The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-21
ACCIDENTS NUMEROUS
FACTORY INSPECTOR M'ABEE SAYS
WRECKS CAN BE AVOIDED.
American Trainmen Are Too Prone to
Take Chances-Not Enough Men
Are Employed.

Factory Inspector McAbee spent several
years in an engine cab and still takes an
active interest in everything that pertains
to the running of trains. Deputy Inspector
Clark used to be a locomotive fireman and
he too is interested in railroads. The wreck
of the Purdue special created good deal o.
comment in the inspectors office and it's
different phases have been frequently dis
cussed. Inspector McAbee for years has
kept book of clippings regarding railroad
wrecks. He believes that most wrecks
could be avoided and has some views about
the running of railroads.
The inspector has figures at hand which
show that the railroads of England in 1902
carried 1876, 100000 passengers and of this
vast number only two passengers were
killed The English roads injured CTS pas
sengers and killed fourteen employees. Three
hundred and eighty employees were injured.
Casualty statistics regarding accidents on
the railroads of Germany and France are
still lower.
TOO FEW MEN.
THE railroads of the United States do
not employ a sufficient number of either
train men or track walkers" said Inspector
McAbee. Nor are the running gears of
trains. especially of freight trains, inspect
ed as frequently and carefully they
should be. All trains scheduled at more
than thirty-five miles an hour should have
a third man on the engine. AS il is now
the lookout ahead is left entirely to one
man. The fireman is constantly engaged
shoveling coal. The engineers attention
may be taken from the road ahead for
thirty seconds. That means half mile of
distance and in that time he may have
passed danger signal and in another half
minute plunged into the rear end of a train
ahead. In the case of the Purdue special
the fireman has stated that the engineer
just before the crash putting on the
injector and his attention was withdrawn
from the view ahead for longer time than
he expected. Had a third man been looking
or had the engineers attention not been
drawn TO the injector 1t is fair to believe
he would have seen the coal cars on the
track ahead. He could not be held respon-
sible IL this was the cause of the wreck
for engines cannot run without water and
injectors do not always work at the first
trial: Too much responsibility is thrown on
one individual without any means of detect
ing or checking up his mistakes. In these
days OF electric signals there was no excuse
for the wreck at Peoria the other night for
either train could have signaled to the 9TH
er that the track was occupied.
"A movement looking TO third man on
the engine and more employees generally will
be opposed by many engineers for fear II
| will cause q reduction in their wages II
| is human nature TO prefer to take chances
where dollars and cents are concerned
would lessen the danger.
RULES MEAN LITTLE.
| Every railroad superintendent knows full
we'll that if the book of rules were followed
in all its details the very best time a pas.
senger train could make would be forty
miles an hour. and not always that and 6
freight train would be days in getting ovel
| the road. Rear-end collisions not fire.
quent in the State of Illinois, because the
/ law compels them to have a rear brake.
men or fiagmen on all trains. All passenger
| trains should have full complement Of
| brakemen. This would prevent a large
| per cent. of these rear-end collisions. Ii
| England the railroad companies employ
| Is men for each mile of track; Belgium EN-
| ploys p, Russia 15 Germany II, France IA
| the United States 5.
"All country railroad crossings should b,
| well planked, and horses trained to eros:
| quickly so as to get across the track at tn,
rate of six or eight miles an hour Mos
| horses are trained TO cross a railroad tract
| ing a spring or axle. This believe 10 be
| dangerous custom. If all crossings wer
| properly planked and teams driven owe
them at speed OF six miles an hour, which
| is very moderate speed, Ii would reuuir
| but three and a half seconds to clear tn
| vehicle of danger.
In answering how may railroad acct
dents be reduced to minimum / would sa,
| to place a third man the engines of al
| trains scheduled at greater speed thai
thirty five miles an hour whose business 4
would be to look only for signals, receive
read and hand all orders to the engineer
who should also read the orders aloud 4
the signal man. The conductor having :
| duplicate in his possession it should be reat
aloud by the brakeman, and would very ma
and thus prevent accidents from thi
cause"