The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1917-03-29
ACCIDENTS ON Line
REVEALS SOME
INTERESTING FACTS.
Many Collisions Were On Lines oPer'
ated by the Block Signal System
Excects Call for Revision OF
Railroad Rules.

Ono of the most interesting of the
many duties. a. provided by law, OF
The Interstate commerce commission Is
that of the investigation of railroad
accidents. During the past year, the
latest statistics available show that
officials of the commission inveSti-
gated 4j collisions and 30 derailmentS.
These accidents. So in all, resulted IN
the death Of 200 persons and the In
jury of 1,441 persons.
In rpcount!ng their work experts or
the commission say that &c Of the col
lisiouS occurred on lines operated by
the block system, II in automatic block
signal territory; ard OF the collisions
% occurred where no block system
was in effect and 90 on lines operated
by the train-Order system.
Those experts of the commission I'M
der whose direct charge these inveSti-
cations come say that the study or
collisions occurring In automatic block
signal territory has demonstrated the
! imperative need Of revision of the
| railroads rules and Il change in the
/ practices pertaining 10 the observance
| of caution signal indications. At the
| present time II IS said that when dis
| tant signal displays Il caution indlca-
| ton an engineman is not positively re-
! Ouired TO reduce the speed of the train
| at once, the only requirement being
that he shall approach the next signal
with his train under control and pre-
| pared TO stop.
1t is said that frequently ut the pres
! ent time, no reduction of speed Is
! made when n caution signal Indication
is displayed. Only recently, II Is
pointed out. an investigation was made
! of n serious rear-end collision which
! disclosed the fact that the following
train had been running under caution
signal indications for a considerable
! distance without any reduction in
f, speed ard the preceding train had
| stopped only short distance In i'd
! vance of another signal, and by the
time the danger signal was recognized
by the engineman of the following
train he was too close TO the signal TO
| bring his train to stop before pass
ing 1t or in time to avert the collision
1t Is insisted by those who have CIV
en- much time and study 10 this one
| problem that the Indication of a so
called distant signal should convey an
order to the engineman as positive and
definite as the indication of what IS
called the "home" signal, instead OF
the "slow up" order of the present
time. The home signal always re
quires an engineer to stop immediate
".
! The experts are Of the opinion, they
say. that immediate reduction of speed
at a caution signal would reduce the
danger of collisions similar to the one
described. as we'll as the danger OF
shock and injury TO passengers result
ing from emergency applications o.
the brakes. The enforcement Of suci
q requirement would, it is believed b!
these interstate commerce officials, al
so create q different habit of though
On the part of engineers, relieving Ger
tain nervous tension and insuring tina
the train could be stopped safely /
the next signal was in danger posi-
ton.
1t Ia interesting to note in connec
ton with these wrecks that during tn
past year six OF the collisions whicl
occurred in automatic block signal ter
ritOry are said to have been caused b.
the failure of the engineers TO ODE,
the signal Indications. Five of thes
six occurred on multiple track roa'
where the block signal equipment wa
modern and of the most highly az
proved type.-Washington Star.