Evening star., 1925-11-14
RAIL WRECK HELD
PREVENTABLE HERE
Officials Say Automatic Con-
troll Device W0ulr' Have
Saved Lives.

From both ends of Washington Il.
day-even while the wreckage Of the
trains which collided near Rlainsboro
n. j., last Wednesday was being clear
ed away, from the legislative branch
where laws passed requiring railroad-
to install automatic train control, and
from the Interstate Commerce Com
mission. whose duty ii is to force
railroads to install some control de
vice-carne expression that if recog
nized safety device had been installed
on the train which crashed into q
sleeper on the WasnnGton-New York
train, the accident would not have OF
Cured No train-controI device was
In operation ON the PENNSYLVANIA rail
road line where the Armistice dav
wreck occurred, with a death toll ,l
10 persons and a, injured list OF q
Senator Albert r. Cummins OF Iowa.
chairman of the Senate committee Oh
interstate commerce. which considered
and recommended the laws regarding
train control which are now being ad
ninistered by the Interstate Com
merce Commission. said every railroaG
which is finally abe 10 do So
should immeditely install every device
which would aid in prevention az acr
dents. Senator Cumnins added thu
the Pennsylvania is probably tjUa-
cially in Il position TO install all au-.
matte train control device.
Officials Statement Cited
Officials Of the Interstate Commaf =.
Commission. from newspaper reports
which credited a Pennsylvania oftici3.
with the assertion that the engineer
of the Mercantile Express ran past q
stop signal in a fog, said the accident
would have been averted had an auto
u t~r1 rtr
use.
Senator Cummins said he was not
now familiar with the progress o.
the law requiring installation of auto
matte train-control devices He said
that several train-control device
have been proved efficient and that
probably if one had been in use or
the Pennsylvania where the Plains.
boro accident occurred il might havc
been prevented.
Nineyaen railroads now have IL
operation on at least 4 fun locomotive
division or its equivalent one Of tl-
recognized train-couJrol devices
Three installations have been an
proved by the commission. or IL
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railway
in Illinois, on the Chicago Roo.
Island and Pacific Railway in III
nois and on the Oregon Washing
ton Railway and Navigation co. ..
Oregan. The PENNSYLVANIA has :i.
installation of one OF the recognize
train control systems on its Phila
delphia- Harrisburg line. while the
Richmond. Fredericksburg and ~.
tomac has AN installation south ..
Washington.
Three years ago the commission
issued on order requiring ~ rail
roads By January ]. 1925, to install
automatic train control on at ledsl
one full locomotive division. \ sec
ond order. suppIementinS the Original
order. required ~ railroads to make
similar installation. Some exten
tions of time We're granted under the
original order. but no extensions
have been granted under the second
order.
Few Install Devices
The carriers which have at leas,
one fun locomotive division equipped
with automatic train control. in add
ton TO the three named are: The
Southern Pacific. Chicago, Burlington
and Quincy. Northern Pacific. Union
Pacific, Norfolk and Western, Chesa-
peake and Ohio: Reading: Santa Fe
Great Northern, Central Railroad Of
New Jersey. Delaware Lackawanna
and Western: Galveston, Harrisburg
! y
Haven and Hartford: St. Louis ana
San Francisco and Missouri Pacifiy
Others are proceeding with INSTALL
ton.
Fortytwo OF the railroads named in
the commission orders came before il
in May. 1924. requesting modification
of the order seeking use of per7nissivc
or MANUAL control devices in come.
ton With automatic train-stop de
vices. The commission allowed the
change and permitted certain carriers
an extension Of time in which To in
stall the devices. \ dissenting oDiu.
ion. holding that the majority Of tn"
commission erTed in authorizing use
of perrnissive or manual control. Mas
filed by commissioners Esch. Nc
Chord and Cox.
Estimates Of cost Of placing auto
matte train control on the PRINCIPAL
carriers Of the United States are
placed by the American Railway As
Sociation at S26 600, 900. The commits
sion found that the average cost nn!.
locomotive installed ranges from
Sl.02O to 1880 for the ramp-type de
vices, from $1,000 to $500 for. the
intermittent inductiVe devices ard
from $2,400 to S3,500 for continuous
inductiVe devices.