The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-08-27
FIFTY RAILROAD
SUITS ENTERED
ST. EoIIs WEI BE- Busy NTH
no EEDt ~ ST sAiL

ag6 : z 70
against ne Terminal Railroad Assc
cation have been fled and win No
heard 1t me next term Of United
States District Court next Noyenber
I'm Est ST Louis Nearly as many
more suits have been fled against
various roads entering East 81. Louis,
Including hye against the Merchants
Bridge Terminal allroad The charge
against these rcals Is that they have
violated the tveaty-eight-hour stock
llaw. There are also a few cases in
which a violation Of the safety appl,
ance law is chrged.
District Attorney ". E Trautman
says that in some cases the evidence
shows that cattle have been kept on
the cars for sixty hours without focd
OF water, and in many cases the time
has been over forty hours. The old
tweatyeigbt.hour law was amended re
Gently al the request Of cattle shippeEs
ana railroad companies so that the
time might be extended to thirty:sir
hours If the shipper requested IT. This
was done so that II a shipper was with
In a short distance Of his destination
when the time link expired he could
ibe allowed to go on to the end before
unloading.
Must Have Five Hours Rest.
When stock is taken on the cars It
IS required that they shall have FIVE
hours to rest, feed and drink before
being reloaded. The Rubeau Of AMI
NAL Industry Of The Department Of
Commerce ami labor is said to feel
that vigorous prosecution Of the cases
aled should be made because the
amendment to the law was passed at
the request of shippers and railroads
and its terms were that they them
selves suggested.
T. B. Hamilton, a special inspector
gathering data for use in the suits
THAI have been brought and Others
that are to follow, was in East St.
Louis Saturday. He says that he finds
the time a car Of stock is in the hands
Of the Terminal ranges from fifty min
utes too ne hour and ffty-Aye minutes.
The fifty cases against the Terminal
are for cars Of stock that was kept
over the time limit before being turn
ed over to the local company, and suits
Will be brought against the roads turn.
ling overdue cattle over to the Ter
mlnal to handle. These suits, or al
least most of them, will be brought in
the United States District Court at
St. Louis.
Case Of Catching Last Man.
$50 far as the Terminal is concern
ed,n said Mr.. Tra1tman. at is simply
case of catching the last man in Gus
tody of the cattle. The Terminal has
remedy in declining to accept cars
Of cattle where the Law has been yio-
lated"
The maximum fine for violation Of
this stock law is $500. and the mini
mum is 500. A conviction in each
case VIII mean an aggregate fine for
the Terminal Of from 5000 to $4,000.
In the safety appliance cases the
onenses are chiefly neglect in proyid-
ing the prescribed g1ab-irQns and in
the use Of automatic couplers that are
out Of order. At the session of the
federal court recently, in Danyilie, sew
euteen OF these cases were tried
against one railroad, With sixteen con
victions and the one fine Of 500 was
assessed in each case.
Back Of these prosecutions under
the MISCONCEPTIONS law" said a
prominent commission man Of the Ma
ttoual Stock Yards yesterday, "there
are several forces. The Humane So
ctety agents agree that it is cruel to
keep animals without food or water for
sixty hours.
Then there is the scientific end Of
the Bureau of Animal Industry, the
Inspection department under charge,
at the National Stock Yords. of Dr..
IL. B. Clancy. The men who are max
ing study of animal diseases believe
that a couple Of days without food Of
drink, on the way to market, will do.
velop fever in cattle. and that the con
sumer of meat should be proectel
against this