lost motion, there is danger that the lock will be lifted by the chain. That causes breaking in two."

At the same time and place it was reported that the causes of 1,506 cases of trains parting were as follows:

At the Master Car Builders' convention in 1900 the president of the association in his address spoke in part as follows: "In a hazardous employment the man does his work with greatest safety who has least need to think how the act should be done." The reports of the Commission and the table of defects for the years ending June 30, 1901 and 1902, complete the record.

The opinions here quoted clearly indicate that no interested person can plead want of knowledge, and the figures exhibited indicate the disastrous results which are to be expected from disregard of proper adjustment of uncoupling attachments and the presence of excessive slack in draft rigging.

In connection with these quotations it seems proper to direct attention to the large number of cases wherein, after investigations by officials, or committees, of causes of failures of couplers and associated parts, the actual reasons are so often buried under the epitaph "miscellaneous causes. Attention is particularly called to this lack of definite information in a table compiled from reports of accidents made by all the railroads to the Commission, and which appeared in Accident Bulletin No. 4. The facts exhibited in the table are as follows:

If the above items represent the scope of official knowledge of what are doubtless largely preventable causes, it ceases to be a matter for surprise that the operation of our railroads is attended by numerous casualties. All the reports from which this information was compiled were sworn to by some responsible operating official. Investigations into the causes of trains parting on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway indicate that, by intelligent inquiry, the unknown features were reduced to 163 per cent on the former road and to a little over 2 per cent on the latter.

It is common knowledge that defective uncoupling mechanisms and slack in rearend attachments, which makes the uncoupling mechanism practically inoperative, are responsible for many casualties and costly wrecks, and it is surprising that the executive officers of our large railways fail to grasp the possibility of lessened expense in operation which should follow intelligent investigation.

CLASS C.-Visible Parts of Air Brakes.

Items No. 42, defective reservoir casting, and No. 43, defective cylinder casting. The increase in these items requires some explanation. The defects are not actually of the parts named, but in method of application which permits the castings to become loose. The difficulty is that they are allowed to remain in this condition, which causes broken or leaky pipes or connections.

Item No. 44, defective cut-out cock, shows an increase for which it is difficult to assign a cause.

Item No. 45, defective release cock. Apparent neglect of this part is disclosed. The record shows that the larger number is found on home equipment.

Item No. 45-1, broken release rod. An increase makes it manifest that apparently less important parts are not given attention.

Item No. 46, defective angle cock. It is to be regretted that in such an important feature there should be no improvement. The inference is that neglect is frequent. Item No. 47, defective train pipe. This defect is noted under two headings, pipe loose and pipe broken. A decided improvement in pipes broken is partially offset by a larger number of pipes loose. It is known that the normal efficiency of the air brake is seriously affected by these defects.

Item No. 48, defective cross-over pipe. An increased number reported in a defective condition emphasizes the comment on item No. 47.

Item No. 49, defective hose. This is a dangerous defect, dangerous not only because it may cause great damage to cars but because it is difficult to detect. On the New York Central and other Vanderbilt roads, hose is removed at the expiration of a certain period regardless of its condition. This excellent practice should result in a diminution of failure of hose at critical times on those roads.

Item No. 50, defective hose gasket. A larger number are reported. This detail is of great importance, and as a larger number of air-braked cars are being used, all small defects claim additional attention.

Item No. 51, defective brake rigging. It is gratifying to observe an improvement. The parts reported are confined to those cars equipped with the air-brake apparatus, and the decrease is evidence of care in the design and application of brake rigging. Item No. 52, defective retaining valve. An increase denotes lack of attention to this valuable auxiliary.

Item No. 53, defective retaining valve pipe. An improvement is observed.
Item No. 54, missing parts. Subitem No. 1, hose remains as last year.

is directed to the large number found on home cars.

Attention

Subitem No. 2, angle cock. A decidedly increased number, most of which are found on home cars, is evidence of the difficulty, so universally complained of, of obtaining material. The remedy is apparent.

Subitem No. 3, retaining valve. Comment is unnecessary.

Subitem No. 5, release rod. Lack of attention is so evident, the remedy so manifest, and the fact that home cars are so largely neglected, suggest that there is a disregard of conditions regarding small things.

