Waterbury Democrat., 1902-05-06
HOW TRAINMEN ARE KILLED
First Accident Bulletin Issued By the
 Government Shows This

First Accident Bulletin Issued By the Government Shows This The interstate commerce comms- sion has issued it's first accident bulle- tin, showing collisions and derailments and casualties of persons in the United States for the third quarter of last year.
 It states in part:
 The number of persons reported killed in the three months ending Sep tember 30, 1901. in collisions, derail- ments and miscellaneous railroad ac- cldents is 240, and of injured 2,622. Accidents of other kinds, in- cluding those sustained by employees While at work and by the passengers Ill getting on or off of cars, etc, in, crease the total number of casualties to l1.2l2 (725 killed and 104S7 in jured).
 1 The number of passengers killed in collisions and derailments during this quarter-57- is very large and IS equal To more than half of the total shown Tor twelve months in the commissions annual report for 1900 The present record is swelled by q single collision m August, in which 2S passengers and employees of the road were killed ms collision, due to a runaway of freight cars on a long and steep grade. cannot be satisfactorily classified as to cause, as the officers of the road report that the cars which ran away had been leIt on a side track suitably secured 1 oy hand brakes; and they have not 1 discovered how the brakes were re. leased.
 ne next most serious accident in August, caused the deatah If } passen- gers and l trainman, and was also due 10 some cause not discovered
 The average loss by each collision was SS33 and by each derailment SSO2.
 Among the deaths and injuries to employees shown there are l3O cases that are evidently due to operating trains in which air brakes were used on only a portion of the cars. Of kill. ed there were and of injured 12e. nearly all being -nraze emen. The total number of collisions and derailments I classed as due (1 to rupture or failure of air brake hose Cor other defect in air brake apparatus. causing automatic l application of brakes) and @ to acci- dental uncoupling of cars. causing au. tomatlc application, is 2O5, causing damage to the amount of $SS. The 1oO casualties caused III these colli- slons and derailments and partly in similar mishaps which were not of suf- nclent importance as train accidents. to be reported as such.
 I The element of uncertainty in 2 train partially air-braked' lies in 5he Tact that quick stoppage of the cars i'll the front Of the train (by air nres. sure) for any reason. causes the un- braked cars at the rear to crowd for. ward against those in front with such force that violent shocks are caused With all cars equally braked, all will stop in unison, or nearly so.
 It will be understood that failure q, neglect to use air brakes on q sutfi. 1 cient number of cars may result from any one of these three causes: n A considerable portion of the cars may be unequipped with the air brake an. paratus. (2) A small portion-a very
 few-of the cars may be unequip ped. but may be placed at or near .he front end of the train. preventing ai1 connection with all those beyond them (under circumstances where, if placed at the rear, they would not introduce serious element of danger This practice is either due to negligence ol to the belief that the protection is tc De had from the use of the brakes i; not of enough importance to Justify the expenditure of time that t woulC De required to change the cars from the front to the rear of the train. 8 On and near steep descending grades the air pipes on portion of the air
 brake cars in long train, nay be de Iliberately left unconneeted from tl.e air-brake apparatus of the engine fol the avowed purpose of making the train more manageable. Some rail road officers still hold that in conse quence of regulating the slack or tht , liability of the brake apparatus no
 being in perfect order, it is safer under some circumstances to regulate the speed wholly or partly by the nse ol hand brakes. It is gratifying .o state however, that upon roads having tht steepest grades this view has beer
 abandoned, and the trains are inyaria ; ply controlled by power brakes.