UNIFORMITY IN SAFETY APPLIANCES.

The subject of safety appliances was very fully considered in the Third Annual Report to Congress, but no definite recommendations were made at the time. The increased ratio of casualties for the year ending June 30, 1890, as shown by the Statistician's Report, which has just been issued, considered in the light of the sentiment which has been expressed by the different organizations of railroad employés through their representatives and by themselves directly, make it incumbent to again call the attention of Congress to the great need of uniformity in all safety appliances used on railroad cars and engines.

This was first touched upon as a national question at the First National Convention of Railroad Commissioners held in Washington, March, 1889, when a resolution was offered by the Hon. George G. Crocker, of Massachusetts, and unanimously adopted as follows:

Whereas thousands of railroad employés every year are killed or injured in coupling or uncoupling freight cars used in interstate traffic and in handling the brakes of such cars, and most of these accidents can be avoided by the use of uniform automatic couplers and train brakes; and

Whereas the success and growth of the system of heating cars by steam from the locomotive or other single source largely depends on the adoption in interstate traffic of an uniform steam coupler; and

Whereas these subjects are believed to be of pressing importance, and within the proper scope of the powers of the Congress of the United States, while attempts on the part of the individual States to deal with them have resulted, and must continue to result, in conflicting regulations:

Resolved, That we do respectfully and earnestly urge the Interstate Commerce Commission to consider what can be done to prevent the loss of life and limb in coupling and uncoupling freight cars used in interstate commerce, and in handling the brakes of such cars, and in what way the growth of the system of heating passenger cars from the locomotive or other single source can be promoted to the end that said Commission may make recommendations in the premises to the various railroads within its jurisdiction and make such suggestions aš to legislation on said subjects as may seem necessary or expedient.

In compliance with the above-mentioned resolution the Commission endeavored to obtain from the different organizations of railroad em ployés, railroad officials, and others directly interested in the subject, their views upon the advisability of federal regulation of safety appliances, the result of which inquiry was submitted to Congress, as already stated, in the Third Annual Report of the Commission.

No definite action was taken by Congress though several bills were introduced both in the Senate and House of Representatives, and the Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce in April and May, 1890, heard many prominent railroad men and representatives of organizations of railroad employés, upon the subject.

In May, 1890, at the Second Annual Convention of Railroad Commissioners the subject was taken up at greater length than at the previous meeting, and a resolution was adopted as follows:

Resolved, That the respective States should require, either directly by law or indirectly through the instrumentality of their railroad commission, each railroad

S, Mis, 31-22

corporation subject to their jurisdiction to place driving-wheel brakes and apparatus for train brakes on every locomotive constructed or purchased by it, and train brakes upon every freight car hereafter constructed or purchased by it, and also upon such cars and upon every freight car owned by it, the coupler or drawbar of which is repaired by it, an automatic coupler of the Master Car Builders' type at each end of the car.

It appears from the figures shown in the Second Annual Report of the Statistician of the Commission, for the year ending June 30, 1889, that during that year there was one death for every 357 employés, and one injury for every 35 employés; or considering the trainmen only, engineers, firemen, conductors and other trainmen, it is shown that railway accidents are the occasion of one death for every 117 employés and one injury for every 12 men employed. While the report for the year ending June 30, 1890, shows an increased ratio of deaths of employés, showing one death for every 306 employés, and one injury for every 33 employés. The increased ratio among trainmen only, engineers, firemen, conductors, and other trainmen, shows one death for every 105 employés, and one injury for every 12 men employed. Comparing these figures with the figures for the preceding year it is shown that, for the year ending June 30, 1889, there was one death for every 357 employés, while for the year ending June 30, 1890, there was one death for every 306 employés, an increase of 14.29 per cent in the death ratio for 1890 over 1889; and one injury for every 35 employés for the year ending June 30, 1889, as compared to one injury for every 33 employés for the year ending June 30, 1890, an increase of about 5.71 per cent for the year 1890 as compared with 1889; or, considering the trainmen only, for the year ending June 30, 1889, there was one death for every 117 employés, while for the year ending June 30, 1890, there was one death for every 105 employés, an increase of 10.26 per cent in the death ratio in 1890 over 1889. The ratio of injuries to such employés for the two years is the same. This fearful increase is worthy of serious consideration. Among no other class of organized labor is it so great or the risk incurred so hazardous. One of the chief causes of the deaths to railroad trainmen in the pursuit of their occupation may be attributed to the great variety of couplers used in coupling cars. The last report of the Statistician shows the use of thirty-seven different styles of couplers in constant use; this, it is believed, does not begin to cover those being experimented with; this, in itself, is a strong factor in favor of uniformity in safety appliances on railroad cars. By the same report is shown a total of 2,451 employés killed and 22,396 injured; of those killed, 369, or 15.05 per cent of the deaths were caused by coupling and uncoupling cars; while of the total of 22,396 employés injured, 7,842, or 35.02 per cent of the injuries resulted from the same cause; 561, or 22.89 per cent of the deaths, and 2,363, or 10.55 per cent of the injuries, resulted from falling from trains and engines. So that 37.94 per cent. of the deaths and 45.57 per cent. of the injuries resulted from causes, the effects of which would be rendered much less disastrous by the use of better appliances for the safety of railroad employés.