Item No. 55, brake cut-out. The increase shows that the use of the air-brake defect card is not followed, and that cars with the brake mechanism in an unknown condition are often passed along. A car having an efficient mechanism may run unused for long periods.

Item No. 56, cylinder and triple valve not cleaned within twelve months. The increase here is perhaps due to the fact that the installation of air-brake cleaning and repair plants has not kept pace with the increased number of air-brake cars put in service; also to the conditions existing during a part of the time covered by this report, when the demands of traffic were very exacting.

Subitem No. 56-1. Date of cleaning cylinder and triple valve not shown. Material improvement in this item is evidence that efforts have been made to improve conditions, and the relative percentage is understood to mean that cars receive more attention on the home road. The improvement in this class is one of the most encouraging features of the whole table.

Comment by inspectors Watson, Martin, Smith, Hawley, Cullinane, Wright, Swasey, Jones, Coutts, Merrill, Belnap, Auchter, and Starbird follows:

Inspector Watson says that he notes marked improvement in air-brake equipment. Inspector Martin says that while as a rule most general officers insist that all air cars be switched together, that is about as far as they go, making no provision for proper care of air brakes or for the education of men who handle them."

Inspector Smith finds that a very much larger percentage of air brakes is being operated than a year ago, and that more attention is given to the cleaning of triple valves and cylinders, but that not enough attention is given to certain parts of the brakes, such as taking up slack and adjusting piston travel.

Inspector Hawley says that little attention is given to the cars that are not used. Inspector Cullinane says that the number of air plants at terminal and division points is inadequate.

Inspector Wright directs attention to the bad results which follow the practice of not assembling all air-braked cars so that the condition of the air-brake apparatus can be known.

Inspector Swasey says that not enough attention is given to the care of air-brake appliances, especially on refrigerator cars from the West, which are usually returned in the same condition as when they arrive.

Inspector Jones says that his observation of conditions during the past year leads

him to believe that a steady improvement is taking place, especially of the air-brake equipment. Nearly all roads have placed this work in charge of competent men. He suggests that in stenciling dates on cylinder, stencil marks be placed below the center line of the cylinder to prevent their being covered with dust.

Inspector Coutts says that air brakes are being given a great deal more attention than formerly. On most roads the triples and cylinders are cleaned at regular intervals. Some roads make an effort to clean triples every six months, but the most common practice is to clean triples and cylinders once a year. Nearly all the roads visited are fitting the repair tracks, where air-brake work is done, with air pipes carrying a sufficient pressure of air for charging and testing the brakes. The principal yards are also being equipped with air plants to test the cars in trains that are made up. Air inspectors are usually in charge of these plants, and their efficient service is assisting very materially in avoiding long delays in yards which were, a short time ago, very common.

The work of instructing enginemen and trainmen and others having to do with the manipulation and care of the air brake has been given attention in the past two years; and this, one of the most important features of railroad service, now seems likely to receive the recognition due to its importance.

No class of employees in the United States have better opportunities of educating themselves than do the army of railway men engaged in the operation of the vast transportation systems. They are becoming specialists in their respective vocations, and the man who ten years ago was looked upon as proficient will find others who will excel in knowledge and pass by him in the struggle for advancement if he fail to take advantage of the facilities for improvement provided.

When we consider the many lives that are at risk and the vast amount of property intrusted to the care of the employees, it is not strange that the officials in charge require the highest standard of ability.

In this age of progress_conditions on our railroads arise which require frequent changes. Equipments which yesterday served their purpose are to-day obsolete.

On freight equipment the brake leverage, at one time in a greatly neglected condition, has been brought to a high state of efficiency. The changing of the old plain automatic brakes to quick action is now nearly completed. Many of the high-capacity cars are braked at 80 per cent of their light weight.

On passenger equipment the foundation brake has been strengthened, plain valves have been changed to quick action, and high-speed brakes are becoming general. Several railroads, operating in mountainous country, have equipped their cabooses with air-brake apparatus, including conductor's valves and air gauges.

