Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-07
MAY BE GIVEN MORE TINE.
Delay in Equipping Railways With
Automatic COuplers.

DE IuoAeAH
Delay in Equipping Railways With
Automatic COuplers.
After recess yesterday afternoon IN the
hearing of the interstate commerce COM
mission given to the representatives OF the
several railway companies asking Tor
further extension of the time allowed the
railroads to equip their lines with safety
appliances Mr.. MacVeagh again addressed
the commission, dwelling upon the enor-
nous progress already made by the rail-
roads, which, he said. had spent slOo.oo'
600 to comply with the law. II the extern
sion were not granted. he said, the WIFI
drawal of 175,000 cars from interstate COM
merce would inflict serious injury upon
the business interests of the country.
Mr. Ely of the motive department OF the
Pennsylvania railroad gave 1t as ms view
that ii would be entirely impracticable for
one road to equip all the foreign cars on
its line.
CoupIers in BAD Condition.
President Knapp at this point stated that
travelling inspector Of the commission
who had been examining the equipment OF
roads for some time had found an almost
ideal state of affairs far as handholds
and standard heighth of drawbars, but that
he had found a surprising state OF anairs
far as some of the alleged automatic
coupers was concerned. 1t was discredlt-
able, he said. The appliances for operating
the couplers, especially the unlocking
mechanism. was found out of order in 20 per
cent of the couplers. The couplerS coulu
not be worked except by going between the
cars and were more dangerous than the Old
locks and pins.
against the statement that % per cent of
the couplers were out of order He
thought l or per cent would cover the
cOuplers out of order
The secretary of the commission said
that four lodges of the railroad conduc-
tors, eight of locomotive eng neers, ana one
of firemen had petitioned in favor of extern
sion, and that eleven lodges of railway
trainmen, ten OF railway conductors, three
of firemen and three of engineers had pc
titioned against extension.
Opinion of Tralnmen.
E. f. Clark, president OF the Order OF
Railway Conductors, said he had no desire
to embarrass the commission or the rail-
roads, He only desired to express the con-
sensus Of opinion of men engaged in the
engine aud train service of railroads. The
law was enacted for the protection of the
| employees and the pubic lie Would no,
detail the appalling loss of life among rail-
road employees. Loss of life was inseparaole
| from work upon railroads. Two years ago
| the employees joined with the roads IN ask,
| ing for al, extension. The employees wanted
| to be reasonable. The inherent defect in
| the law. he said, was that its enforcement
would punish the innocent as well as the
guilty.
| In 1895 said he. 1883 railroad employees
| were Killed and 81 761 had been injured.
Oh these 900 had been killed and over
| 6 600 wounded in coupling cars. II the law
| had been obeyed and had accomplished is
| OF iect not one of those men would have
| been killed injured. AS regards the
| cost of which the railroads had complained.
said he. it was hard to strike a nain SiI
| between dollars and cents and lost lives
| and injuries. Railroad organizations during
| the last two years had paid out over 81,
| O0u 900 in death and sick benefits AS men
| c,.Dpled in service were debarrcd from 1ur-
| Their employment by railroads those organ
| izations wanted just as few men crippled
| as possible.
| had order. TO which attention had been
| called he declared that until the law be-
| came actually operative it would be impos-
| sible to compel the roads to Keep 1helI
| cCuplers in good order
Would Give a Few Months.
| He called attention to the fact thai
| many roads. which were now completely
| eoujpped were before the commission two
| years ago contending that it would be alb
soIuteIy Impossible for their roads to equiv
! their cars in less than five years. He sait
| that few private car lines Owners of re
| fr.gerator cars etc.) showed a dispositio!
| to equip their cars He Thought sooner ol
| later all roads would be Obliged 70 equiv
|
willing TO take the position that the Law
| Should be made operative December 81, NJ
SAID the railroad employees asked that thei
| interes be considered. TWO years ago tn'
| railroads asked five years. They got two
now they wanted one. Upon behalf OF tn
| employees he asked that the time shoui'
| rot be extended more than lew mounts
| fcnr 10 six months. Whatever be done il
the matter he asked that the commission
make it plain once for all that If extension
| is granted it is the last II,
| engineers of the Pottsville, Pa, lodge
| asked that the extension be granted, o,i
that the railroads be given to understan
| that no further extension is to De nope
| for. a.,
1t seems probable, as result OF tn
| hearing that the commission Will gran
| the railroads further extension or 81
, | months within which to comply With IN
, | safety ambulance act.