, 1907-04-26
A RECORD.


In this age Of railway accidents and
dire calamities of various kinds upon
land and sea, those railroads that make
records for safety stand out in bold re-
lief. Considering the mileage and the
fact that 1t is still operating a great
deal of single track, the Union Pacific
is a remarkable example Of efficiency
and safety. In spite Of the enormous
business 1t has handled during the past
six months, there has not been an &C.
cident between Cheyenne and Green
River during that time that has caused
a property loss In excess Of five hun
dred dollars and no passenger has suf,
fered injury because of company negli'
gence.
mere matter of chance. There are
many things that bring them about,
but first and foremost the responsible
ity lies with the management. II the
management is good and the officers
from the general manager down have
the confidence Of the enginemen and
the trainmen, the chance Of accident
is reduced to n minimum. Perhaps
next to efficient management comes
the physical condition Of the road IT.
self. II 1t lies In q mountain country,
where heavy grades would seem to in
crease the liability to accident. the
men themselves overcome this liabil
ity and even render the conditions
more secure. They are ever on the
alert. II there were no other reason,
self-preservation would impel them to
keep within their rights and the rules
Of the road. Furthermore, constant at,
tention brightens the minds Of en-
ployes and 1t has become the rule the
world over that the best and most In
telligent railroad men are those who
work in mountainous regions.
Some years ago, before the present
hi~gh.wheeled engines were placed in
service ON Sherman hill, one OF the
best engineers on the road told the
writer that he always stood upon the
deck Of his engine while bringing the
fast trains from Sherman to Laramie.
At times the speed OF the train would
be In excoss OF a mileGa minute and
there was danger Of an engine with
low wheels throwing her rods Or strip
ping herself. as the railroad men call
1t. This has occurred on more than
one OCCASION. Engineer Mart Wright
lost his life in such an accident. By
standing on the deck, with all faculties
at keen attention, the engineer was Aot
only in a safer position himself. but
he was also in a position to protect the
passengers in his keeping. He could
at once apply the emergency air, al,
though the side-rods might be hammer
ing his engine to pieces. Such close
attention develops brain power and
makes better men.
Take another extreme case. Over
the prairies of Nebraska, coming west,
in the freight service it is a ~ceaseless
drag. The engineer hooks the lever
In a certain notch, pulls open the throt'
tie and for weary hours the fireman
does the rest. There is neither activ.
ity of mind or body and there is pres
ent a constant desire to 90 to sleep.
That is why there is not the activity
and development among the railroad
men Of tie prairie roads that exist in
the mountains. That is why the Wyo.
ming division of the Union Pacific has
the best railroad men OF the nation.
In its demand for safety the Union
Pacific is not relying entirely upon the
efficiency Of its splendid force Of men.
Every device the genius Of man has
produced is being brought into SER
vice. On Sherman hill tho Hall block
system is supplemented by the staff
system, which makes that portion Of
single track between Herniosa and Blu
ford as safe as anything that a be
conceived in the science Of railroading.
The entire length of the road has been
ballasted with Sherman gravel and the
70-pound steel has all been replaced
with rails of greater weight, adding
much to comfort and to safety. The
block system is being extended over
the system and double-tracking Is 60
ing on with all the speed that men and
money can bring about
When all this is supplemented by
the fact that the Overland pays the
highest wages in America, is it any
wonder that it handles the largest busi-
ness OF any single-track railroad on
the face of the earth without friction
and with a minimum loss Of life and
property?
The credit for such achievement
does not belong to an individual. 1t be-
longs to the entire organization.
Hon Afvood r. Thomas of Rig Horn