Some roads with almost level grades have also adopted this practice, and the practical results following the use of these parts compensate for the cost of applying them.

Inspector Merrill says that a great many roads are marking cylinders with chalk, failing to erase old dates; also that air brakes are cut out and defect cards are not applied.

Inspector Belnap says that a defective air brake in the train is the exception, and that there is a marked increase in the number of yards piped, so that proper tests may be conducted previous to the engine being coupled to the train.

Inspector Auchter found on some roads the air pumps in poor condition and the main reservoirs too small, and many employees who were not familiar with air-brake defects.

Inspector Starbird says that the most serious trouble observed is irregular piston travel, and he calls attention to the difficulty of procuring material or parts for repairs and renewals.

Neglect to provide facilities for the repairs of parts, such as release rods, angle cocks, train pipes, hose, gaskets, and retaining valves, inevitably creates the impression among the railroad employees who have to handle these matters that the officers are not very earnest in their desire for better conditions. The fact that the brakes are so often cut out without the application of the defect card suggests the need of discipline, assuming that the cards are supplied. It has been suggested that a premium be given to conductors who either bring their trains into terminals with the air working, or give a sufficient reason why it is not being worked. The practice continues of pulling hose apart, and attention is again called to this feature by reason of the many bad results which follow. It not only ruins coupling joints, but it strains, distorts, and breaks pipe connections, and has a tendency to damage sound hose by straining it.

The matter of leaky pipes has such a far-reaching effect on air-brake operation that it calls for the most serious consideration. It has been stated, contrary to what might be expected, that a bad leak is frequently not as serious as a small one, for the

reason that the former can be easily located. A small leak, which alone will not waste any considerable quantity of air, is more obscure; and when, as is often the case, a number of such leaks exist in one train, it is difficult to maintain the requisite pressure. With the long trains now common such conditions become of great importance. Other difficulties of a varied nature result. It is useless, however, to expect any great degree of improvement until all necessary facilities are provided. After all necessary facilities are provided it would then be a matter of discipline, and any employee having to do with any part of the air-brake apparatus or its use could be called to account for neglected duty.

Some evidence, which seems to be supported by reliable statements, is to the effect that many engineers are reluctant to assume the responsibility which rests upon them when the control of a train is placed in their hands by the assembling of a sufficient number of air-braked cars. In some instances there may be good reason for taking this position, but as a general thing it is to be deplored, and when the time arrives that all requisite facilities are provided, so that all may know that the apparatus is in efficient condition, men who shirk such responsibility should be severely disciplined. A question of timely interest is the increase in braking power for loaded cars. It is understood that earnest efforts are being made to surmount difficulties which retard the accomplishment of this purpose. When this is accomplished air brakes will be used more generally.

Regarding the condition of hose the following is of interest:

In testing air hose with soapsuds on all cars passing through a terminal, it was found necessary during the first month to renew 9 per cent of all the hose tested, but the number found defective gradually diminished from day to day as the cars returned to the terminal until it was reduced to a constant average of about 12 per cent. This practice almost wiped out the burst hose on the road, and it reduced the number of pulled-out couplers. It also materially reduced the time required to handle trains over the division.

CLASS D.-Handholds.

There are three items under this head which indicate neglect, one of which, handholds missing, has been due to some lack of knowledge of the definite requirements of the law, which are now better understood. Two items show evidence of attention, one of which, handholds loose, is the most dangerous feature in the catalogue. Handholds bent and improperly applied are responsible for the poor showing made as compared with this same class of defects for the previous year.

Attention is called to the 3 deaths and 254 injuries resulting from defective handholds, as exhibited in Table E, Accident Bulletin No. 8, for the year ending June 30, 1903.

While on the subject of handholds it will be appropriate to allude to the matter of handholds on the front ends of road locomotives. Mr. Quereau, chairman of the committee appointed by the American Railway Master Mechanics' Association on the location of grab irons on the front ends of locomotives, writes (see copy of report in Appendix) that the committee is opposed to the use of a coupler with a knuckle which does not swing on a pivot. The inference is that it recommends the use of a coupler similar to the ones used on cars. It then follows that the couplers must be equipped with the necessary uncoupling mechanism, and in its report the committee recommends the use of a long uncoupling lever extending across the front end of the locomotive, which, when applied with sufficient clearance, will also serve as a handhold. This is clear and commendable.

