The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-07-06
RANEY HAS FIGURES
Has Dill Compelling All Reads 20 Erect
Gates and Electric Bells
% safety First Pre-
caution.


United States, Representative >Rainey
OF Illinois declared today. in an ex
elusive statement to the United Press
From records kept last month. :
he added, IT found most Of them were
In Illinois. Indiana. Ohio and Missouri.
These records show that during May,
thirty-ons persons were killed and
thirty-three injured IN those four
states alone"
Rainey, who Is author of Grade
crossing safety bill now before con-
gress, declared the proposed law was
being examined by the Interstate COM
merce commission and that a. soon
as that body reported he would urge
consideration In the house.
IT had letter today from the COM
mission" said Rainey, giving death
statistics for grade crossings Of steam
railroads only. Their table shows
this:
I'm 1911. ss2 persons were killed
and 2,434 injured.
"1n 1912. 1882 were killed ana q
sos injured.
"In 1913, 1925 were killed and B.
$50 injured.
my bill proposes that all rail-
roads be compelled to erect gates.
electric bell warning signals and sta
ton watlchmen at every crossing In
the United States. To my mind that
is the only way to stop these grade
crossing murders. Unfortunately most
OF them occur on Sunday and most OF
the persons killed are farmers.
1.-THE railroads nave so improved
their tracks that trains run faster and
more noiseless than ever before,
Rainey added. More farmers are rid.
ing In automobiles and they travel
faster than ever before. With both
parties going at this speed the old
grade crossing signs Stop. Look, Lis.
ten and the rest Of them are anti
quated. They belong to the days
when farmers Travelled in OK carts
and had time to stop and listen.
| 81 doubt whether all the countries
Of Europe together would show az
many grade crossing accidents as &C.
cur in this country. think some
thing ought to be done at once and
I'm going to press my bill for action. .
Some members OF congress believe
Rainey should make minor changes
in his bill. One Of them suggested
that instead of having provision that
bells at grade CROSSINGS begin to ring
when a train is q half-mile away
! that they sound when the train Is q
mile away.
The text OF Rainey's bin follows:
| 'sBe it enacted by the senate and
house of representatives Of the Unit
ed States Of America in congress as
sembled, that the interstate commerce
commission Is hereby authorized to
require the owners Of all railroads en-
gagged in interstate commerce to equip
all crossings along the line OF said
railroads where public highways cross
the right Of way of said railroads al
grade, with gates which will close
automatically when train approaches
ana passes said crossings, or with
electric bells which will ring continu
ously when train is within one-hali
mile of said crossings. Said commits
sion is authorized to require either OF
both OF said devices at said CROSS
fngs, in the discretion OF said commits
sion, or said commission may require
that the owners of said railroads
shall station hagman at any OF said
crossings, in which event said electric
bells or automatic gates may, in the
discretion of the commission, be not
required at said crossings where said
fagman is stationed. The owners OF
said railroads shall equip all such
/ crossings as required in this section
prior to January 1, 1915:
provided, that the commission in
its discretion may make such reason
able extensions Of the time to 90
! equip such crossings as may to II
seem advisable, and II the owners Of
any railroad subject to the provisions
of this act shall fail to equip any
grade crossing or crossings, as pro
vided in this section, within the time
specified, o. within the time extended
by the commission for SO equtpine
same, such owners shall forfeit to the
United States the sum OF 800 fol
each and every day they shall con
4 tinue to be in default with respect to
each of such crossings as shall not be
so equipped"
! Epworth Leaeuers Go Home.
1 PJTFFAI0 I11lv 6-Tha bul1~ III