Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-19
Mr.. C|NDER IN YOUR EYE,
YOU MAY LET OUT CHEER
Representative Prouty Intro
duces Bill to Prevent Rail-
road Nuisance.

Ever get a cinder in your eye Yes?
Well. the entire membership of the Gin
der-in-the-Eye Club is invited to root
and root hard-for the bill in Congress.
introduced by Representative Prouty of
Iowa. which provides that all railroads
must equip their common passenger cars
with cinder def1ectors.
Representative Prouty declares he has
no Interior motive in introducing the
bill. and that his eyes have not been at
tackled by cinders recently. but that the
picture of trainloads of passengers rub
bling their eyes while the half-burned
engine fuel flies in at the windows is too
much for him. He cannot stand it any
longer, and consequently he has intro
duced the bill.
Provisions of Measure.
1t provides:
That every railroad company engaged
In interstate commerce shall provide its
coaches apd chair cars with cinder de-
Electors similar in purpose and design
TO those commonly used in the windows
of the cars Of the Pullman company, and
the employees of the railroad company
in charge of said car shall upon demand
$1,000
Hector in the windows thereof at all
times when the weather Is such as to
make it necessary or proper that the
windows of such cars be left omen, and
any railroad company failing to comply
with the provisions of this section by
June I, 1914 shall be subject to all the
penalties prescribed In the act OF winch
this is amendatory.
Favorable Report Expected.
Representative Prouty's bill is before
the House committee on interstate and
foreign commerce. and it is expected to
be reported favorably from that COM
mittee.
In speaking of the bill, Representative
Prouty says:
1T is certainly the duty Of common
carriers to use reasonable efforts to
secure the comfort and safety OF their
passengers. There is nothing that adds
so much to the danger and discomfort
of passengers in day coaches In hot
weather when the windows must be open.
as the constant shower Of cinders pour
ing into the car If any one will walk
through a train on such day he will
notice the difference between a Pullman
car and a day coach. There are no
cinders in the Pullman car. The few
passengers Clere are enjoying real COM
fort. But step into the day coach. 1t
is usually filled with men. women and
children, covered with cinders. The
seats and even the aisles are covered
with them. They get into the eyes, ears
and down the threats of the passengers
They constitute not merely a sore dis
comfort, but real menace
Painful and Dangerous.
There are few things more painful or
dangerous than. cinder in the eye.
Children are especially exposed to such
danger. They are naturally attracted
to the open window and their big eyes
of wonder at new scenes make them
very susceptible. / can now recall four
persons who have lost an eye from
cinder on the train. The eye Is the most
delicate and sensitive organ of the body.
1 would not be surprised il more persons
receive injury to this organ by cinders
than receive injury to limb by railroad
accidents. / have never understood why
railroad companies did not remove this
danger and annoyance by equipping their
with cinder de1ectors similar
to those used on Pullman cars. They
would cost but few cents per window.
/ would take the contract to furnish
them at 10 cents apiece. For some rea-
son the railroad companies have refused
or neglected to furnish this simple de-
vice for the comfort and safety of it's
common passengers. My bill is intended
On mi mol hoy