Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-11-06
SAFETY CAMPAIGN
BRINGING RESULT
MILWAUKEE RAILROAD CLAIMS
SECOND PLACE IN STANDARD
OF THIS WORK.
DUE TO ORGANIZATION
Many Employees Of Company Meet in
Davenport To Discuss Plans For
Preventing Injury; OF
tumWans There.

Superintendent ]. M. Oxley, General
Foreman s. ]. O'Gar and Conductors
10. L. Santee and D. S. Morrow were
among the Ottumwa employees of the
Milwaukee railroad present at the big
safety first meeting held in the audi
torium Of the Davenport Times We'd
nesday night. The Times has the fol-
lowing on the meeting:
How well directed, thoroughly or
ganized, earnest and tireless safety
campaign for public and employees has
brought the Chicago, Milwaukee & ST.
In the United States. was told before
one hundred men engaged in all lines
of railroad activity of that system last
night In The Times auditorium.
In the gathering was G. R. Morri.
son OF Savanna, superintendent, as
chairman. In the audience were su.
perintendents, trainmen, enginemen,
engineers, firemen, trainmasters, con-
ductors, brakemen, agents, cashiers,
yardmasters and, in fact, men who
touch every line Of work of great
railway system. Not only were they
attentive listeners but nearly everyone
took an active part in the discussion,
and many views Of all kinds were ex-
changed
Review Result Of Work.
Mr.. Morrison in careful review OF
the work so far done on the divisions
represented, namely the Chicago and
Council Bluffs in Illinois and Racine
and Southwestern, told of the good re-
suits. He reviewed work not only on
this division but over the entire sys-
tenn and showed what had been ac-
complished in the matter of reduction
of accidents to employees, passengers
and to shipped articles.
One hundred and eleven suggestions
made by the employees were adopted
and carried through to successful
completion during the year. The re-
suit was reduction Of forty per cent
of all accidents.
Among the examples Of work done
may be found a great deal Of personal
effort, such as warnings by one en-
ploye to another as to the method Of
doing work The discovery Of an EN-.
ploye standing in dangerous posi-
ton is always the cause for warning.
The removal of distractions Ia also
being done on large scale while the
Industries have been asked to cooper.
ate with the railroad in keeping oh.
structions off the tracks and platforms
as far as possible.
A number of talks were made by the
employees in the different departments.
Loss and Damage Work.
Another phase OF safety activity was
taken up in the loss and damage de-
partment maintained by the railroad.
The amount paid out in damages every
year was reckoned in the hundreds OF
thousands and many Of the causes
of these damages can and are being
eliminated by the Chicago, Milwaukee
and st. Paul.
Attention was called to rough hand
ling of freight, robbery, improper load.
Ing and storing and bad packing ana
marking as contributory causes OF
much damage. The cooperation OF
shippers and employees was enlisted IN
this work. The result is that the loss
and damage is getting much lower with
the careful handling of shipments.
Talks were made by A.. A. Wilson,
Davenport division freight and passen-
ger agent; o. H. Berg, Inspector OF
Chicago; E. A. Murphy, freight auditor
Of Chicago: Ben Bowen of Sioux City,
F. 7. Richards OF Savanna, trainmaster
J. M Oxley, superintendent Of the Kan
sas CITY division, Ottumwa, and others.
G. A. Carr Of Chicago, superinten-
dent OF the Wells Fargo Co., was also
present and made talk.
Reports were read showing a mark.
ed Improvement in all around condi.
tons even for the past sixty days.