The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-03
OVERNORKED TRAINMEN.
One Source of Responsibility for the
Increase i'm Railway Accidents.

&c. A. Moseley, in Review of Reviews)
1t is undeniable that many of the
accidents which occur are largely
contributed to, if not directly caused
by, the long hours of duty to which
trainmen are subjected. Could we
trace the events to their first cause
we should doubtless find that many
or those cases of misleading, over
looking, or forgetting orders were due
10 the fact that wits were dulled and
senses benumbed by lack Of rest. In
the distressing wreck at GlenWOod,
ILL.,, last summer, in which q large
number of eXcurSionistS were killed
and injured by a freight train run
nlnS INTO passenger train, the evil
dence at the coroner's inquest showed
that the freight engineer (who the
officials of the road said, "disregard-
ed plain orders and acted like a
craZy manD had been on duty more
than twenty hours. In commenting
on this case it was pertinently said
by one of the Chicago papers that
1.-The officials of the compay might as
Wen iii their engineers and firemen
with Whiskey or drug them with
opium as to send them out for fifteen
and seventeen hours of continuous
work, expecting them to keep their
heads, apply intelligently the gem
eral rules of the road, and give exact
obedience to all orders"
1t was pointed out on behalf of the
company in this GlenWood case that
the company rules permitted en-
ployes to take ten hours rest after
they had been on duty sixteen hours.
II is a universal rule with railroad
companies to permit q period of rest
after a certain period of duty before
employees are called upon to go on
duty again. But the trouble is that
these rules are permissive, not man
datory. They do not compel en-
ploves to take rest unless the en-
ployes themselves think they need it
and as consequence the necessities
If the roads, growing out OF the
movement of traffic, coupled with
the greed OF the men, who i'm many
cases .overwork themselves in order
to achieve a big monthly pay render
the rules of little or no effect.
Again there is no well organized
system of relieving crews on the road
after they have been on continuous
duty for an excessive number of
hours. 1t is a common practice when
crews ask for rest in the middle Of a
trip to run them into a side track
out nthe road and let them sleep on
the train before completing the "trip.
The sort of rest that men get While
living down in a cramped position on
an engine, while fully clothed, is not
satisfying. and cases are reported III
our bulletins where men have pulled
right out of a side track, in the face
of an opposing train, after such per
iod of rest, under the impression tha'
the train had gone. Furthermore
the construction thai is likely to be
placed on these rest rules of railroad
companies is obvious from quota
ton of the rule in force on one OF
the most prominent roads in the coun-
t1v as follows: "When train or yard
men have been over ten hours on con
tinuous duty they will, after arrival
at the terminus, be entitled to eight
hours rest without prejudice, except
when necessary to avoid delay &c
live stock or perishable freight II
will be noted that the period OF res
is allowed only after arrival at the
terminus. and then only when it will
not delay the movement of live stock
or perishable freight. When it Is
considered that i'll one of the acct
dents noted above the train crew hau
been on duty twenty-five hours anG
thirty minutes, and had not yet ar
rived at the terminus. ii viii be seer
how little relief is affected by such
rules in many urgent cases.