i
;
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4
.PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, TJECEMBERlll, 1910 V
:,: ' ''n v -"r7 --) v ' :v.. :. -''j, . ',v
-fe mIv u Air
r
1
s v
The Cost of Standard Appliances
Which the ; Interstate Commerce
('.
e
ommission Has DeemedNecessary .
for the, Protection
and Travelers V
it
F
of Trainmen
v :',
.1
VFrr wt7iwrj o ioiflrj, it has been
estimated, is the price that must -be
-paid for the safety of persons
traveling or working on railways, " .
After years of squabbling, the safety -appliances
to be used in cars and engines
have been standardized. The railway men
and the interstate commerce 'commission
have-buried the hatchet. ? ' '"
5 Orders have already been issued by
the commission, and they "are to fbe com
plied with, not made the subject of endless '
litigation. - - i
; ' t ' Thus, briefly 'fts stated one'hf the most
far-reaching developments " of. ' the , dying .
year, " s , , .v , ,
L ' With characteristic indifference-. tHe"? J
great American puo uc. nas oeen more in
teretted in the growing speed, of locomo
ttves than in the lives that have been crushed out through 'careless. nnnfnV ,'h
ness and neglect. Business men have been faj more taken up with: flv t
mmmunnn' js irtinnt in raxes amlvinr tn freirht.roteM''tkan--ta M-lWtiWJV.- V
,.L- - . s. L. . L. L 4..'L ' tftiS;''
one Of me greatest national ais graces.
I
el VA'1 '
H - If1' yi I
'. , . v - - ' ' ' '
' T -' , .
7
'fey
him. V There , ia no slouchiness, . Burli
ness i or , neglect. , Every man on 'hi
train is right , "up on the bit. What
ever happens, ' the- right 1 thin?- it
pretty certain to bo done' at the" right
time. . ' : ( '
- Again,,? this' flyer ia quite .likely
to be : composed : of all-pteel! coaches,
that. won' , burn' and ; are practically
impossible , to t break. Provided they
don't fall ' into, a 'river,' their "passen
gers', are reasonably secure from any
thing' t worse than-a bau shaking up.
Crace' more, notice .the freight
trains , on" this same road.- Many will
be of ' steel . and all will be equipped
o twVA the growth of transportation facilities has come a . tAj. tv i
corresponding increase' in the veritable army of harmless men, ; '-X-' h V.
women ana cnuaren wno are a,oomea to suffer more anon the
miseries of death because of the shameless neglect of those whose
uuiy.it is to sajeguara mem. i ne giant locomotives ana me enaiess J !
trains they 'draw have grown to be instruments ofjOTtte md de-l lA t
vastators of homes. . ( I" - , . -
great army of jnaimed and shattered human beings could be )
"organized from the victims t of "man s inhumanity to man" To
such an appalling extent has the casualty list grown that one train-'
man in eight is wounded every year. - ' , ' .
? jSo terrible is the story here told that tht very ' figures seem to
suffer: . , . . ... .
D
. tlUNG the ten years that preceded the present, 1900-09. there were
vo,eo persons xuiea ana ine appanuijg total of 823,615 wounded
v on American railways. " , .
During the civil war. in the Union armv thfir wrn :w
1 , battle 67,058 men. ' . . . - s ,
The' last six years of peace, therefore, have been about as deadlv on
v -.iiuij iiiuwiijfs is. tuur jear ui reuei uunexs.
1 ; After the smoke of 4battle had iied away,
.43,012 other soldiers succumbed to their wounds,'
bringing the total of those lost directly in battle,
. to 110,070. Even this is only about 15,000 more
v than were killed on the nation's railways in the -dti
".:::JW:
' '- And, perhaps, if it could be determined how
" , many of that vast army of nearly a million souls :
-V,-who were hurt or maimed had been so weakened -'
- that, they afterward succumbed to disease,-the '
'railway casualty list would be ahead of the ..
: Union army's. . ' -
. x , So startling as to be beyond comprehension
are these figures. Here they are, however, as com-i ,
, piled from the interstate commerce commission's
reports:-' . . y: ' ,
uni. : injurea i
.',4S 3,m
B.588 . .
9.840 .l''t,-t. 78.5SS. ,
10.049 '!'jf-' 84.105 -A-Sh"".
: ,70 se,oo8
' j ' making them comparatively infrequent, not only ;
V '8 on' principle, ,'but ''aa' a matter. of bunesrf. .''.'V: i'
1W0
1901
1BOJ-
I0OS
1904
1H03
19(W
107'
1008
190
v. 10.044
10.618
11.R38
10.188
8.724
7.70
, lll.OIA
,i 14.20
. 5,626
4883.615
i I
, "Suppose that all thoso killed were. put 'out
of their misery immediately", which was far from"
being the case; then attempt to imagine the Suf
ferings of the more than two-thirds of a million
people who were banged, about in battered-up
cars, crushed, scalded burned and broken almost
(into bits. '
When you have' pictured to yourself these
harrowing wreck scenes, try hard to realize what
hard hearts and soft beads have for several decr
ades stood in the way of improvements that will
wipe out this unnecessary suffering and, inci-
dantiilly, fiava many moro-dollars than-tlieyost
by avoiding the paying oat of such tremendous
sums-as are devoted each year tt) the settlement
of damage claims. j, ,v'7
Every one knows that wrecks are expensive.