I have seen in copies of the proceedings of the New York Railroad Club and the Central Railway Club reports of discussions relative to this matter, and it occurs to me that those who state that the application of handholds to the front ends will invite employees to assume a dangerous risk overlook the fact that even on locomotives without handholds employees very frequently ride on the front end. It is positively stated by trainmen of experience that this dangerous duty is expected of them regardless of the fact that some roads have rules forbidding such risks being taken. If the operating officials would see that more time is allowed for the work of setting off or picking up cars at small stations and at interchange points, which work is done by engines assigned to and equipped for road service, so that men will not have to take the risk of riding on the front end in order that they may work with the required dispatch, handholds might be dispensed with. If the responsible officials will not or can not do this, then the next best arrangement is that which provides reasonable appliances and precautions to insure the safety of employees under conditions that exist.

CLASS E.-Height of Couplers.

The record gives evidence that almost ideal conditions in this particular continue.

CLASS F.-Loose carrier irons.

A material improvement in this item is noticeable.

CLASS G.-Side-sill Steps.

Bent side-sill steps appear prominently and indicate lack of attention. Missing side-sill steps is an item not included in our inspection in previous years; it is one of importance

CLASS H.-Ladders.

These items were not included in previous years.

It will be observed that the most frequent defect found is ladder round bent. The item, ladder round loose, is one of the most dangerous character, and attention is called to the large number reported.

CLASS J.-Roof Handholds.

The most noticeable item under this head is loose handholds.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

During the year covered by the table 220,140 cars were inspected; 60,083 found defective, on which were 82,832 defects. Of the total number inspected 27.29 per cent were found defective. For the year ending June 30, 1902, 26.47 per cent were found defective; for the year ending June 30, 1901, 19.73 per cent were found defective. It will be seen that there has been an increase each year. It is not believed that this indicates increased neglect, but that the inspectors for the Commission are becoming more expert in detecting defects to the specific parts.

For the year ending June 30, 1901, 1.24 defects were found on each car reported defective; for the year ending June 30, 1902, 1.28 defects were found on each car reported defective; and for the year ending June 30, 1903, 1.37 defects were found on each car reported defective.

During the year ending June 30, 1902, improvement was general, with the exception of defects to visible parts of air brakes. The increased number found in this class was undoubtedly due solely to improved methods of inspection. In the year ending June 30, 1903, a greater number of defects was found in all the classes, with the exception of visible parts of air brakes. It is believed that this is an indication of increased attention by the railroads to these parts.

The summary shows that the foreign equipment had about 4 per cent more defects than the home equipment.

General comment by Inspectors Martin, Smith, Cullinane, Wright, Jones, and Merrill follows:

Inspector Martin says that an important matter which should be given attention at this time is the question of providing a safe means of passage over or around the sides of the high dump cars now in service on many roads. As a rule these cars are very nearly as high as a box car, and when empty provide absolutely no means for a trainman to pass over them, he being compelled to crawl along the edge.

Inspector Smith says that notwithstanding the statement by some roads that locomotives with couplers folding back upon the pilot could not be provided with uncoupling levers, he has found one road having such couplers on its passenger locomotives and every one of them equipped with uncoupling levers and grab irons.

Inspector Cullinane says that if the master mechanics, general foremen, and car foremen would only realize the importance of taking especial care of safety devices and spend a few hours out in the yard with the men, showing them how the work should be done and impress them with the importance of having the appliances in good working order, it would be a step in the right direction.

Inspector Wright says that the foreman of a certain inspection and repair point instructs inspectors to mark for repairs only such number of cars as the repair force can handle that day, so that the report which the foreman is required to make each night shows no bad-order cars on hand. The chief officer notes this repeatedly and concludes the repair force is too large; a reduction is made, and the inspectors are again instructed to be less exacting and mark a less number of cars in for repairs. In short, the number of bad-order cars is fitted to the force rather than the force to the cars requiring attention.

Inspector Jones says joint inspection, as conducted, is largely at fault for the very