and the figures given would indicate
that employees as general rule are
careful up to the time when they have
been in the service three to four years
and then become more careless until
about their eighth year of service, when
the indications show that they again
become careful, as 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 the completion of the equip
ment of all box cars with automatic
couplers, airbrakes, etc., the liability
of trainman being injured will have
been reduced to minimum, as the rec
ord goes to show that at least two-thirds
of the injuries were caused by attempt
ing to couple automatic drawbars with
link and pin to the old fashioned
solid or skeleton drawbar, which is
very dangerous even to the most expe-
rienoed railroad man. Other causes
were on account of uneven drawbars,
some being as much as three inches
higher than others. All this will be rec
titled with the law which requires all
drawbar to be of standard height. A
great many trainmen were injured by
stepping upon stones or links i'll jump
ing off to throw switches, etc., quite a
number by being thrown off on account
of the icy condition of the tops of the
cars.
There was one case where brake
man was standing near the end of car
when another cut of cars struck it, and
he was thrown from the top of the car
to the ground, alighting squarely upon
his feet and SLOWING him up severe
ly, as will be readily understood. A
few were compelled to jump from the
top of cars in cases of derailment. 9th
ers had their feet mashed by attempt
ing to shove an automatic drawbar over
few inches to enable it to come more
squarely in contact with the automatic
coupler. This is one of the serious OBJ
jections to the automatic drawbar-that
it will not couple readily on a curve,
and it is necessary for the trainmen
either to pull one of the drawbars over
or shove it over with their feet.
One of the most general causes Of
pinohed fingers was on account of the
pin failing to drop all the way down
into the hole when coupling with a
link and pin. The brakemen invariably
reach over to give the pin start SO it
will drop into the hole, when the cars
frequently roll one way or the other
just few inches and catch the pin just
before it gets all the way down, causing
it to tilt back and catch the fingers be-
tween pin and end sill of the car.
A few were injured by holding the
grab iron on the end of the car-recently
added to all freight cars by an act Of
congressman attempting to make the
coupling when long lumber or bridge
iron would be extending over the end of
the car to be 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 thing of the past, as it is
becoming general rule for all COM
panies not to permit the loading of cars
in this manner Whenever there is long
timber to load the companies require
the use 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 the drawbars of equal height from
rails, the position of railroad brakeman
will not be such hazardous one
Louisville Courier journal.