Omaha daily bee., 1904-12-25
SAFETY DEVICES AND TRAINMEN
Mechanical Contrivances of Little
Value When orders Are
Disobeyed.

F. w. Haskell, writing in the December
issue of the Engineering Magazine, says
that the large number Of accidents on
American railways is attributable to a
habit of carelessness which the tralnmen
cultivate with the connivance of their SUI
periors. The operating rules, says the
writer, are sufficient to prevent nearly every
accident-and the record of late has been
appalling-but they are habitually disre-
garded. Part of Mr.. Haskell's article is
quoted below:
Given solid roadbed, heavy rails, strong
equipment, proper signals and almost per-
feet operating rules, why do we have the
almost daily murder OF passengers from
preventable accidents?
Because the admirable rules for the gov
ernment OF employees are habitually disre-
garded
We are prone to speak with something
like contempt OF the average Englishman's 8
blind slavishness to regulations" and to
compare IL to its disadvantage with our su-
perior fashion OF disregardng fixed rules
and using Individual intelligence. But we,
with our quicker intellects, kill our pas
sengers, while the "dull-witted" English
man carries his in safety. A train is
Unexpectedly stopped between stations. The
rules provide that a 1agman must go back
a very considerable distance 1t is showing.
A long tramp means wet feet. The flagman
reasons: 1--WE will be here only few Sec
onds anyway. / will be called in before I
can get back to my post. and then the
train will be delayed while am running
back 10 it-besides the block signal will
hold back any following train
Many roads having installed a perfect
system OF block signals destroy its entire
hxy oh Itahi he
sve block" or "going ahead under green"
BY this system a following train is given
discretionary power TO run In block al
ready occupied This permission is always
coupled with the injunction that the enEt-
neer must use caution and "at all times
have his train under perfect control" But
in actual operation caution" usually
means not exceeding the maximum possible
speed of the engine.
once stood by the side of a busy line
with the signal engineer OF the road. This
line had complete installation of block
signals. We watched dozen heavy freights
rush by at thirty miles an hour, with NOT
100 yards of daylight separating any two of
them. I expressed surprise at the reckless
disregard OF signals, and the officer said,
'Freights run regardless OF the blocks. We
couldn't get them over the road II we kent
them block apart" -
In the rear-end collision last year on ths
Central of New Jersey the engineer OF the
following train disregarded the red block.
the waving lanterns OF two hagmen ana
the tall lights OF the first train. into which
he plunged.
In butting collision a few months ago
IN Michigan the engineers OF the opposine
trains saw each others headlights on A
straight track for four miles.
Every added mechanical device for the
protection OF trains (short OF one which IN
spite OF the efforts OF the trainmen would
automatically stop and hold a train) Is an
added source OF danger, until every man
connected with the train service is drilled
10 the point that he would murder his
mother IN cold blood as soon as he would
disregard an order or a signal.