The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-06-24
RAILROAD NEWS.
Employees Interest in Proven
tiOn of Rail- Accidents.
Safety Campaigns Have Changed
His Ideas.
BOOK OF RULES LOGIC
Trainmen Feel Safe in Following
Its Instructions.
Other Items Of General Interest
in Traffic World.

never before IN LHe history OF Idll-
reading In the United States have the
officials and employees of the rail lln6s
taken so much interest in the pre-
vention OF accidents.
Some of the railways in the country
have taken the safety way as their
slogan. For instance, the Union "a
cific advertises more of its block sig
nails and its great roadbed than it does
of its electric lighted sleepers ana its
comfortable chairs cars. The Santa Fc
tells of the double track and the safety
habits OF its employees. The Frisco ad-
vertises it's steel cars. So it goes-all
Of the railroads have realized that the
average patron thinks more of his life
than he does the number of electric
lights in his berth.
Campaigns have been organized on
many Of the roads-campaigns in an eff
fort to convince all classes of employees
that the safety way is the best The
Santa Fe does not limit its safety lee
lures to the operating department. IT
sends lecturers right into the machine
shops and the roundhouses.
These matters should be Of great in
terest to the average employee. Until
lately the engineer and the conductor
Of a train have had but one thing in
mind-to make time. The rule books
have cautioned them and the section
fOremen have waved signals in their
faces-but they have disregarded. They
had to disregard or receive a raw
hiding" when he reached his terminal
If the operating men of today would
follow out every rule IN the book of
rules their trains would crawl over the
road like q section foreman's handca-.
If every signal, every precaution and
every detail was carried out some or
the trains that started out of the ter
minals last year would be coming yet.
The trainmen must take their risks
and still they find 1t necessary to ac-
count for every accident. AS long as
the trainmen have been getting the
trains over the road on schedule time
the officials have said nothing. But
when one loop hole IN the rule book
has been left unguarded and an acct
dent takes place the trainman is the
''goat''-he is the man to take the
blame.
This, it must be remembered, was the
old way Of doing things-and possibly
some Of it is true today.
But since the head officials of the
roads have supported the safety clanor
the trainman feels less responsibility.
He takes more interest in decorating
through a station" or tagging accord
ing to the book of rules. If his train
pulls in late he feels assured that the
overlook the breach-fn case accident
precautions have been made.
It mas been proven also that a big
majority Of the wrecks have been
caused by carelessness Of employees.
True, the kinking of rail, the break
ing of a car part or the other unavold-
able accidents occur every day-Dut
most Of them can be traced to en-
ployee-lessness.
A northern official figured out the
other day the causes Of 43 collisions
and derailments and here Is what ne
found-it tells the story Of the reason
safety methods are peing adopted on
rofIrnaTa.