Evening star., 1916-12-17

have pronounced them dead.
During the past fiscal year twenty
eight cases of resuscitation and at
tempted resuscitation by the service
crews were reported, in which the pa
tients had been in the water either
helpless or unconscious 1or periods
varying from few minutes TO as long
as twenty-three minutes.
In thirteen of the twenty-three cases
the work Of the corps was reported as
successful. In ten OF these thirteen
cases artificial respiration was en-
ployed for periods varying from Few
while in the three other cases friction
of body and limbs was sufficient to
effect restoration. Five OF the thirteen
persons revived We're apparently dead
they had been under water for periods
VARYING from one to seven minutes, and
the work of restoration required peri
DDS varying from five minutes to an
hour and fifteen minutes
One of the hardest problems with
which that branch of Uncle sam
service which regulates
ror cbor4o,o the railroads has to deal
at this time is that
froDlem. popularly known as
"car shortage" This problem. year
after year. vexes the interstate COM
merce commission, but this year, for
very many reasons conditions are even
worse than they have been in the past.
Experts of the commission say that
whenever business conditions are sooo
and times prosperous there is wide
spread difficulty and complaint due to
the inability to secure satisfactory
roads.
THIS situation is. of course. of spe-
ciai interest to shippers ana receivers
of various commodities, but in the long
run it comes vitality near every person
in the land. FOR instance, coal mas
been high. This is due almost entirely
to the tact that the coal mines nave
been unable to get cars TO transport
their commodity. and not because they
haven't the coal. This difficulty recurs
during the fail and winter months Oh
practically every year with regard to
TRANSFORMATION of coal, and usually IN
connection with the movement OF gram
when the crops are good.
The words car shortage. say ofti-
cials of the commission, py no means
Indicate the whole trouble. While IL
is true that the shippers cannot get
the cars they would like to have for
loading it is equally true. they say,
that il the number of cars available
for loading We're doubled or trebled the
situation would thereby be made worse
This is due to the fact that the addI-
tionai number OF cars loaded could not
be promptly transported; ana to IN
adequacy and congestion OF terminals,
which congestion, in turn. is due IN
part to the failure of those receiving
the goods TO remove their freight
promptly.
When the old original custom of
transferring freight from car to car
was abandoned rules were adopted by
i.,h tal fnt het. NM
pose insuring prompt return of cars
to the owning road. Fines We're pro-
yided penalties for misuse of an
other carriers equipment or for load
ing it except in the direction of home.
When business is com paratIVeiy llS III
and there is an abundance or surplus
of equipment and the transportation
facilities and terminals of the carriers
are not oycrtaxed, it is said thai these
rules are quite generally observed, but
when business is heavy. as it IL now,
and shippers are clamoring for ears
they seem to be entirely ignored, and,
so TAR as the ommission can ascertain,
no effort is made to assess TIL" penal
ties provided in the rules Tor JIlsuSe
of equipment.
As a result of this the railroad that
originates a large volume Of outbound
tonnage, such as grain or coal. finds
its cars going rapidly off its line. ard
its shippers face car shortage,
which continues to the Inconvenience
and loss Of the railroad and shippers
served by it until the season comes to
u close or the period of car shortase e
has passed. This is one Of the mos
interesting PROB ems with which the
commission is now wrestling. 1t has
the actlve cooperation at this time of
one OF the leading railway associations,
which has appointed committee to
cooperate with the commission and
90 all in its power to help the sltua-
tion.