Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-08-04
Many Times il is Because the
Train Crews Have Been Ex-
hausted by 0verwork.
ONE MANS PATHETIC STORY.
Gives Rra sons in the Form of Ghastly
Truths That seem In Many Cases
10 Have Been Avoided.

do so la none TOO strong. mere - the
story Of a man who has been through
the mill" 1t Is as follows and Is
worth reading.
Five years ago, upon graduation from
college, ! was offered a chance 20 be-
KIN at the bottom ruug OF the rail-
way ladder. | accepted It eagerly, ANA
entered the operating department OF a
secoud-rate single-track trunk line iu
the middle west. After three years SER
s!co IN various capaCities-ds yard
clerk, clerk in d chief dispatcher's Of
fee locomotive fireman, "b)iler-head'
sNitchman and night yardmaster-l de-
Cded that practical understanding Of
train movement was essential TO ad-
yauccment and accordingly seiz~d the
nrst opportunity TO "hire out" as a
freight brakeman
-Four months later. IN December, 1904.
n Wow OF my former training and be-
cause material was scarce, was APP
pointed 10 the arduous Set interesting
position Of conductor on the Chicago
division. The winter freight traffic was
heavy, and this. with eight passenger
trains daily and three steep grades.
made conditions for dispatchers and
conductors about as trying as young
student OF railroad operation could
wish.
To pilot train, whc-her 80 cars OF
merchandise and provisions or % cars
OF commodities iu bulk, from terminal
10 terminal without mishap and In the
shortes. possible time. passing opposing
trains, avoiding those pursuing. and
oyertakng he slugsards and cripples,
brought me often much adventure and
always extreme fatigue.
Now. IL is about this matter Of Weari-
ness-sheer exhaustion, to speak forci-
bly, and yet truthfully-that / wish 10
write lew pages la order that the
public may appreciate fully howe COM
lctely their lives and property depend
upon the mental and hysical condition
OF our freight train crews
This winter disastrous head-on coll
llsipn occurred between the last Sec
tion Of a transcontnental express and
a freight train Several Of the engine
men, trainmen and mail clerks were
killed, but The passengers IN their Pull
mans. behind a shattered buwark OF
baggage and mail cars. were unharm-
ed The cause Of thai wreck. the
public has been told was the freight
train crews violation Of dlspatchers'
Or1ereS. That Is true as far as IL goes,
bur the reason why orders were violated
Is this
The freight train crew had been SO
consecutive hours on duty, and fell
asleep. unable 10 stay awake and count
the number OF passing sections. Fifty
nine hours-two days and half
sounds incredible, but | believe an an
alysis OF the dspatcher's train sheets in
a majority Of division headquarters
would reveal some Startling facts; and
10 give this contention more weight. |
want 10 tell briefly the true story Of
% hours the vivid remembrance Of f,
which Will always stick fast IN my |
mind
Arriving IN Jericho after a short six /
hour trip from Chicago, I consented 10 /
double hack without rest IN charge Of I
o. heavy tonnage freight Bad luck I
and delays a leaking locomotive. irri- /
,ating minor mishaps and an avalanche |
o. estbound traffic to battle against, 4
made US average less than seven miles I
a. hour In other words when we |
reached Stark, a lonely sidetrack and /
r0n-telegraph station, az a. m. on the I
second day. we had Travelled only rs /
miles IN 10 hours and We're stll 50 miles /.
from Chicago. which We had left q I
hours previous,
Strive as mortal may. though inur- /
hi TO hardship and lack OF sleep. nerves I
VIII relax their tension and eyelids will /
close. Even the sense OF responsibility /
may fail 10 jerk a dropping head back /
20 consciousness. Such was the case
with Jake. the rear brakeman. who |
huddled IN the seat on the other side OF /
the cupola. despite gentle appeal or |
angry malediction, slumbered peace |
fully. AZ Stark We took siding to allow /
two meat trains and the night express, /
all going IN the opposite direction, TO 4
pass.
Moreover, we had been given an order |
In the form OF a schedule. stating that /
special" also eastb0und, was due /
here at 3.l5 a. m.
took out my watch shook Jake Into 1
semi Intelligence. and sent him 10 cool |
a smoking hot box
AT $40 a. m. the night express hurt |
led past at S:20 a. M. came the first /
meat train. and 10 minutes later the /
second section Numbered by but no /
special.
Then. as with a jangle Of couplings, /
] felt the caboose lurch forward. /
realized that the engineer had forgot
ten the belated special and was pulling
out Of the side track into the Jaws %
death SEEKING my lantern. ! sped over
The car roofs. giving frantic stop sig
nails as ] ran.
Don't get mad. neighbor'"-t 10
me as ] clambered down into the cab.
Il must ha' dozed on and woke up
sudden with the idee that bloody
special had passed. and with this e1-
cuse the engineer threw over the re-
verse lever and backed the train into
safety
Fifteen hours later we dragged wear
Us into the Chicago yard 20 find not a
taboose on the caboose track and a
string Of yellow refriga-ators laden
with fresh meat awaiting immediate
shipment The worried yardmaster
explained that packing house deliver
les had been 80 heavy that all the
crews had been sent east mo news 20
~. we had met them ain and forth
with he besought ms 20 turn about with
The last consignment 20 DELAY this
precious freight meant losing the haul
10 another trunk line and yet. by the
terms OF our wage schedule. We were
tutitled % eight hours rest
Meat be blanksd, I'm all in." said
one brake"
NV homes AZ the other end. aud my
eaby's sick. / want 20 go hack" said
ne other shack and ] cast my vote
Nth the latter after stipulating Tor
Two hours sleep and a fresh engine |
trew. Here was an instance of two
motives parental anxiety on the part
" brakeman. ambition f0r promotion
N the part Of The conductor. oyerrul.
ng in the absence of legal restriction
sane plea Tor rest. aud creating a
menace 10 the lives Of eyerv passen.
~ and employe on the division
That return triq was a nightmare
Ne had arrived On Chicago az n. M
Ne LETT az midnight our low viialiiies
prey % six hours " winter darkness
The preparatory two hours cat.nan
tranrna In rt,r cvrrroafs IN she %