The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-06-08
RAILROADS OPPOSE
DUAL time BECAUSE
Of WRECK DANGERS
Great Northern 1rainmen Tell
I.C. c. Examiner Of Narrow
Escapes From Crashes
SPECIAL WATCHES UNSAFE

Thres.Handed Timspieces Mis-
read or Locked; State Aim :
ls Central Zone
The time zone protest which went
to federal hearing here Friday re-
solves itself approximately into fight
to maintain the present status Of time
division on the four major lines Of
railroad In the state.
The one variation from the present
system Is plea of the Great North
ern to extend the central time zone to
Williston "a plea In which the 500
Line asks to share In the western por-
ton of the state.
The position Of the Northern Pa
cific and Milwaukee lines is to con-
tinue mountain time west and south
OF the Missouri river. This plea, like
that Of the Great Northern and 500
Line, Is made to the interstate COM
merce commission, which is the con.
trolling authority on railroad time
zones, the country over.
xuc StStc pOSltlOn
These pleas combat the attempt of
the state to impose central time all
over the state. the western boundary
being the boundary likewise set in the
time zone law enacted by the legisla-
tlre last winter.
When the state was asked to de-
clare It's position Thomas ]. Burke,
assistant attorney general. said it de-
sired to extend central time over its
entire area. and he submitted certi-
fled copy of the time law. He said the
state was willing to accept exceptions
for operating purposes, however, the
roads ostenStbly being on a central
time basis. These exceptions would
apply to the N. p. out Of Mandan and
the Milwaukee across the southwest
ern corner Of the state-but In an
operating sense only. All public busi-
ness would be transacted on central
time, he said-the county offices, the
courts, the schools. and the state ad-
ministrative departments.
Defies Orders for Safsty's Sake,
The hearing brought cut the fact
that the Great Northern is violating
the dictum Of the commerce commits
sion In maintaining central time as
far as Williston, instead Of operating
its Dakota division on mountain time,
after Minot has been passed, west
ward.
The reasons for this defiance of the
commission by the Great Northern
also revealed the motive Of the entire
action to get new ruling that shall
exempt the roads from the states at
tempt to dictate time zones to them.
The reason is "Safey first"
A dozen witnesses spread this rea-
son over the record made in the COM
merce commission hearing opened in
the federal building by John T.
Money, commission examiner, who
arrived here tardy Friday afternoon.
due to the washout disruption of
Northern Pacific train service. He
sat from $3.50 till 5:45 and heard rail-
road men tell Of the danger Of q
double standard Of time on q railroad
division. due to the confusion involved
in two types Of time.
Great Northern witnesses who had
experiences Of narrow escapes from
causing wrecks. due to the attempt to
run the Dakota division Of the line
on the double standard, testified to
the constant confusion under which
their minds labored while this system
was In operation from 1919 to 1926.
The road tried number OF devices
to overcome the handicap Of operating
trains on central time into Minot
from the east and then operating on
mountain time the rest Of the dis.
I nee into Montana.
Had Three. Handed Watches
One OF the devices was q watch
with two hour handsome gilt and
the other black, which pointed an
hour apart-one indicating central
time and the other mountain time.
Often an engineer or conductor, or
both, would confuse the hands and
read mountain time for central. or
vice versa. This resulted in heading
in ct passing points while there still
remained an hour to make further
distance, or trains passed by points
where they arely had time to stop,
under the impression Of the engineer
he still was an hour to the good on
passing an 0ncoming train. That
u1ahy wrecks were not the result, It
was testified. was due to the most Of
the errors being made. when there
was M hour Of time TO spare.
Big Crash Averted
Eugene Tallman, g Great Northern
freight conducto1 from Minot. told
how his train passed q heading-in
point some years hack and would have
had = crash with q transcontinenta
passenger train had not the passen-
GER engineer 1een the freight from q
distance where the line ran s.raieht
Tor miles. whereupon he cleared the
way for t0e freight and waited for It
% pesa. The error he made was due
% n19readir- their three handed
watches by both himself s.nd the en-
giueer Of his train.
Engineers and conductors testified
that these three hands often caught
and sometimes the watches stopped
running, then resumed again. thus
causing uncertainty Is 70 whether
their time was truo Of inaccurate.
The road finally refused 70 obey the
commerce commission rule and ex-
tended central ttne Of the entire
division to Williston. In this way the
train crews have escaped from the
constant confusion under which they
opofated SIX years
1felicanaent fer Milwaukee
e the Milwaukee, for-instauce, were
y attognpt T. comply with the inter.
49,