And' tho most progressive ol railway men aro
:-..:..':.i..':'f .
'- ' V7.
' .' ' ;i V'.-:
jail m::immmmM:.
' , xm
y mm
i :f. I I ' I I i I 1.4 I
1 I 1 I . 1,1 1
I r 1 i
7T7 -
' 7'-;v t;,v..'. ;;7t-7
rr .Y'.'i j-'-" 7."
. J , . 7 . ' I- . ,
, '1 7't". j : .' : ; v .
" with airbrakes,' hand brakea and all aorta
'"- 'of- safety ' appliances. - -..
, ' 7 Lastly, take a look at auch portions of
, ? this line's ledgers as are made publio at the
' - end i of its fiscal yean ;Tou are morally
r - "certain to see a fine, balance on the profit
side and a fat sum put By for further im-
. 'provements,
' " "This is the 'sort of railroading that pays.
There is no need to force the officers of lines that
TS3 ; ;vV;.L!I?r ' their passengers, They da it as a matter, not
contributed rto thtf 8aie carrying of the. 100,000,- 'Opposed to this, however, is a sorry picture
000 Tassengers-who traveled over these lines- such a one as has been a thorn m the side of -tna
.-I automatid bl9ck signals', safety" device's; on' cars - interstate commerce' commission for this last .ten
- and thVlike. 7 .BuV'as much as or more'riotent yeart. .
' than-anWof-these lwas the' w--lu tht baant paid or that baa .
andfficienPvof'thflbnerMin ' , been promod to death; whose stock is sometunea
i . . t,.T; . tt':s Y( Ti'-T.., "?:"k'; ... . wortn less tnan ine paper n wwruxen on, ana
' ' : r fhaold daysin;f 4c(Vmtil aiaiyelyn.ttftt existence in the hope that
.4i r recen.aiwe.:invment.ia 'adway: man i wentii5ii; 'tmnwiU' n-'tli'tJni "mid will W if
1kVV;f qff.;dnty,.Mst!W u'"Ti;i'm
5Bpmi Wtam losing ventuVb has to' do the best it caa
. .f vard .or - station. y There ;he ate -and; drank; as Yr, ? . -
'''ytnxxcU as-he-pleased... Of ten-he' could hardly beH0 5 ,Bt
blame'd for "thr'owifig in a few." because he might 'i" U 10 ucft. wat" te ti5
:C7' :have beohfromghteeri to twentyfour
'f :. b n ; managers mnst,pay tremendousdividends oa
tiifiU&iU 'M' 'j; ;;Q7wh&t was but a comparatively small investment
; trainmen must
and even.
their akin
-T.i4 . i RAISING -THEQUAUTY OF MEN f i5rbS .
"ff; !;- t.-Ah'i i '4:..-' - ;v.n v : '.' As tar D
).;7'o;17'" 7 Now' the principal railway lines are insisting 7cident law th
back as March 3, 1901, under an aa-
then passed, tho interstate commerce
r v .- vr 1 rnat' lueir UtjeraLmir lurct's Kuan nn RrrifTitr t-iTn- rnmniiMjiuu uckqu iu io-vjuq mo vi uuium. jjvri
;-VT'TO-pera areiob sensible to' tusttrainioads i" then the great increase in the volume of trafSa
.r'of .peoplqfogec or befuddled' b
1 7!fap bnly this,:but the scale - of ;wagcs 3as-: risen, "pen-driving, tip the casualty. IV which was consid
i.h h.LJlrM flvaomi h Kflin inatltntol i'a..-.vr . ' ered .?a 'disgrace to the American people, painful
l itaa.'KiA JaW 1m K;.k. i.:k i . "... to every careiui observer.
7(; ,7 of mdn.'.-On'some nnes this has resulted in- setT" 8 0
.. T 1 i i! . J I.. - j j ' :.. . hnirivPl
,;. 7: T7.7 ; ain standards that pot a decade or so ago would ' : however, uia numoers ox aiucd ana injurea con
''7):w 7i fhave' been altogether impossible! f?.: - y 7 tinued to mcrease at ratios most appalim. And
7 VV;fe?'ijNo;for conductor of a Ten m laV!r 3'Vh wsity for stop-
ffJwIfip VwwS? Ten chances to one,i he will , look like a H a rfW decrease iu- lhe aaoruu;) of
r:r. i .i7i'J.w -4T:.i; ,.a u... j. 7but a continual trrowth in 'the numbers of t!.;.;
. ' ..1XJUU fluaiio .mvvi.buUv"Ha uidou IcaiulfU; " . .. . " . ... .
v ,. , .. . anJtncr - elmn bWa tTio mnww. t,i- !' maimed, or otherwise battered up.
; r ' Dassertgers; in 1 point; of intelligence. ; Like tho 7 .Io. a"06' aKtaM'9 of thft frtT.'f"'
'.Co4rrf$&rY- i;"captain.of.anpcei.liner.hecbmroands; injurea. a prrj-ar, i . ,
i ius personamy laxeueqie m.me mtu unocr, .i .... . iirau.'itEu i. i au j .
n ... i . . "