The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-09
Railroad safety Appliances.

Railroad Safety Appliances.
Some Of the most important changes
and improvements are those which 60
forward outside the field Of public
vision. One Of these - the equipment
Of railroad cars with safety appliances.
especially the air brake and the auto
matic coupler. The srsst number Of in
juries received. especially by employees.
began to attract attention many
years ago. and resulted in the
passage by congress Of IN oct COM
pelllng. all companies doing interstate
business to Mt their cars with these
safety devices The application for an
extension OF the time limit within which
such changes must be made to January
/. 1901, brings cut some interesting sta
tistics Of work already accomplished.
The extreme dificulty Of the change
should be remembered in considering
the efforts Of the roads to comply with,
the law. It was not q case where mere
expenditure OF money could accomplish
given results within fixed time. There
was no form Of automatic coupler OF
such recognized merit that II could be
adopted forthwith. Yet substantial
unanimity was much to be desired.
No company can follow its own ideas
In selecting appliances. The cars Of any
large system are constantly in use in
al. parts Of the country, they are made
up in trains with the cars Of all other
systems. and IL different couplers are
used. having no mode Of connection
with each other, the handling Of cars
becomes an inpossibility. To bring
unity out OF diversity and harmony out
Of disagreement, at the same time hold
ing fast to prudent business considera-
tons was the problem to be solved be-
fore even beginning could be made
or carrying out the terms Of the law.
Official statistics show q ratio of
equipment that is remarkable. In view
Of the difficulties just stated. Six COM
panies. owning nearly 10000 cars, re-
port the WORK completed. having
equipped all their cars with the I'M
proved devices. OF the other systems.
almost half, among them most of the
great carriers OF the country, show 90
per cent. and upward OF their cars pro-
vided with automatic couplers. In this
list are such roads a. the Michigan Gem
trail, Rock Island, New Haven. Southern
Pacific. Erie, Alton and Wabash. The
record Of the lines serving our own ter
ritory Is fine one. OF 2o.s23 cars owned
by the Great Northern system, 1891
are fitted out as required, and the
Northern Pacific shows 19,449 completed
In total OF 2l,036, the percentage OF
each being 90. When we find that the,
Erie has fitted out 43,307 cars, and that
the heaviest delinquent in the list has
nevertheless equipped 76 per cent. of its
rolling stock. we see what rapid progress
has been made in this vast and diff
cult undertaking. To most people the
figures viii be a surprise,
That these changes have conduced to
the safety Of travel and the security Of
employees was to be expected. Railway
accidents. especially to employees. are re-
lated to so many differing circumstances
that general conclusions can scarcely be
drawn from them with safety. Some
comparisons, however. are instructive.
The report Of the interstate commerce
commission shows that the number of
employees killed in 1890 was In BOG and
in 1891 1t was l in 296. BY 1898 the
ratio was hut in ATT. There has not
been the same proportional decrease
among the injured. but as to passengers
the remarkable record is one killed for
each 2,26y,27o carried. AS business in
creases on any given line. multiplying
the number and length of trains, the