The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-04-04
The Railroads Presented Evidence as Il
Safety Of Their Operation.
WITH PROPER USE OF THE AIR BRAKES
MIR. scott Testified that Train OF
Forty Cars Can BE Controlled as
Well ms One of Twenty Cars.

two engines at the head OF freight train
is neither extra hazardous, injurious to
track and equipment nor source Of de-
lay in the movement of freight. Said
opinion was based principally upon OBJ
servations made while In the employ of
the Norfolk and Western, which has had
very satisfactory experience with dou-
ble-headers. AS he sees II. given suf-
ficiently strengthened roadbed, sufficiently
powerful motive power and sufficiently
equipped rolling stock there Is no limit
10 the possibilities Of double heading.
Treble heading and quadruple- heading are
desirable possibilities from transporta-
ton standpoint, the economy of operation
incidental to ngle-headers increasing
with the increase In the amount OF trac
tive power applied and tonnage handled.
Could not TESTIFY as TO the danger or non
danger of double heading on the Gulf,
Colorado and Santa Fe, as he was Lot
familiar with the equipment of that line.
Mr.. Saunderson was followed on the
stand by James Colinson of Cleburne,
master mechanic of the Gulf, Colorado and
santa Fe. Testified that automatic con-
piers are safer than pilot bars be-
cause they adjust themselves to the oscil-
lation and less liable to break. OF the
tifty-siX engines employed in double
header service on the Gulf. Colorado and
Santa Fe, thirty-two are equipped WITH
automatic couplers and the remainder are
being equipped as fast as POSSIBLE The
Santa Fe has had no freight train to
break in two since December 20 last. Sub
mitted drawing showing the connections
between an engine and its tender Ac
cording to this drawing II case OF break
TO-, IL Nty ~
! four and a half inches to be taken up
between engine and tender before the
chains placed there apply. Didn't knew
] OF any Santa Fe men advocating double-
! headers. His opinion as to the safety OF
| double headers was based upon the off,
cial reports Of the men operating Rem,
showing no increase in the number OF ac-
cidents since their operation began. Did
not know how many men are exposed to
danger in an accident to a double or sin
/ gle header. Was not an expert in the
running of trains. Safety chains are not
stronger than drawbars. but had had re-
( ports of where the safety chains had not
broken, although the drawbar had done so.
W. R. Scott of Cleburne, Santa Fe
trainmaster. was next introduced and
testified that it was his opinion that there
! Is unreasonable hazard in the operation
of double headers because OF the reduc-
tion Of the number of trains run. Dou-
ble- header trains are under absolute con-
! troll of the crew on either engine when
ever they choose TO exercise such con
troll. Where automatic couplers are used
air brakes can be safely applied to the
drivers of either engine. Jerks on dou.
! tle-headers are caused by taking the
slack out of the train too rapidly. This
can be avoided by first applying the power
on the first engine aud taking the slack
out gradually. There is no reason why
this can not be done on an ascen. ig
grade. Submitted copy of report If
trains run on tho northern division of the
Santa Fe and summary OF personal IL
jury reports made by the men on that Ii.
vision. but could not swear as IL the
4 correctness of either. as he had no per-
sonal knowledge of the facts related there
in. The purpose of these documents was
TO establish the proposition that acct
dents are not more frequent with double
than with single headers. On 2l96 sia
gle header trains run since October last
twenty-four accidents had been reported
according to Mr.. SCOTS figures as against
sixteen cases on 2251 double header trains.
On cross-examination Mr.. Scott said he
had no statistics of the train mileage in
VOWED in the comparisons he had ioffered,
LEGAL freight and mixed trains We're in
Guided among the slngle-header trains
USED in making up the figures upon which
the comparison was based.
Recess to p. m.
At the afternoon session Mr. Scott testi-
fed that with an emergency application
Of the air brakes train OF forty cars
under similar conditions could be stopped
as quickly as a train of twenty cars ac-
cording to his View of it. In case OF fail
ure of air, the longer train could not
be stopped within the distance that the
shorter could with two brakemen and a
conductor With regard to the compare
tive statement OF accidents happening on
single and double adar trains submitted
at the morning session, admitted that the
sirgle-header figures included passenger
as well as freight service. Also admitted
that said statsment takes no account oil
the greater mileage of the double header
trains used In comparison Increased
mileage Is factor tending to increase the
liability of accident. Did not know OIL
any reason why May more employees are
injured on the Santa Fe than on any othe.
railroad In the State, Did not know why
1928 employees and other persons were in.
ljured on the Sarta Fe for the year end.
ing June 80 as against 159 on the Katy
! Might be that the Santa Fe reports &C.
J cldents more correctly than other roads
e and might be that its employees dsregart
4 rules more than those OF other roads
$ II the latter were the case 1t would neces
sarily account for much of the troubl,
reported Had investigated every acct
dsnt that had occurred on the northern
division of the Santa Fe where there ha
: been destruction OF property and had n
d found where any OF these ACCIDENT
q could be attributed to double-heading. Be
o gan operation of double-headers on th
3 Sarta Fe last October because Of the larg
c volume Of business accruing at that tim
4 and because OF the many engines 1t ha
which could be grouped to handle Ia
business double-heai to better adyantag
! than slngle-head owing to their size an
/ capacity.
i General Claim Agent T. ]. Lee OF tn
Q Sauta Fe was next sworn. From rec
a ords IN his charge submitted statemen
3 showing Injuries resulting from the opera
4 ton Of trains on the Santa Fe from Dc
!. tober IL last to March 90 OF the presen
i year. Said statement showed thrty-on
n INJURIES attributable 10 double-headeF
$ and htty- eight to single-headers durin
Q that period
Mr.. Lee was followed on the stan
By General Superintendent Goode OF III
Fort Worth and Denver. Testified tina
his road has been running double-headeF
for eleven months, the mileage OF whic
appropriated $4,000 miles. No accider
attributable TO the practice had bean re