Perth Amboy evening news., 1915-02-27
CANNON RIDICULtS CLAIM
OF RALhO4D COMPANIES
CONTINUED from Page 1.'

That would have bought 200 steel
cars.
1t would have bought eighty loco
motives.
1t would have paid for $1,000 tons
of rail.
1t would have paid five per cent.
on $40, 100000.
1t would have block signaled 500
miles of track.
1t would have eliminated sixty-five
grade crossings.
OF course the above statement
does not mean that the $2,000,000
would have done all of the things
enumerated. hut that IT would do any
one ven ne ssparasely; Ts5Ssa st5eaaRf fRf . =.
stance: ..ouId have bought two
hundred steel cars at a cost of about
$4,000 per car, which would con-
sumo the $2,000,000, so | presume
that the following year after saving
S2,000,000 more they would buy the
eighty locomotives.
Well, let us look into it and see
how New Jersey would fare on the
saving. and we find that since our
proportion of the S2,000,00O is $780,
600, and since there are no less than
ten railroads In the state it would
mean four cars for each road, or If
they preferred to buy locomotives, it
would mean about one for each road.
We viii jump the other items and
come down to the elimination of
grade crossings, and the 100000
might do away with about four in
/ the entire state. Since the elimina-
| tion of grade crossings is done for
the purpose of saving life | will try
to show from my reasoning of the
matter, how 1t is possible for a pro-
perly manned train to save more
| lives by proper protection than by
the elimination of dozen crossings
| A friend of mine going west one
night about two years ago had q
berth in the rear car of fast trair
out of Jersey City. The train hadn'
Travelled fifty miles when it came t.
a sudden stop. Being an ex-railroat
man he went to the rear door ant
was surprised to find that there wa:
no flag out. After a wait of fully fiv,
minutes the flagman reached the reaI
platform, picked up his lantern ant
started back to flag.
He had not gone far when the en-
gineer called him back. The passen
gers were somewhat indignant at tn,
apparent unconcern of the trainmaI
in the protection of the rear end
and asked why it was.
Consists of Twelve Cars.
The train consisted of twelve cars
seven of which were Pullmans, anC
the trainman explained that wher
In ~ hN
car from the rear and as 1t was
time when the porters were maxim,
up the berths, and many passenger
:, were preparing to retire, 1t was i'm
possible for him to get back to flai
any sooner.
Now let us assume that anothe
train came along and crashed int
the one standing Ca common occur
rence) killing and woupding a grea
many persons, surely many NOR
than would be killed or injured OF
the grade crossings In the state TO
ten years to come, and costing tn
one railroad many more thousands
than 1t now costs all the roads :,
properly man their trains.
All trains should be so manned
that the flagman would not have t,
leave the rear car The rules OF Til
railroad should be strict on thi
point and since they are not, the Law
should be so ammended that 1t woult
be a misdemeanor for the flagman I,
get further away from the rear ca,
than the one preceding and the Law
should be such that the FlagmaI
should be punished in a court o
Justice If he did not Immediately q
back when the train stops, aud at
reasonable distance.
: On your local trains, take for in
tstance, an eight car train, and yoi
will find it manned by conducto
land two brakemen. An eight ca
train means that there should b,
seven sets of stairs and platforms
used for getting on and off the train
which does not. include the Platform
and steps OF the rear end of the las
car. For the proper protection o
sthe passenger there should be mai
between each two cars, and II yo,