The Detroit times., 1912-10-25
EVERY 7 MINUTES
ACCIDENT OCCURS
ON RAILROADS
Casualty List for Last "a Years
Foots Up 1ss,O37 Persons
Killed, l,395,6ls Injured
INTERSTATE COMMISSION
MEMBER is AUTHORITY
Boards Recommendation of Au-
tomato Control Device Ig-
nored by N. Y. X N. H.

NEW YORK, Oct 25.-"Every
seven minutes some one Is killed or
injured on the railroads OF the United
States Every day the total Is lSl'
Every year for the last "a The num-
Der has been 65,9S5. To be more pre-
Else, In that period there have been
lSS,O37 persons killed and 1885, ,6lS
injured Think OF the total Tat
makes-1, ,5S3, ,655!"
Charles c. McChord. member OF tpe
Interstate Commerce commission Tor
he last two years and for many
Years before that railroad commits
sioner OF Kentucky, gave these fig-
Slres. as be concluded the taking OF
testimony In his inquiry into the
wreck of the Boston and Springfield
Express OF the New York, New Haven
& Hartford railroad at Westport,
Conn. on Oct. 3, when eight lives
Were lost in the ditching OF the tram
hitter It had been driven onto cross
bver at 81 miles an hour.
"Do YOU wonder." continued MT
McChord, "that the commission Is
kevoting more aud more OF its time
10 the investigation Of wrecks-tnelr
causes. their consequences and the
ways In which they may be prevent
ed?"
Commissions Declaration.
The commission itself has spoken
even more pointelly than Mr.. NC
Chord on the question or the pie'
vention of wrecks. There is, TOT IN
stance. this declaration In the las'
report Of the commissions BLOCK Dig
nal and Train Control Board:
"It IL unquestionable that, notwitn-
standing the increased safety due 10
the extension OF the block system
during the last 10 years and TO the
increasing use of safety appliances
there is no sensible diminution In tne
total of railway casualties,
.Further. the board has no hesl-
tancy I'm saving that had tne railroads
directed the same effort toward the
|development of automatic train con-
troll apparatus that has been devoted
% the development OF interlocking
and block signaling apparatus we
|should now have adequate instalia-
lions OF automatic train control de-
vices which would permit an engine
man to handle his train without IN
|terference as long as, he did II prop
erly. but would intervene to stop MS
train II he disregarded stop signai
or ran at an excessive speed wnere
speed restriction was prescribed.
",rhe board believes that railroads
should De urged and expected to de-
yclop the art Of automatic train con-
troll 40 as to provide devices which
viii meet their operating conditions
-Fs- hn "a ~ n
tirely practicable, and should IL no.
be done With reasonable degree oi
expedition steps should be taken py
the government to stimulate such ac-
ton"
Disreq arded BY NJ. Y. & N. n.
This declaration was in reality the
text OF Commissioner McChords IN
uuiry. A specific recommendation
had been made-after the Bridgeport
wreck of July IL, 1911, when 13 lives
were lost-that the New Raven com
mel its trains TO come TO a full stop
before cross-overs we're taken, and
that II the enginemen would not OBEY
nm effort be made to find mechanical
means of making them obey. Inc
recommendation was admittedly DIS
regarded and the Westport wreck, 10
months later, was duplication OF
that at Bridgeport.
Under examination yice-President
Henry ]. Horn, in charge of opera
tion, admitted that nothing had been
done toward following out the recon-
mendation: that running orders mad
not been changed, and that the New
Haven had not even experimental
with any automatic control device.
yice.President f. II. McHenry, In
charge OF engineering and main
tenance OF way, made the same au-
missions, as did Charles II. Morrison'
signal engineer.
All three OF these men protested
that there was no device in existence
that seemed to them worthy or the
New Haven's investigation. They ad'
mitted that automatic control sys-
TENS were in use on the New YORK
subway and the Boston elevated, botn
using electrical propulsion; and that
the Erie and the Chicago Eastern
Illinois were using devices designed
for steam roads. Morrison further
admitted that the commissions train