The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-21
RAILROAD NEWS.
Safeguarding Train Operations
Increased Net Earnings.
Wreck Waste Amount to 80 Per
Cent Total Expenses.
A FEW BLOCK SIGNALS.
Out of 100000 Miles But 1856
Are Guarded.
Other Items of General Inter.
est in Traffic World.

Chicago, Jan. 21.-Safeguarding the
public in train operations means great
increases of net earnings for the rail-
roads of the country. according to Il
bulletin Of the League for Public
Safety. 1.-THE aggregate wreck waste of
the steam railroads amounts to over 30
per cent of the total expense Of opera
ton" says the bulletin
According to figures of the interstate
commerce commission reports the roads
which have done the most to safeguard
their lines, are the ones with the low
e: ratio of wreck losses. On which
has 81 per cent Of it's mileage signaIled
in 1908 had wreck losses of $13, 721, 900
while another with "a per cent equip
ped had losses of 1920, 900, total mile
age being about the same. Taken as a
whole, however, the American railroads
have as yet expended little money in
block signal equipment.
Out of the total of 100000 miles Of
main lines only 1885 have automatic
block signals and only 51,966 the man
ual block equipment. This leaves over
| 10000 miles or IS per cent yet to be
protected However. expenses of in
stallation would be many times and
soon repaid, regardless of the lives
saved, in the reduction of wreck waste
In one case the cost of installation and
upkeep was repaid in the first year by
the reduction of wreck losses.
However, it is hoped that the block
signal and train control board of the
interstate commerce commission soon
can report the discovery of practical
equipment it is seeking, to improve on
visual signals, whether automatic Or
visual, and to stop trains running to-
ward danger by some simple automatic
means.
Human fallibility must be elirnI-
mated" says the secretary of a state
railroad commission in writing to the
league. AS long as the people are de-
pendent upon the human factor in the
operation of trains, just so long will
there be Serious accidents resulting in
death and injury.
"a recent case of this kind occurred
in this state. in which two men, both
motorman and conductor within Is
minutes after having received positive
orders to meet a train at a certain sta
ton, wfllful1y, or willingly, disobeyed
this instruction, passed the meeting
point met the passing car with the
result that the lives Of SO passengers
We're instantly snuffed out of existence
and number of others seriously in
tured.
at is hard to determine Just what
was passing in the minds of these two
men to wfllfully violate positive in
StruCllOnS WlCnln 1o minutes AFTER nav
ing received them, so that believe thu
only remedy for conditions of this kind
is that the human factor be- entirely re-
moved and that an automatic device be
installed which will absolutely prevent
occurrences Of this kind.
1.-The device, whatever it might be,
should be one which would err upon the
side of safety, that is, should there be
q failure in the mechanism it would re-
suit in showing a danger signal and
would lead to the repairing of the
plant. This, of course, in this day of
high speed might result in unneces-
sary delays, but to my mind the delay
| that might occur from causes Of this
kind would be of very little conse-