The record-union., 1899-09-23

absolutely unable to hold up his head
by reason of the fact that he was over
worked. There is only one
theory that will account for nearly
score of accidents that have occurred
along the line of the Southern Pacific
during the present year. 1t is
that the policy of retrenchment IN
augurated by the Southern Pac1nc
Company at the beginning of the year
is responsible for all the accidents
in that it compels engineers, firemen
and trainmen to work when they are
nearly dropping on their feet from
sleep, while it has cut down the force
Of track walkers to the danger point.
1t is true that a policy of retrench-
ment was inaugurated at the begin
ming of the year; indeed, it is but
short while since the management was
severely criticised in the press because
the expense of the fiscal year which
closed on June Both (Which embraces
the first six months of this calendar
year during which the alleged policy
of retrenchment was inaugurated) were
very much higher than usual, and it
was stated this had caused great dis
O$OO~AAA
Trainmen are not paid by a flexible
day which can be stretched out at will
to effect economics, but are paid on the
basis of miles or hours run, and put
ting aside all feelings of humanity or
cosideration for it's employees on the
part of the management, there is no
earthly motive for overWorking the
men, as the company cannot save one
In11n a Now
man was caused by an employe who
had been on duty only four hours after
having been off duty at terminal sta
tion twelve hours and thirty minutes.
His own statement as to acknowledge
ing signals, which is corroborated by
the testimony of nine other men, proves
conclusively that he was certainly not
asleep.
AS no serious accident has been
caused by defects of track, it is not
clear what is meant by the statement
that the track walkers force has been
cut down to the danger point. There
is not a foot of track over which trains
are operated on the entire 1867 miles
of the company's system that is not
daily, properly and carefully inspected
Sixth-The statement is made as to
the Famoso wreck that the engineer
who gave up his life at his post of duty
was drunk; that the equipment dam
aged in the wreck was poor, and the
baggage car sills had been spliced.
Not a scintilla of evidence to warrant
the charge of drunkenness against the
dead engineer can be found The nobil-
ity of self-sacrifice of the last act of
his life should have protected him from
such a charge unless well founded. The
statement about the sills of the coach
was unfounded, as not a sill in the car
was broken. 1t was impossible for any
one to see them, as they were covered
and none of the covering was torn Oft
in the accident.
It is a fact often noticed that acci-
dents seem to occur in cycles. A num-
Der will occur close together and COM
paratively long periods of immunity
will thereafter be enjoyed. Systems Of
discipline or methods of management
cannot fairly be judged by a small
number of cases. Judgment should be
predicated on statistics covering a rea-
sonably long period of time. Although
it is customary to refer in a very flip
pant way to the little concern given
by railroad managers to accidents, 1t
should be remembered that they are
responsible to the owners of the prop
critics. and motives of self-interest, if
no higher ones, force them to take
| cognizance of each and every accident
that happens. The Interstate Com
! merce Commission requires reports Of
all accidents occurring on the roads of
the United States, and we have basis
! for comparing the safety of operation
and, incidentally, the efficiency of dis
cipline, on the Southern Pacific lines
with all lines of the United States. The
reports of the Interstate Commerce
Commission furnish data which show
that a passenger would have to travel
about 1S1 100000 miles over the roads
of the United States generally before
being killed in a train accident, and
that he would have to travel 10,420,O00
miles before being injured in a train
accident. Similar data covering the
operations of all the Southern Pacific
/ lines show that, during the eighteen
months ending June 80, 1899. although
30, 322, 0e0 passengers were carried an
average of thirty-one miles each
| equivalent to the journey of a single
passenger of 1,000,000,000 miles-not
/ one was killed in train accident, and,
before being injured in an accident, a
! passenger would have to travel the
average distance given below:
Miles.
During six months ending June 80,
1898 -. -. -. -. .16 29O, ,0o0
/ During six months ending Decem-
Der 81, 1898 20 25U, ,UOU
/ During six months ending June 80,
/ 1899 SO 283, 900
From the above the public can judge
whether the system of discipline and
methods of management that have
| shown a steady increase in the safety
/ of travel for three periods of six
months each is inherently bad as it has
/ been recently represented to be.
| ]. KRUTTSCHNITT,
| Fourth Vice President and General
/ Manager.
STILL IN BED.