Evening star., 1924-05-04
FINAL BATTLE DUE
ON SAFETY DEVICES
Railrosds TO Fight Case to Finish
Sefore Interstate Com
merce Commission.
HEARINGS blGIN WEDNESDAY
Postponing or Resembling of Order
Is Sought.

A final battle between the railroads
of the country and the Interstate
Commerce Commission will be fouGht
to finish in Washington this WEEK.
with the travelling public an inter
csted, if silent. spectator on the slde-
lines
Hearings lasting several days VIII
begin Wednesday before the inter-
state Commerce Commission, with the
principal railroads of the country DIS
petitioners on the question OF
whether these railroads are to instaii
automatic train-control or train-stop
devices as ordered previously by the
commission, or whether the oraer
will be postponed or rescnded' hai-
roads will seek to prove that auto
matte train control devices have not
been developed beyond the expert
mental stage and that their instalia-
tion will he excessively expensive.
The Interstate Commerce Commission
will rely on the result of it's own in
,estieations. extending over period
of years. which led it to state two
wears ago that 1.-The art of automatic
train-control has long since passed
the experimental stage.
Dates From 1920.
The battle for and against auto
matte train n-control-deviceS when
make up mechanically for lapses OF
the human machine-beEan with tne
passage of the transportation act IN
1920, which gave the Interstate Com
merce Commission authority to re-
quire the carriers to install and main
tain on their lines train-control de-
vices Two years later the commits
sion ordered forty nine OF the prlnci-
pal carriers of the country to install
automatic train-control devices on por-
tions of their lines. and this order is
effective next January. The carriers
protested and We're granted a near
ing. the result Of which left the
order unchanged. Last January the
commission extended its order to
another group of railroads. and this
group obtained the hearing which be-
gins Wednesday. In the meantime the
forty-nine major railroads, denied
rehearing, will join the short-line
railroads in their protest AS this is
believed to be the final hearing which
the commission will grant on the sub
ject. its result will be largely instru-
mental in determining the future of
automatic train control in the United
States.
Takes Advantage of Wreck.
Since it's original order in June. 1922,
Ine interstate Commerce
has taken advantage OF every wreck
where the circumstances were applica-
ble to remind the railroads and the pub
lie in its official reports of accident in
vestigations that the facts ''forcibly
disclose the necessity for automotic
train-control
And in support of its contention it
has gathered mass of statistics on loss
Of life and property. much Of which. It
believes. would be averted through such
devices Where the railroads claim
that train control is too new and cost
ly to take up at this time the COM
mission has stated that ''the fifteen
years on investigation and study and
the results obtained in the actual en-
ployInent of these devices over periods
of years OH some Of the railroads have
clearly demonstrated the practicability
OF automatic train-Stops or tra1n-con-
troll. The time has now arrived when
the carriers should be required to Sc
lect and install such device or devices
will meet our specifications and re-
Guirements.
The accident reports made by the
railroads to US show that from January.
1906 to December 81, 1921. there were
26,279 head-on and rear-end collisions.
These resulted in death to 1925 persons
and injury to 606S2. The damage to
railroad property alone amounted to
$40, 969, ,663. In6 annual average OF
these collisions amounted to 1,643; the
average killed 210, and the average in
jured. 1892. The average damage to
railroad property amounted to s2.36O,6O3
per year.
sums Up Facts.
In its report of the recent wreck OF
section of the New York Central's ia
NOUS Twentieth Century Limited the
commission summed up the facts as fol-
lows: 'It is now more than eighteen
months since the commission issued its
order requiring the installation on or
before January /. 1925, of automatic
train-control on portions OF forty-nine
different railroads, among which is
the New York Central railroad. Under
the law. such an order must be issued
and published at least two years before |
the date specified for its fulfillment, |
hut the railroad company should prompt
ly and diligently proceed with the per-
manent installation Of these devices
which experience, costly in human life.
has demonstrated are necessary to safe |
guard railway travel"
Several railroads have installed of
their own accord automatic train con-
troll devices which the commission |
sStateS have worked satisfactorily. None |
Of the railroads. it is understood, is op- |
posed to the theory of automatic train |