The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-20
Requests Railroad Board to Re.
port Soon as Possible.
HAS MORE AFFIDAVITS
They Concern Condition of
Track and Operation of Trains.
Report of Inspection Trip Is
Given Out.

mems union, who accompanied the state
board of railroad commissioners in their
inspection of the Missouri Pacific main
line through Kansas, has written a let
ter to the board urging it to make its
! report as soon as possible. He also en-
closes copy of affidavits made by Dam
lei A. Reed and John Cotter, the two
| trackmen who were in the inspection
| party The letter to the board is fol-
| lows:
| &c. w. Kanavel. Chairman of Board OF
Railroad Commissioners.
| Dear Sir: trust that you and your
| associate members of the board of rail-
way commissioners will at the earliest
| possible date, make your report as to
| the condition which you found to exist
| on the Missouri Pacific's tracks on your
| recent trip of inspection, and that you
| will issue an order TO said company in
conformity with your report. OF course
| 1t does not take an expert to know that
! the conditions which you gentlemen saw
| are very dangerous, and that life and
! limb are extremely unsafe in travelling
over the road which we covered. But
| as showing the view of experts on these
of Daniel A. Reed and John Cotter. You
| will remember that these men were
members of the inspection party.
Il urge the earliest possible action for
the reason that you gentlemen of the
| board, and all of us, would be extreme
| ly sorry, if by any delay loss of life
should occur among passengers who
| travel on this railroad, or among the
men in the train service. There arc
eighteen hundred miles of the Missouri
Pacific's tracks in this state yet un-
inspected and l hope that you will adj
wise US soon that this work is to be con-
tinued, and where we shall meet you.
Very respectfully.
~. L SHEPPARD, Secretary"
The affidavits of the two trackmen is
as follows:
Daniel A. Reed and John Cotter be-
ing severally sworn, say that for more
than fifteen years last past they have
been engaged in railway track work as
section foremen, and that they have
had the means and opportunity of learn
ing, and that they know when railroad
track is safe for the operation of trains
thereon.
''They further say that beginning on
July 9, 1907, near the eastern line of
Colorado, on the Missouri Pacific rail-
road In the state of Kansas, they travel
ed across the said state of Kansas on
the Missouri Pacific Railway company's
main line of railroad, to the Missouri
state line, in company with the board
of railroad commissioners Of the state |
of Kansas.
They further say that in company |
with said board of railroad commission
ers, they inspected the said railroad |
company's tracks on said trip with a |
view of ascertaining at what rate of !
said railroad tracks so inspected.
"Affiants swear that owing to rotten |
and decayed ties, broken rails. loose |
spikes, loose bolts, lack of ballast, and |
broken angle bars, taking the entire |
distance from Colorado to Missouri |
across the state of Kansas. trains cannot !
be safely operated on the Missouri Pa |
cific company's railway tracks at an |
average speed to exceed six miles per |
hour.
DANIEL A REED
JOHN COTTER."
In a report printed in the official |
organ of the Trackmen'S union, j. /. |
sheppard comments quite faVorabIy |
Pacific tracks made by the railroad |
commissioners. He also gives the in
side history" of the manner in which
w. L. A. Johnson, state labor COM /
1t doesn't exactly agree with the
stories given out by the railroad COM
mission. Mr.. Sheppard says:
con Sunday before, when we
thought we were not to be allowed
at the inspection, we
communicated with Labor Commits
sioner johnson, and asked him to ac-
company our people on an inspection
trip, which would follow the railroad
co mmissioEers. We told him what the |
trouble was, and he took the matter
up with the board, and was invited to
accompany them on the trip.
In speaking about the experiences
on the inspection trip, and what was
found to be the condition of the track,
Mr.. Sheppard says:
I'VE had gone probably two miles
west Of Horace, when at the sugges-
ton of Chairman Kanavel the train
was stopped and the members OF the
party alighting from the train, con-
tinued west along the tracks. We
walked for a distance of two or three |
miles. and at almost every joint we
found the spikes so loose that they |
could easily be pulled out, with our |
fingers. We found a large proportion |
of the angle bars broken. In fact |
Chairman Kanavel said at this time |
there were three-fOurths of the angle |
bars broken and defective. We con-
tinued walking until it was agreed
that the road from where we were to
the state line of Colorado was all In
the same condition. We found many
broken rails and innumerable rotten
portion of the road were what is
known as fifty-six pound rails. and it
was suggested that we go east until
we struck heavier steel, and take
note of the conditions there.
From Horace to Hoisington our
first DAYS trip, showed conditions that
railroad owners ought to be not only
a shamed but afraid to have exist, even
fore dark. we reached McCracken. and
some Of US walked east from the sta
ton along the track There is high
embankment or fill at this point and
n made us shudder to see the condi-
tons which confronted those who trav-
81 ever this part of the railroad.
1.-THE ties are practically all worthless,
fhe spikes are loose, and there is no (
ballast After We had walked for
distance. Chairman Kama
val said to Mr.. Byers, This is simply
awful Byers had nothing to say in
of the bad condition
shown - "At this point we walk
I'd until the commissioners said they
had enough, and 1t was during this
walk that Chairman Kanaval said he