The item "Falling from trains and engines" may well be attributed to the necessity of being on top of cars to handle brakes. It may be assumed that a large per cent of the lives lost from this cause could have been saved by the use of continuous brakes, and that fully 90 per cent of the lives lost and injuries incurred through coupling and uncoupling cars could have been avoided by the use of a uniform automatic coupler.

The Third Annual Convention of Railroad Commissioners held in

Washington, March, 1891, fully realizing the gravity of the question, and wishing to obtain the views not only of the railroad organizations themselves, but of the presidents of all the railroads throughout the United States, appointed a committee on safety appliances, the members of which together with its functions are mentioned in Appendix F.

The committee thus appointed has the matter still under advisement, it having sought the opinions of both the railroad presidents and employés, the former through circulars sent them requesting their views as to the best means of bringing about uniformity in safety appliances, the latter by a hearing which was held in New York City on November 10, where the accredited representatives of the different organizations of railroad employés and others were heard. The result of the investigations thus made shows that uniformity in safety appliances is favored by all; the opinion as to the best means of bringing about such uniformity differs, but that it is necessary and desirable has not been questioned.

The fact, as shown by the last report of the statistician, of the use of thirty-seven different styles of coupler reported to the commission, must indicate the great need for uniformity. The means for bringing about such a result should be carefully considered, in justice to the employés and the railroads themselves. Many of the railroads have shown themselves willing and anxious to use all appliances which will insure greater safety to their employés, while others have made but very few steps in that direction, and it is only by national legislation that such an end can be reached.

No

The justice of the demands of the railroad employés for uniformity in safety appliances, more particularly in car couplers, can not be questioned and can better be appreciated when the difficulties, which the trainmen encounter daily and hourly in coupling and uncoupling cars, is understood. Under existing conditions when there are so many couplers in use it is impossible for men to know before going between the cars whether they have the ordinary links and pins to couple together, or two different types of the large variety of couplers now in use. matter what coupler is used, no matter how perfect its mechanism and working, if it does not couple as well and as freely with every other coupler now in use as it will with another coupler of its own make, it is to that extent, a death trap. What the railroad employés of the country demand is uniformity. They want all couplers alike, and they are the men whose lives and persons are at stake, for with about a million freight cars in use the change to any particular coupler must cause a great injury to their number, and loss of life in bringing it about. This great element of uncertainty, coupled with the danger to life and limb in consequence of such uncertainty should be remedied so that trainmen when coupling and uncoupling cars may know that the couplers will be of the same type.

The expenditure of such large sums of money as this would involve upon the railroad companies should be fully considered in determining what is a reasonable time in which to bring about this needed change, and, on the other hand, the just demands of the railroad employés for their own protection and safety and for the protection of their wives and families who are dependent upon them should also be borne in mind.

A very large majority of freight cars are now equipped and are daily being equipped with the old link and pin coupling. A serious question is the adoption of some type as a standard, which, during the

transition period from the present chaotic condition of couplings to the state of substantial similarity which safety demands, shall most easily couple with the link and pin.

With whatever care and judgment this type be selected, it must inevitably result that many a poor fellow will lose life or limb before uniformity is finally attained. A necessary sacrifice to secure the greater safety to those who shall come after. But this sacrifice should surely be by every reasonable effort minimized to the utmost possible extent. EDWARD A. MOSELEY,

Secretary.

HEATING OF PASSENGER CARS.

There is no longer room to doubt that the heating of passenger cars by steam, or some device other than the common stove (productive in the past of so many fatalities), has made such headway that the oldtime method is certain of abandonment at no distant day on all American railroads.

As corroborative of this statement the following language was used in the report of the committee on steam heating and ventilating of passenger cars before the Master Car Builders' Association, in convention at Cape May, last June:

As steam heat has come to stay, and will not down at our bidding, but rather is pushed forward by public sentiment and the strong hand of law, it behooves this body to create and combine such devices as will insure both safety and economy in car heating.

It is evident from this report, formulated by experts, that the new system is no longer an experiment.

The growth of sentiment has not been altogether so rapid as the friends of progress in this direction may have desired, but encouragement is afforded by the fact that nine States of the Union, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont, have enacted laws which either empower the State railroad commissioners to enforce such orders relative to heating and lighting cars as may be required by public safety, or which absolutely prohibit steam railroads from heating passenger trains by stoves or furnaces kept inside the car, except.in certain cases of accident or emergency.

These statutes are hereinafter given in detail.

A fearful instance of the sacrifice of human life was the collision in Fourth avenue tunnel in New York City, on the 20th of January, 1891, an accident rendered still more horrifying by the fact that the wreck caught fire and, beyond a doubt, of the 6 persons killed several lost their lives in the flames. It is not positively known whether the holocaust was due to the stove or heater, or to the breakage of the kerosene lamps which were used on the ill-fated train. The latter are almost as great a source of danger as the former, and if there is any feasible way of providing a substitute for kerosene, railroad companies should be quick to make the change.

The mechanical difficulties in the way of supplying heat from the engine to the cars so as to make them comfortable in the coldest weather seem to have been fully overcome. The minor problems of overheating and unequal distribution of heat in the different parts of the car are still engaging attention. The matter of a perfect steam coupling between the cars which shall neither leak, freeze up, burst, or cause delay in coupling or uncoupling, nor wear out rapidly, has developed much inventive talent, and it is claimed on more than one side that all these requirements have been met. In view of what has already been accomplished, though perfection is still in the future, car-builders and railway managers are bound to concede that the employment of fire in