The Washington times., 1924-05-19
CARE PREVENTS.
DEATHS FROM
EXPLOSIVES
Fatal Accidents OF Past Cut
to Minimum by Safety
Measures
BY COLONEL B. w. DUNN,
Chief Inspector, Bureau Of Eek.
unlAnlron NJ. XI1..as laaA...

plOSAVeSS Now YOfK IVY.
NEW YORK, May 49, aver
age citizen knows that .,losives
are dangerous and that ttal acct.
dents have occurred even when
these substances were handled or
used by experts. When accidents
occur in the manufact or use
Of explosives he notes results
with regret but does Ell that
personal interest which . would
have If an explosion occurred dur.
Ing transportation by rail. He
realizes that ali Of us use the
railroads ana must assume the
risk of being one Of the victims
Of such an accident
In 1907, the first year in our
statistical record, seventy.nine &C.
cidents occurred in the tranSporta.
ton OF explosives over the rail.
roads Of the United States and
Canada. Fifty-two people were
killed, eighty were injured. and the
property loss was about half a
million dollars. For the six year
period ,(1917-1922) the corresponding
averages have been ten accidents,
one killed, seven injured and $50.
600 property Nloss. In 1922 no one
was killed, only one was injured
SIS.
Under normal conditions about
5000 cars bearing the explosive
piacard are moving or standing
ON the railroads tracks in the
United States and Canada all the
Tune. During war conditions in
1913 this total was about $1,000.
Eacn passenger on q railroad is
carried frequently within ten feet
OF the center Of a freight car con-
tanning 10000 or more pounds Of ex-
ploslves. He 10 vitality interested
to learn what has been done to
secure his safety.
Drive Begun for Safety.
During the year 1907 the manu-.
lecturers Of explosives and the
bureau Of explosives, organized by
the American Railway Association.
started an intensive cooperative eff.
fort to secure safety in the trans.
portation Of explosives over the
railroads Of the United States and
Canada. Regulations governing
manufacture, packing, loading into
cars and handling while in transit,
were prepared. The two countries
were divided into districts and in
each trained inspector was 10.
Gated to promote enforcement Of the
rules which were adopted ana PRO-
mulgated by the railroad com.
panies.
Experience soon indicated that a
legal basis was necessary to uni.
form enforcement Of the rules.
Realizing this our committee
brought a finished product to the
Federal Congress which resulted
IN the act of May, 1908, now coded
as section 2s2 to 2S6 of the act of
March 4, 1921.
This act gives the Interstate
Commerce Commission power to
prescribe rules for the safe trans.
portation of explosives and other
dangerous articles and prescribes
Penalties for violations of such
rules. So far the only effect was
to transfer the work of drafting
rules from one overloaded plant
to another.
The Interstate Commerce Com.
mission adopted the wise policy of |
transferring most of the work to |
the explosive and transportation |
industries. to the men best quail |
fled by training and experience to |
frame technical rules of this kind |
and representing the industries |
most interested in uniform en- |
forcenent. Any rule agreed to by |
the shippers and carriers, whose |
interests are usually antagonistic. |
is generally a reasonable compro- |
mise. If. in addition to this agree
ment, all other interested parties |
are given an opportunity and do |
not object, the commission ap-
proves and legalizes the rule. In |
case of disagreement or objection,
the commission acts judicially.
Safety is expensive. A new rule
always means new restrictions and |
additional expenditures Of labor and
capital. An increase in the thick.
ness of lumber in the dynamite box
has cost the manufacturers hun.
dreds of thousands Of dollars an.
nually for the past fourteen years,
to millions of dollars in
the aggregate. The annual cost of
the bureau of explosives main.
tanned by the railroads to promote |
uniform enforcement of Federal |
rules prescribed under a Federal
law, costs about $250,000 annually. |
The manufacturers of explosives
are associate members Of this
bureau and contribute about $500
to its maintenance.
Instead of the usual war between
shippers and carriers when money
is involved, here is a remarkable
case of a self-imposed tax to per.
form, in the interest of the travel.