Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-06
MAY ORDER PROBE
Of BLOCK SIGNALS
Congress Expected to Provide
Teday for inquiry Into RaaiiF
way Systems.

Money to provide an investigation Of
the efficiency OF block signal systems
on the railroads of the country may be
provided for at the session Of the House
beginning at noon today, as the amend
ment to the urgent deficiency bill pre-
sented late yesterday by Representative
Mann of Illinois was held over until to-
day. Mr.. Mann's amendment calls for
$4,000 to be used by the interstate COM
merce commission. The author of the
amendment explained that the commits
sion has the authority to make the in
yestigation, but has not had the money
In speaking of the generals subject OF
safety devices on railroads, following the
presentation of the amendment, Repre-
sentative Adamson of Georgia, chairman
of the committee on interstate and for
eign commerce, spoke his mind on the
subject Of railroad wrecks
Urges an Investigation.
Mr. Adamson said:
Now, the authority exists for these
Investigations about safety appliances of
which we woefully stand in need. 1t
ought to be done. We are willing to
provide for, saving life and property, but
human understanding is fallible, human
Information is often short. Human falli-
bility in operating the trains, l think, is
more to blame, perhaps, than the steel
and the iron and the crosstieS and the
charters of the corporation that are SO
much mathematical on many grounds,
including watered stock and other ques-
tons. We want to know what to do.
For many years we have co-operated
with the interstate commerce commission
as to steel cars, headlights and other
safety appliances.
1--WE have referred bills to the COM
mission and had them before us on
hearings We have considered the
steel trust, the rapidity with which
steel cars could be substituted for
wooden cars. We do not want to do
anything rash or drastic We want
to protect the public. We think trains
running at q high rate of speed ought
to have strong and indestructible cars.
We think on trains where both steel
cars and wooden ones are used they
ought to be placed in separate parts
of the train and not mingled together.
Claim Of the Railways.
"The railroads have all the time pro-
fessed to us that they were substitut-
ing steel cars for wooden cars as
rapidly as possible. They do not want
to confiscate and throw away their
entire rolling stock.
'They wanted to utilize it as long as
they could and gradually substitute the
steel cars. On inquiry we found some
foundation for their statement. We are
informed that at the present time there
are very few wooden cars being con-
structed and turned out of the shops.
All new cars are Of steel or have steel
frames. We are informed that on al
most all the railroads running out Of
Washington solid steel trains are oper-
ated. 1t appears that the railroad
monopoly in New England is an excep-
ton to this statement. and that they
had not substituted steel cars as rapid
ly as the other roads; but if they are
only waiting to dispose Of their wooden
cars before doing so, 1T will not be
long before it happens. because I un-
derstand they are now dispOsing OF
their wooden cars at very rapid rates,
as the very frequent wrecks have been
acting assinstruments Of retirement"
Probable Basis Of Legislation.
He continued: I'VE do not promise
now that our investigations will result
in legislation. They may result In DEM
onstrating no need for legislation We
have already indulged in much legisla-
| ton on those subjects. People have got
| ten into q habit-more like a disease,
| which, having started, has spread like a
contagion-that impels them to look to
| Congress for new legislation every time
anything happens, whether that legisla-
ton be appropriate or pertinent to the