The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-06-22


lei track.
ITO Hicks it seemed as though the
other locomotive with it's heavy pas
senger coaches was about to crash
into the local. He had no time. for
thought. He shouted and leaped to
avoid the seemingly inevitable COLI
sion.
when men ran to pick I'D Hicks.
they thought to find him dead. He
lay in heap of gravel perfectly still
and blood was running from a cut on
his head. In the Santa Fe Hospital,
to which he was taken at once. it de-
veloped that his wounds were only
superficial. Los Angeles Times,
April 81. 1907.
Why did Hicks leap?
The f1imsy tale about his not know
ing of the existence of a parallel
track is not worth considerations.
c. Hicks has been a master mechanic
Of the Santa Fee for too many years
not to know the roadbed of his own
right of way.
Why did Hicks leap?
Because the Santa Fe system is on
the verge of collapsed has worn its
engines out, and 1t has worn its men
out In the same suicidal fashion,
Go down into any round house Of
the Santa Fe system and see the
f1anges, on the big drive wheelers Of
the locomotives, worn to a thinness
that invites wreck and ruin to all that
ride behind.
Hicks is not the first skilled me-
| chanic on the Santa Fe system to
mentally collapse under the continual
strain of over-work and the daily
| routine Of ruined machinery, dead en-
gines and wreck horrors.
!. Not three weeks ago, one Of the SUI
| perintendents of the San Bernardino
shops threw up mis- job-although his
salary would have tempted almost
any man to stay at work--for fear
| that he would become an incurable,
| nervous wreck
| Like the drivers on the big engines,
this man had become "a worn Wheel
and feared that he might Fly the
track" of sanity at any moment.
1t Is no wonder that Master Me-
chanic Hicks leaps from an engine,
like a scared rabbit, at the sudden
fash Of an approaching headlight.
| I. C. Hicks has become a worn
Wheel"
| And the entire Santa Fe system has
become a worn Wheel threatening
the lives Of its passengers with speedy
death and the merchants, whose goods
are delayed for weeks, with financial
! disaster.
But this is business world that we
are living in and if grea. corporal
ton pursues policy of wreck and
ruin there is business reason.
Why is it that the Santa Fe is ap-
parently willing 10 ruin it's rolling
stock, destroy its business reputation
with the merchants, kill hundreds of
trainmen and passengers, send many
hundreds more to the hospitals, lose
the good fat dividends that it might
be making, pay out hundreds Of thou
sands of dollars in damage suits, and
In short make a scrap heap of its
entire system rather than allow its
men in the shops to work Zine hours
day instead of ten?
Why is it? There must b.. a reason
Ia most potent financial reason-why
one road should fight organized labor
to its own, apparent undoing.
Why is it? There can be but once
answer: The Santa Fe is fighting the
union machinists for entire system OF
railroads in the west!
Did you ever hear Of freight pool
Probably you have.
Did you ever hear Of strike pool
No. Never. 1t has never crossed
your mind that railroads might show
as good business sense in pooling
their strike troubles as in pooling
their freight earnings. Think it over
and If better business reason, for
this astonishing state of Affairs comes
to your mind it will be worth hear
ing.
But one good business scheme be-
gets another-why should not union
men on the various roads pool their
issues In the same happy way that
has apparently worked so well with
their employers?
1t Is pity that the Santa Fe can
not work out It's business chemes
without killing quite 50 many people.
But unfortunately-for the public-a
man or machine is mel ely figured
by the Santa Fe as being worth just
50 many dollars and cents, to be re-
placed when worn out or killed by an
other piece of flesh and blood or iron
and steel. BE-
The worn wheel, on the Santa Re,
has left 9 bloody track behind L.