El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-31
ARGUMENTS AGAINST THEM.
The Railroad Employees Are Having
Their Innings At Austin On The
Double Header Question


Double Header Question
The airing of the doub header ques-
ton before the state railroad commits
sion continues to attract attention all
over the state. In the proceedings OF
yesterday, witness examined was j.
r Norton, who has been an attorney
since 1896, but who was An engineer
on this division of the G. H., running
Dus of Ell Paso for nine years. He tes-
tilted thai dOuble-hesding is extra ha-
zardous TO employ es and TO the public.
He explained that the road front lidden
to Ell Psso is rolling, with long hills
from Del Rio to FL Paso. Double
headers were used on through freight
trains only. As master of the lodge
1t San Autonio ne had heard numerous
complaints and personally Investigated
the conditions and WAS positive OF the
dangers. We have an illustration OF
trains breaking in two where cars have
no air brakes and the engineers would
not know IL because of the failure of
the air to work. Counsel questioned
the witness to show that the conductor
and rear brakeman sre in no less dan
ger than the engineer and fireman
on the second engine Witness did
not think go. Witness Insisted that
the vibrations of the frat engine, dirt.
cirders and smoke of the first engine,
Mi 60 to prevent the second eugi1e
crew from seeing ahead. He had
never been on a double-header train n
accident. He thought the danger
with less mum Der of men operating
dou ble-headers is greater than with
more men operating single-headers
because il makes the responsibility
lighter, tending to carelessness. He
testified that in his opinion the South
ern Pacific has not insugurated
double-headers for fast service. but as
matter OF dollars and cents, and he
alleged that thls company sacrifices
life and limb to make dollars.
He did not know of the men request
ing to be placed on double-headers on
the Southern Pacific. 81 e thought that
the greater danger lies in the ''hog
back" or rolling country, where it Is
impossible to make permanent ballast,
and that engines are not constructed
with view to run successfully over
track of all character.
The next witness was L. f. Lauer, of
Temple, who came to the stand using q
crutch, explaining that he was fire.
man on q second engine in a double
header and was in ured while at work.
He had worked CD engines for the
Santa Fe elk years and was of the
opinion that double-headers entail an
unusual degree of Danger to employees
a. compared with single-headers.
He gave an account of the wreck In
which he was Djured, which occurred
on Feb. 26, and was on the street yester-
day for the fret time. His engineer
was severely injured, while the crew
Of first engine lmped. there being
collision at the station of Davidson.
He felt the fret engineer apply the air,
but did not have time to get off. He
did not know II that accident could
have been prevented with single
header, but said that the crew of the
second engine would not have been
injured.
Mr.. G. L. Wilson, of Cleburne,
engineer On the Santa Fe resumed his
testimony, Mr.. James A. Baker con-
Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio |
Railway. He said one element of |
danger is the pulling out of the draught |
appliance which falls under the train |
and derails the care; another that in q |
hog back country where there are
grades, the slack lengthens out and
draws up suddenly throwing men in
ihe caboose over stoves, etc, iDjuring
them severely; that il results in
and one part running into another. He
said that the hospital records show
hat the fewer numb Der of trains run on
The Santa Fa. the greater number of
&c cidents: that the liability to train
men Is greatest in summer time from
trains parting because the conductor
and rear brakemen are usually on top
of the train, while in winter time they
are iu"the caboose, except when trains
IRE to be brought under control. He
aid the rule is that the first engine
8 TO apply the brakes on the train, but
hat II the air has refused to work,
he second engine could apply the air
he knew of double.header breaking
two twenty seven times In 60 miles.
There is difficulty in giving signals
handling a long train,
which results in increased
augers to trainmen. On reex- 1