Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-08-20
RAILROAD OFFICERS AND EN-
PLOYES FAVOR THE MEASURE.
ROLLING STOCK EQUIPPED
Cost of the Improvements to the Vari-
Gus Companies Is Placed at $4,000,
000-Heavy Penalty Provided For
Failure to Comply With the HUI
name Act.

and the last one injured in coupling
freight cars together in the United
States. A few days ago there went
into effect the United States law re-
curing every railway car employed in
interstate traffic to be equipped with
automatic couplers. From the myr-
lads of freight yards will come no more
reports of brakemen being bruised and
crushed in their efforts to do coupling
by stepping in between the ends of two
cars and dropping in the coupling pins
with their hands. 1t now means fine
of 500 for any railroad to use cars in
interstate commerce which require
hand-coupling for each and ev-
cry offense.
AS the law is national in it's scope
it applies to all rolling stock operated
between the different states. It would
be possible for a road to operate the
old-fashioned cars within the borders
coupler law 1t is said that it is now
a question of but short time when
every state in the union will have such
a law, and then the original crude way
of coupling cars will disappear forever.
However, it is said that despite the
fact that it would be possible to oper-
ate cars not equipped with the new de-
vice in some states the railroads will
nevertheless improve all of their cars
with appliances at once. as it would be
more trouble than it would be worth
to endeavor to keep cars within the
limits of single state. The roads en-
tering Chicago own in the neighbor-
hood of 100000 freight cars and it is
asserted by railroad authorities that
over 80 per cent of these cars are al
ready equipped with the new coupling
contrivances as required by law
ger cars, but of course nearly all of
the passenger coaches in the country
have for years been fitted with appli-
ances for coupling which do not endan-
ger life or limb. From the platforms
of the cars the man coupling them is
enabled to accomplish the operation
by levers without exposing himself to
accident.
Many of these roads have not a car
which is not supplid with the auto
matte coupling attachments. Others
have from a few hundred up to a cou-
pie of thousand cars not yet fitted
with the safety device. In recently
published statistics the Baltimore &
Ohio road was said to have 1852 which
had not yet been supplied. This, was
a greater number of cars without the
modern appliances than was charged
to any other road entering Chicago.
The Baltimore & Ohio officials indig-
nantly deny the allegation and assert
that all their freight cars now have the
automatic couplers. Although some
authorities make the modest estimate
of 80 per cent of cars as the number
legally equipped, there are others
who say that scarcely more than one
car in 100 can be found which is not
supplied with the up-to-date brake
The law was enacted by congress in
March, 1898, and was to have gone into
effect on Jan. 1, 1898. Reasons given
by the railroads that equipment of all
the cars in the United States within
the time allotted was impossible re-
suited in an extension of time to JAN
1, 1900. Subsequently the time was ex-
tended to Aug. /. The extension Of
time was granted on condition that the
roads Immediately begin to equip their
cars. In June, 1893, four months after
the enactment of the law, ,Aere were
/ ,047,57 freight cars reported as
owned, Of which 229 ,289, or % per cent,
were equipped. In December, 1897, the
percentage of cars equipped was SO. On
Dec. 1, 1898, the percentage had in
creased to II. The statistics for last
July are that there are 1,250,808 freight
cars owned in the United States; that
1887, 299, or 81 per cent, are equipped
with automatic couplers.
It is estimated that the railroads have
100000 in equipping their cars with
the automatic car couplers and with
air brakes, which are all required by
the same law. The equippage of each
car cost on an average $110, $50 for the
Y
air brake and $40 for the coupler. All
Of the roads are Of the opinion that
this great expense will be more than
compensated for by the great decrease
in the number Of deaths and injuries
which formerly resulted from the ac-
cidents caused by the lack of these
modern Inventions In 1898 the num-
Der Of accidents resulting from coup
ling cars by the old-fashionedc coupling
pin system was one injured in every
fifty-seven trainmen employed and one
killed in every 49,. The purpose of the
law was, of course, to prevent these
accidents and to lessen the number of
collisions by affording, through the
air brakes, better control of the train.
The law explicitly provides and re-
quires that all cars used in interstate
traffic shall be fitted with couplers
which shall both couple and uncouple
the cars automatically and without it
being necessary for the brakemen to
go between the cars. The principal
requirement of the air brake provision