Arizona republican., 1912-06-13
SANTA FE EMPLOYES
 AND THE SAFETY HABIT
THE TITANIC A LESSON IN
 SAFETY
Sermon Delivered in St. Patrick's Church, La Junta, Colo, by
 Rev. Felix billy.

in the history of mans contact with the sea Undoubtedly, in the num- Der and eminence of it's victims, it was the worst calamity that ever be- fell sea- borne passenger travel The White Star liner Titanic, the largest vessel afloat, fitted with all the com fort and luxury that money and mo- dern invention could devise, on her maiden trip from Liverpool to New York, Sunday night, April 14th, col 1 lided with an iceberg, and four hours later sank to the bottom, carrying l down with her over sixteen hundred souls
 And yet the ship was equipped with devices which her builders boasted made her absolutely un- 1 sinkable." The sea was calm, the sky clear and starit But there was danger ahead Captain Smith had been warned of the existence of sev- | eral large icebergs lying in the course 1 of travel he was pursuing. and the 1 submarine thermometer must have noted the change in temperature in the water.
 But apparently disregarding all the precautions which prudence would ul1ldlC, iit SttcIeu uIIeCllS lHTOuSu the region of the icebergs, and at such a criminal speed that the colli- sion crushed the ships frame and gouged out her side, letting in the floods of water which sent her down to the depths of the sea Had the commander been actuated by the rules of caution, had he been inspir- ed by the safety habit" instead of trying to make a speed record, the Titanic would be afIoat today, and untold misery would have been spared.
 And this, my friends is the history of almost every wreck or accident, whether on ocean or land, whether on the railroad line or in the machine shops. In almost every case acci- dents are due to the recklessnesS or negligence of someone.
 Superb Equipment of the Santa Fe
 We are all interested in the do- ings of the great Santa Fe railroad. You. my friends, are connected with it's administration in the capacity of either officials or employees. Our pretty little city of La Junta owes it's existence principally to the Santa Fla, and our prosperity depends 1 largely upon US prosperity.
 We have reasons, therefore, to point with pride to this splendid system which has done so much to redeem and build up the west, to give new homes and independent wealth to the American settlers. It's bands of steel have brought close to- gether the east and the far west. You can now board one of those palatial trains of the Santa Fe in | Chicago, and in three days time you will have reached San Francisco after having covered a distance of nearly three thousand miles without even so much as a change of cars. The 1 rOadbed is smooth and solid, the heavy rails are polished and shining like silver; the block system insures safety; the trains are made up of cars built with a view to the most complete security and comfort; the motive power has few equals and no superior in the world. But towering above all, is the prime and necessary l safeguard which is daily instilled into the minds of officials as well as em- ployes; namely. the safety habit"
 Necessity for Safety.
 The operation of the railroad in all it's departments is governed by rules and regulations which are planned to insure safety. The shops are equip ped with the best machinery which money can buy. Each mechanic has to serve an apprenticeship so as to
 learn how to handle tools with eff ficiency. But, best of alL every man is continually reminded of the rules of prudence and caution by the Santa Fe emblems prominently displayed [ everywhere. bearing the legend, Get the Safety Habit" for indeed the best preventative against accidents is the Safety Habit" And it is well
 that it should be SO For, my friends, all the wealth of the United
 States, all the jewels of the world cannot replace a human life. After all, what is the compensation of a l few thousand dollars for the loss of t an arm, or an eye? The man has lost most of his usefulness, and will
 remain cripple for the rest of his
 life And this is not all. Look at I the consequences of Wrecks and ac- cidents. For every victim that was drowned in the Atlantic ocean with
 the Titanic. there were a dozen who 2 were drowned in tears and were D weighted down by the sea of tribu- 1ation. Behold the sufferngs of the
 widow. of the orphans who have been I deprived of their husband, theil , father and provider by the careless
 ness of someone whose duty it was to protect them.
 . Means of Safety.
 , What are the means of safety: , First of all, realize to the full eX- I tent the responsibility which is rest
 ing upon your shoulders. Think about
 yourself and those dependent on you , Safeguard your own life and protect your limbs; you owe it to yourself | to your wife, to your children, per , haps to a good old mother. Think
 also about those around you. What . ever may be your position in the or
 ganization, whether high or low, your
 part is an essential one in the com
 pleX machinery of the railroad man : agement. Whether in the offices Ol out of them, whether in the shops or
 on the tracks, a mistake or an inn
 prudence may cause the loss of life
 for which you will be responsible l Each