The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-02-15
THE WRESTLING BILL
The Views of an Experienced
land Practical Engineer.
Mr.. W. C. Petty Points Out What He Regards
as The Dangers in The Justice Bill Pend
ing in The Senate.


track by both blowing and whistling has
been made a special order for next We'd
nesday. Some of the strongest men in
the Senate earnestly favor the bill and
others equally strong will vigorously
fight it. 1t promises to be debate well
worth hearing.
Mr.. w. {. Petty, manager of the Car
thage Railway, who has had thirty years
experience as a practical railroad iuan
was in Raleigh yesterday. He has off
and on run an engine for many years,
and on his own road today runs an en-
CINE often because he likes to do it, He
has decided views about tie Justice bill
and thinks it ought not to pass. Speaking
of the BILL lie gave his views as follows:
Il have not the pleasure or honor of
an acquaintance with Mr. Justice. the
author and introducer of this bill, but
feel assured that he had, in introducing
the bill, the welfare Of the people of the
State at heart; that he was moved by
desire to protect lhuman life, a laudibie
purpose on the part OF any man.
Neither do / think he introduced the
bill with the view of working hardship
on the railroads of the State, for l must
think he recognizes in them a great in
dustry, which has gone far towards -
development of North Corolina
"But the putting of this bill as a law
upon the statute books will work great
y hardship-and bring, unnecessarily,
large number of suits for damage against
the railroads. and at the same time
greatly increase the number of people
killed by trains, on account of walking
on railroad tracks, the very thing.
think the introducer of this bill is trying
TO prevent. And why? Because the peo-
pie will then think that the trains will be
compelled to ring their bells and blow
their whistles at them. and that there
will be no danger of being hit by train,
and a much greater numbec Of people
will risk walking on the tracks. and the
result will be a large increase in the
number of people killed in this way. on
account of the great number taking the
risk.
Il have been in the railroad service
thirty years. and have run a locomotive
thousands of miles, and have rode thou
sands of miles with other engineers. and
yet l have to find an engineer that did
not ring his bell to warn a person that
him, and blew his whistle, too if he fail
ed to notice the bell. Railroad engineers
are not set of murderers that run over
a man or a woman every time that they
get a chance. The trouble is, they do
not always see them, and again the peo-
pie will not heed their warnings.
81 heard some speeches in the Senate
Chamber on this bill on the 9th inst. and
never run a locomotive, and did not know
from practical experience the trouble in
this matter. that causes so many deaths.
And l think l will be sustained in what
I say by any practical engineer. / said
q while ago they do not always see the
people walking on the track ahead of
them. You are probably surprised at that
statement. But | hope to make clear to
you, and II when you are on train, think
the engineers eyes are always looking
ahead, and on the rails, you are mis-
taken. That is his business in the main,
and he is always looking ahead when
not compelled to attend to other matters
that are just as important, and neces-
sarily Iclam q little of his time. In old
times the engine valves and cylinders
We're oiled by the fireman going out to
the steam chest and putting in oil or tai
low while the engine was rolling down
grade. But all modern engines are oiled
from the cabs by sight feed lubricator,
with three tubes. one feeding the air
pump and the other two, the right and
left cylinders These tubes feed two to
three drops minute, and it is import
ant that they feed all the time, or your
valves become dry, and your cylinders
are cut hence the engineer has to oc-
casionally turn his eyes to the lubrlca-
tor to see that the lubricator is feeding,
and this will take him ten to twenty
seconds, during which time he will cover
a third of a mile. and may run over a
man and never know that he had killed
him, because he was otherwise engaged
at the time, and did not see him. Again,
he has to see that the water is kept at
the right guage in his boiler. hence he
has TO throw his eyes to the water guage
occasionally to see that he has plenty OF
water. and again the injectors some time
fail tn work when he goes to start
them and he is forced to give that q
few seconds of his time, and during this
time he NAV run q man down on the
rails and kill him-yet has never seen
him.
"Thus YOU will clearly see that it is
impossible for an engineer to always see
the people walking on the tracks, how
ever careful he may be. Now. to the
people needing the warming And here
is where the greatest trouble comes IN
have often times rung my Dell aho
blown the whistle at people walking the
track ahead of me. and they would looh
back to see how far l was from them, ano
then continue on the track until l was 81
near them before thely attemptaed to ge'
out of the way that had they stumbled
in attempting to get off, no power OF
earth could have prevented me IRON
killing them You have not the remotes
idea unless you have had experience OF
the carelessness of the people walking OF
the tracks of a railroad. Now, IL you
blow the whistle and ring the bell there
is great doubt about their noticing them
/ came over here on a train today, aho
/ presume the engineer blew all the
crossing blows, but if I was sworn as &c
the truth of the matter 7 could not say
that they did, I did not hear
them. And why? Because was
ind he