Imperial Valley press., 1913-10-11
Haskin Letters
Preventing Train Wrecks.

If congress makes the appropriation
of $4,000 requested by the interstate
commerce commission for the further
investigation of systems of train con-
troll, that body is prepared to take up
the work of wreck-prevention where
the block signal and train control
board left off in 1911.
That much remains to be done in the
elimination of accidents in railroad op-
GRAFTON is disclosed by the fact that
the average number of people daily
killed and injured in the United States
in the operation of its railroads ranges
around five hundred Each year the
number of people killed is large
enough to populate a city the size of
Woodrow Wilson's birthplace-Staun-
ton, Va. The number of people injured
annually by the railroads is as great
as the population of Toledo, Ohio. TIE
great bulk of those killed and injured
are railroad employees. Out of a total
of 100000 killed and injured, $4,000
were employed by the railroads. Under
the law of average fourteen persons
are killed every day while trspassing
on railroad proprty.
The interstate commerce commission
keeps careful check upon accidents
occurring in railroad operations, and
has been empowered by y.congress to
work in many directions for the pro-
lection of those who operate and those
who ride on railroads.
One Of the great causes of accidents
in the past was the use of unsafe coup
lers. The commission has prescribed
a number Of safety appliances for cars,
but, up to the present time, only d
small percentage Of the ears of the
country have been equipped with these
devices, and it is feared that unless
some way is found to prod the rail
road companies they will not complete
the work Of properly equipping their
cars under the time limit set. which
is July l, 1916.
in many case, cars with defective
safety appliances are permitted to
leave terminals, or repair points, when
but very slight repairs are needed to
place them in proper condition. Some
Of the railroads have fought the eff
forts Of the interstate commerce com
mission inspectors to make them com
ply with the law, but the courts have
held that it is not incumbent upon II
Inspectors to notify a railroad when
equipment is deficient The law re-
quires that each car shall be equipped
with proper couplings and air brakes,
and that these must be kept in work
ing order.
The allegation frequently made
when railroad accidents occur, is that
railroad men are overworked In order
to prevent unusual length of active
duty, congress enacted law, pre-
scrlbing the number of hours train
man might remain on duty. Under
this law railroads are required now to
keep on file detailed reports of every
detail Of train, showing the causes
and durations Of delays and their
length, in order that the commission
may know why employees are kept on
duty in eycess Of the statutory period
The commission says that the number
of accidents in which excessive hours
Of scr wee have played a part have al
most disappeared. At the same time
the railroads are disposed to make ex-
cuses for long hours caused by train
delays. There has come to be very
unusual number Of "hot boxes" "leaky
flues," etc, reported as the cause OF
delays, while there never were so many
"draWbars out" or so many engines
failing for steam" as there have beer
since the hour Of service act when IN
to effect. The result is that the inter
state commerce commission recon-
mends that such excuses be no longer
accepted 1t also recommends that the
law be changed so that railroad com
pany violating the act shall be fined
minimum of 500, rather than mot V
exceed $780,"