Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-13
ROCK ISLAND RULES
NEW SET OF REGULATIONS BE.
ING PREPARED BY sUPERlN.
TENDENTs AT CHICAGO.

Standard Code Will Be Adopted-MiI-
waukee Brakeman George Cook,
Loses Train Near Muscatine-Call
Bows Place is Filled.
A new code Of rules is being pre-.
pared for the Rock Island railway for
me suldance of trainmen and others.
rms includes the division which passes
through Ottumwa. No official noti-
ncatlon has been received at the local
omces, but it is understood that the
rules are being prepared in Chicago.
FROM year to year rules and regula-
tons have been added until now after
forty-fiye years of the cooperation the
men have become involved in verita-
Bile maze. The mass of rules and or
ders under which the employees of the
company have been staggering are to
be discarded, and new set known as
the standard code will be adopted. The
latter is system of rules in force on
majority of the railroads of the coun-
try, and under which the operation of
trains is greatly simplified.
By the abandonment of the old rules
and the adoption of the standard code.
the Rock Island will start over, and
the men must be educated, but the task
| will be an etsy one, as it involves more
the elimination of the old and super
fiuous instructions than the adoption
of new ones. However, the standard
code will mean the application of many
new regulations on the Rock Island.
One of the features of the new set
of rules, which will go into effect prob
ably February Is, will be an entire re-
organization of the signal staff of the
system. Heretofore all of the train
operation has been under the telegraph
department of the road. Under the
standard code the signals and ope.
rations will be directed by signal
engineer, who will head signal de-
partment. The entire system will be
reorganized to bring about this change.
Officers of the Rock Island are work
ing continuously on the new rules, sew
eral meetings of the general superin-
tendents of the entire system having
been held in Chicago. The work of
effecting the changes is under the i'm
mediate direction of ]. o. Crockett, as
sistant to the general manager. Mr..
Crockett says there will be no changes
in the well known rules of the compa-
ny bearing upon the conduct and dis
cipline of employees.
Lost His Train.
The boys at the Milwaukee junction
are telling good story of how George
w. Cook, of this city, lost his train
near Muscatine yesterday. He was
brakeman on Freight No. 70 and about
6 o'clock in the morning he felt an
awful jar. Sitting on the frozen earth
George watched the train glide swiftly
by without him. Then. it was that he
realized the folly of leaning too far
out from a swiftly moving train, and
losing ones balance in an endeavor to
signal the engineer when the train
was going around six degree curve
Crawling painfully back over the
track, he soon discovered that he was
comparatively uninjured, and that he
had made his temporary exit from rail-
way life about a mile above Muscatine,
and the only thing to do was to walk
it. This he did, and waiting at the
Muscatine station for the next train he
clambered aboard and followed his flu
gitive train.
Meanwhile, CONSERVATION reigned
aboard Freight No. 70, of the Chicago,
Milwaukee & st. Paul railway when
that train pulled into the sta
ton at Nahant, four miles west
of Davenport when it was discovered
that the brakeman of the train was
missing. A hasty search of the train
failed to bring him to light. Then
the wires began to get busy and in
quiries as to the whereabouts of Mr..
Cook began pouring in at Muscatine.
His anxious comrades were assured of
his safety, and told to await his COM
ing on the next train. The last heard
from him was that he had again
reached his train, after having been
lost for over four hours in the wilder
ness.
Railroad Notes.
Frank Lyons has accepted the posi-
ton of night caller at the Milwaukee
Junction. Ed Hampton, extra SWITCH
man, will assume the duties of day
caller tomorrow. Yard Clerk William
Smiley, who has been doing the call
ing since the callboys' strike" will
have been temporarily performed by
his father A. r. Smiley.
James Sweeney, bill clerk at the
Burlington freight house, went to AL
bia today to attend grand ball to
be given by the Hibernians of that
place this evening.
The Burlington has issued a new
set Of instruction to the trainmen in
the freight service regarding the
handling OF tank cars in case of fire.
The digging of large holes to prevent
i - Z I'll So, Il 1.srN H.
packing companies are having bulle-
tins posted in the railway offices re-
garding the handling of meat in case
of wreck.
Yardmaster Mckinley has moved in
to the new yard Office at the SMilwau-
kee Junction.
Three of the four call boys who
Struck at the Milwaukee few days
ago called at the Courier office last
evening and stated that they had
struck and had not been discharged.
The boys who made the statement are