Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-21

10

of the Northwest from the fields of the Mississippi
Valley melons and oranges from the South Oregon and
Washington apples from the Far Northwest, tnanufac
tured articles from New England mills, and mineral
products from the mines of half dozen States.
In those days the railroads charged another SIX
tenths of a cent mile of distance travelled rental
for common freight cars and three-q quarters of cent
for refrigerator This charge really so small
that railroads equipped with nsutfciency OF cars
found it profitable retain foreign than to
buy ones for themselves.
This old system has been abolished for sometime
now, and must be returned unloaded
But the foreign question is still fruitful source OF
loss to the railroads they not handled properly
and efficiently Costing the road thirty to thrty-fve
cents day. it means money to the company to unload
and send them back quickly.
VARDMASTERSa and yardmen find their chief source
of saving for the company in making up the freight
trains there will be minimum OF handling after they
leave the yards. Every unnecessary switching of a
to sidetrack few to get single one out
of the middle of train the loss of fuel sufficient
pay for the haulage of ton twenty miles. The yard
master thus held responsible for these unnecessary
delays Besides the loss OF time, and waste OF fuel UNI
necessary switching and tear the track
and train mechanism that amounts to thousands OF
dollars year.
The rough handling of freight by trainmen and en-
ployees at terminals results in the loss OF tens OF thou
sands of dollars every year Damage claims and suits
have become that the railroads have had
to combine to combat the evil.
Damages caused by carelessness of employees cost
the railroads of the country nearly million dollars
year. said President Hill several years ago. These
damages could mostly be averted by little more at
tention to details
Even railroad wrecks in for share of attention
by the economy system breakdown of a freight
train may injury anyone but thousands of
dollars worth of merchandise and freight is lost
Who IS responsible? The engineer who does not care
fully inspect his engine before starting trip tight
enng up here and adjusting the mechanism there;
the yard inspector who does not examine the brakes
and couplings of the before they leave the yards;
the brakemen who do report lost nuts or loose
brakes and coupling pins when first discovered
Apparently there twilight zones in railroading
in the law. The track walker may say it's of his
business if coupling is loose, and the tranman
claims he is not employed to look after the roadbed
and broken frog need not bother him. The Rock
Island system, in adopting its slogan of "a Nickel
Day. quotes to its the old adage that "What is
everybodys business is nobody's business
1t takes exception to this and lays stress upon the
Importance of everybody's joining in a watchfulness of
all parts OF the equipment. Every employees business
IS to remedy report any accident mistake, mat
if it is outside his special field. Raroadng must be
a personal business with each one Even the engineer
and conductor should ignore the loose bolt track
spike Pick it up and return it to headquarters. In
other words, for the road you would for
your own business.
In the shops and roundhouses of the Missouri Pacific
the nuts, bolts and other scrap that used GO
to the junkheap made snalsized mountain of iron
Steel brass, and copper and little attention paid
to saving any of it. Scrapping this accumulated Junk
brought in small revenue each year; but usually lot
of it cared away by any all employees who hap
pened to need few discarded articles
Since the new economy system has gone into effect
nearly twenty per of this junk has been recovered
Nuts from broken bolts are saved for future use instead
of being scrapped; small and large connecting rods