The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-20
MAIL CLERKS ON
LONG DEATH ROLL
Cortelyou Reports to Congress on
Perils and Casualties of
Railway Mail.
BY w. w. Jermane.

BY W. w. Jermane.
Washington, Feb. Cot is a sad
story, one Of death and serious injury
to large numbers of men, which is told
BY Postmaster General Cortelyou, in re-
ply to the resolutions of inquiry re-
garding casualties to railroad mail
clerks introduced in the senate by SEN
ator Tillman. Mr.. Tillman, in asking
for the passage of his resolution, ex-
planned that he had been reading nu-
merous newspaper reports of railroad
wrecks, in which mail clerks had been
killed or injured, and that he felt con-
gress should have at it's disposal all the
information available on that question, |
with a view to enacting suitable legis-
lation for the protection of this class
of government employees, should such |
action be advisable.
Mr.. Cortelyou reports that during the
year 1901 there were S,97S railway pos |
tai clerks in the country, and that dur
ing that year there were 825 railway
accidents, to trains hauling postal cars
Seven clerks We're killed outright, six
ty-three seriously injured, and 229
slightly injured.
The Death Roll.
The figures for succeeding years do
not give any idea of the total number
of accidents. Only those in which
clerks were injured being reported.
In 1902, nine clerks were killed,
eighty eight were seriously injured, and
SOP slightly injured. In 1903, twenty
two were killed, seventy-eight were Sc
riously injured, and 1913 slightly injured.
In 1904, twenty-one were killed, ninety
injured. In 1905, twelve were. killed,
l25 seriously injured, and 1856 slightly
Injured. Or, in five years, sixty-four
clerks have been killed, Az have been
seriously injured, and 1858 slightly in
jured. /
The Tillman resolution was directed
especially to the character of construc-
ton Of railway postal cars. He wanted
to find out to what extent this loss of
life and injury were due to peor1-
built cars. In late years it has been
tho policy of the government to demand
that mail cars be built in part>of steel,
| anil Mr.. Tillman wanted to know how
such cars had withstood the shock of
| accidents as compared with the old
wooden cars. The report of the post
master general gives all this informa-
| tion. .-
The Mail Cars.
| The old wooden cars cost from $4,000
|
cars cost from 81 900 to $4,000. The
former weigh about $4,000 pounds and
the latter from 100000 to $4,000
pounds, according to the quality of steel
used
At the close of the last fiscal year,
there were 1,173 postal cars on ali the
roads of the United States, 1856 of
which were built since 1893, when the
specifications of the postohice depart
ment, demanding stronger cars, began
to apply. In May, 1904, these specif:
ditional safety for postal clerks, and to
meet the demands Of the fast mail serv-
ice. One hundred and eighteen postal
cars have been built since the revised
plans went into effect, to say nothing
OF forty old cars which have been re:
built to meet the specifications.
one all-steel car, built by the Erie
road several years ago, has not yet been
IN wreck. Two all-steel cars are now
6elng built for the New York, New
Haven & Hartford railway. The Penn
sylvania road is also to build a. stee,
lear. The Santa Fe company has con
tracted for thirty-nine mail cars, eight
OF which have been delivered, to be
constructed with an UNDERTAKING. Of
pressed steel, ~sheathed with steel, ant
the flooring of the same metal. Owe:
the steel floor layer Of cement will
De laid, and on top Of that a laye
e OF felt,, with strong wooden flooring
over ALL
Steel as a Protection.
The statistics submitted by Mr.. Cor
telyou show that when the mail car
built after the government specifca
escaped with slight injury, as compare
with that done the baggage cars, tn
engines and the smoking cars. The los
OF life among postal clerks has been col
respondingly small in accidents wher
cars of this sort were part Of tn
~ wrecked train.
There are 500 cars in use that we1
, built el n more % than ten years ago, or b
sued in 1893, had had time to 90 int
full effect. Nearly all of these hav
since passed thru the shops for gener;
repairs or for rebuilding. But it
obvious that cars built as long ago
1869 and 1870, as some Of them wer
81 and in the years Immediately afte
wards, cannot be made accident-proo
even by going thru the shops, and it
up the question Of radically hastenir
the retirement of such cars and tt
~ building Of those of more modern typ
Five of the CATS now in use, we,
built in 1869, three in 1870, one in 1877
six in 1872, eight in 1873, one in 1877
five in 1875, four in 1877 eight in 1877
twelve in 1879, fourteen in 1880, fou
T. teen in 1881, sixteen in 1882, twent
five in 1883, twenty seven in 1884, six
1885, seven in 1886, twentyfour
1887, nineteen in 1888, forty nine
1889, forty-four in 1890, twenty three
1891, ;ffty-six in 1892, forty three
1893, seventeen in 1894 and ffty-thr,
in 1895.
If there is to, be such action in co
gress, the Tillman resolution Of i
ariry will be the starting point for
The record of deaths and accidents
serious one, and the senate at leas
seems willing to do something to shorte
it, if possible.
HONoRs FOR VETERANS