Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-08-23


automatic coupIers. 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-coupIing-$ 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. 1t would
be possible for road to operate the
old-fashioned cars within the borders
of a state having no automatic car
coupler law 1t is said that it is now
a question of but a short time when
every state in the union will have such
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.
These roads own almost 5000 passen-
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 ears 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 ears not yet fitted
with the safety device In recently
published statistics the Baltimore &
Ohio road was said to have 1892 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
chat 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. l, 1898 Reasons given
by the railroads that equipment Of all
the ears 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 eE-
tended to Aug l. The extension CT
time was granted on condition that the
roads Immediately begin to equip their
cars. In June, 1898 four months after
the enactment OF the law, ,4ere were
1,0t1.51T freight ears reported as
owned, OF which --9.-S9, or - per cent,
We're equipped. in December, 1897, the
percentage Of cars equipped was So On
Dee. l, 1898, the percentage had in
creased to r. The statistics for last
July are that there are 1850 sos freight
cars owned in the United States; that
J
with automatic couplers.
1t is estimated that the railroads have
expended in the ueighborhOod OF 500
100000 in equippjng their cars with
the automatic car cOuplers and with
air brakes, which are all required by
the same law. The equippage of each
ear cost on an average $1f0, $50 for the
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 mum
Der of accidents resulting from coup
ling cars by the old-fashiOned coupling
pin system was one injured in every
tifty-seyen trainmen employed and one
killed in every 4SU. 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 ears used in interstate
traffic shall be fitted with coupIers
which shall both couple and uncouple
the cars automatically and without il
being necessary for the brakemen t
go between the ears. The principa
requirement Of the air brake provision
of the law is that the air brake shal
be controlled in the engine. While tbs
air brake is Of great Importance. the
automatic coupler is the feature o.
the law which has attracted the great
est attention, and it is this which is ex
pected to be the great accident pre-.
venter and life-saver. 1t is said thai
nearly all the coupIers now in use ii
the country and those which are being
put on the cars are all more or less
patented after the device invented
some years ago by Janney. Some
roads have gradually been euuippine
their cars for several years, but now
that the national law has gone into
effect the automatic coupler will short
" be seen on almost every freight cal
in the entire country.