Railroad Accidents Part 6

Section foremen do not seem to realize the importance of examining the whip guards for overhead obstructions every time they pa.s.s them to see that they are in proper position and if not, pull them down with the hook provided for that purpose. If the roadmasters would be more particular to see that this is done we would have fewer accidents of this kind in the future.

And in removing hand cars in yards, place them far enough away from the rails so that a man riding on the side of a freight car won't be struck by them, as happened to

A. T. Swanson, brakeman, injured at Tracy, Aug. 30; he was hanging on the side of a car, and was struck by the handle of a hand car, which had been left too near to clear a man on a car.

ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY CARELESSNESS OF ENGINEMEN

I shall next call your attention to accidents caused by carelessness of enginemen which should not have happened and with proper care and thoughtfulness will not occur in the future:

George Bowman, engineman, killed at Holstein, on Sept. 9; caused by engine running off the track, this being the end of the road, and the first time Bowman or any of the crew on the train, other than one brakeman, had been over the line. A section foreman, who was sent along as pilot, claims to have told Bowman when he came to the Y, north of the depot, but Bowman paid no attention to the warning, and made no effort to stop. This engineman had been on duty for 14 hours when he got to Creever, at about 12 o'clock midnight, and asked for 8 hours' sleep, but was sent out again in four hours and a half.

Michael O'Neill, turntable man, injured Oct 17, at Patten; he was pushing turntable with engine on it, and while doing so engine ran off before he got it to the stall where it was to go in; struck him on left shoulder.

Ralph Burnham, rear brakeman, train No. 55, seriously injured at Bradley, night of Dec. 21, by being caught between the tender of engine No. 641 and the mail car. This man was standing on east side of track and started to cross over to the west side to help couple the air, steam hose and whistle. He knew the engine was coming back, but owing to the amount of steam escaping from it did not realize it was so close, and before he could get over was caught. The steam was escaping from the steam hose at the back of the tender. It is customary for some engineers to have this steam blowing off as they are backing up to make couplings; others shut off the steam, as when it is blowing off it is almost impossible for the brakeman to see. Why should not all enginemen shut it off?

In a double track district, if you are running on the wrong track and there are any section men working on the track or employees or others walking or running on the track, you should act upon the theory that even if they know you are coming they will think you are on the track usually occupied, and until you know that they actually understand the conditions you must be prepared to stop in time to prevent injuring them. And if two trains are pa.s.sing on the double track and there is anyone around, don't let it be your fault that an injury occurs because ample warning was not given of the approach of two trains instead of one.

John Cooper, section laborer, struck and killed by engine No.

1564, April 16, at 9:00 a.m., near Steuben, while working on the track, cleaning the crossing, engine was running on south-bound track. Although running on the wrong track, engineman is unable to say whether or not he whistled for the crossing. No one on the engine saw the man.

ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY MOVING CARS ON OR UNDER WHICH MEN ARE WORKING

Injuries caused by the moving of cars being iced or on or under which men are working seem to me of a cla.s.s so inexcusable as to merit the discharge of the party at fault. Think how you would feel if you or your boy was under, on, or in, a car with a flag out and someone moved the car without notice and you or he was run over. The following are a few such cases:

Philip Elder, car cleaner, injured at Armstrong, July 5; caused by train being moved by switch engine while he was on the ladder filling the water cooler.

Patrick Connelly, car repairer, injured Nov. 29, at Falesburg, was under end of car on repair track; Switchman Moody backed train No.

27 on No. 5 track, and cars did not clear coach No. 368; it struck the car under which Connelly was working, moving it about 10 ft.

and dragging Connelly, who caught hold of brake-beam. Flag out as required by Rule 1.

A. F. Brown, car cleaner, injured at Perryville yards, May 3, at 10:00 a.m., was working in smoker No. 762; engine No. 37 coupled onto the car and pushed it down track and it collided with some other cars, knocking this woman down. No switchman riding on the car at the time of the accident.

Injuries caused by carelessness in throwing switches and derails we all know ought not to occur, and yet they are of frequent occurrence.

The following are samples.

G. M. Claney, engineman; Alfred Dolan, fireman; injured about 10 a.m., June 4, at Peronia; after going in on side track to get some cars, got signal from brakeman to come ahead. Brakeman failed to throw derailing switch, and while going to main line engine left the track, went down embankment, and turned over.

Richard Jones, brakeman, injured May 7, at Nelson. Foreman Brinson told him to cut off two cars and ride them out onto main line, and after he had started the foreman noticed an engine coming up the main line, and threw switch for side track, the cars collided and he was thrown down in car.

ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY KICKING CABOOSES

Accidents caused by kicking caboose cars in which men are resting are of altogether too frequent occurrence, and are as inexcusable as they are frequent. Rule No. 10 should, I think, prohibit the practice, as it does of moving cars containing pa.s.sengers unless coupled to the engine and air-brakes in use. Had this been done, the following cases would not have happened:

K. M. Simpson, brakeman, injured Dec. 12, at Albion, was in way-car cleaning ashes out of stove, when the way-car was struck by another car kicked onto it by switchman, throwing him against end of car.

Paul O'Connor and E. Putnam, brakemen, injured Feb. 22, at Dodworths, were asleep in caboose No. 1473, on caboose track.

Switch engine went in and got caboose and kicked it out on lead.

It did not clear the switch track, and as other cars were kicked back on caboose track it was struck by them throwing these men to the floor.

Indeed, I believe that if the practice of kicking freight cars in yards and at stations was prohibited the saving in the cost of repairs of equipment and for damage to contents of cars would be greater than the increase in pay-roll caused by necessary increase in the number of men in the crews.

Speaking of accidents of this kind brings to mind those resulting from careless handling of boarding cars, which are now so common during the summer season. We all know the cla.s.s of people who inhabit boarding cars, how little they appreciate the danger, that they are on the sides, top, under, and in the cars. So handle them, not as some brakemen do egg cases, but carefully; never move the cars without going to see that no one is under them cooking his dinner, that the occupants of cars are all in a place of safety, and never make a fly or kick with them, always have the engine coupled up, and don't uncouple it until the car has got to the place it is to be left.

Roadmasters and foremen should see that the opening for ingress and egress from the cars is on the side away from the traffic. The switch to the track on which the cars stand should be locked and the key in the foreman's pocket, or else a rail taken up so that no one can get in on the track without notice. If you run across any cases where this is not done, report them before, not after, some one is hurt.

MOTOR AND HAND CAR ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES TO SECTION MEN

Before leaving the subject of injuries to employees caused by the carelessness of other employees, I want to mention some motor and hand car accidents and injuries to section men caused by the use of defective cars, by fast running, overloading, and by failure to comply with the rules. Why men on motor cars and hand cars coming in from work want to run faster than is safe (they never do it on the way out), why they should overload, use defective cars, run closer together than 300 feet, be out after dark without a light, leave their cars on the highways to obstruct the same and frighten horses, contrary to Rules 46, 47, and 48, we may perhaps guess. And yet we can see no good reason for failure to comply with the rules which are made for their own protection, as well as that of the company, and if more careful instructions were given them by the roadmasters and more supervision exercised, many of the accidents mentioned below would not have happened. And on account of the cla.s.s of men now employed on the track, such instruction and supervision is more necessary than ever, as the records show that we have many more such cases in proportion to the mileage and business than we did a few years ago.

G. Botticelli, laborer, injured March 23, south of Yerkesville, was riding on the front end of hand car, which was being followed by another hand car; section foreman signaled to the rear car not to come too close to first car, signal was not heeded and the second car ran into the first, derailing it.

H. P. Dennis, laborer, injured May 28, west of Orion; caused by the handle of a hand car breaking.

N. R. Forbes, injured near Larkin, June 24, with four other men, was riding on a hand car going home from work. While going down grade, trying to get to station before train pulled out, car jumped track, all the men were thrown off, and Forbes injured.

In pa.s.sing over highway crossings, especially in cities and in running past stations, hand and motor cars should be so run that the man in charge could stop the car in its own length.

INJURIES TO EMPLOYEES CAUSED BY THEIR OWN CARELESSNESS

Lastly, I shall call your attention to a few of the accidents in which employees are injured by their own carelessness, thoughtlessness or recklessness, and frequently it is the latter. If we could eliminate them and one-half of those caused by the carelessness of other employees much of the unfavorable criticism of railroads would cease, as the cause would no longer exist.

We will take up some of the most common accidents of this cla.s.s, caused by coupling cars, getting on or off, or falling from, trains or engines, moving or standing. The following cases will serve to ill.u.s.trate how frequently unnecessary chances are taken and the result.

Can anyone imagine a reason why a man of common sense who is old enough to be out of school should stand on a footboard and when the couplers are almost together put his hand in between them to pull them over or try to kick them over with his foot, walk backwards, contrary to Rule 51, between the rails fixing a Jenney to get ready to couple, instead of stopping the car or engine and getting the coupler in position; why they should stand in the middle of the track and wait for an approaching engine or car to reach them and then step onto the footboard or brake-beam, when they could just as well get on the side or other end, and do it with safety; why men jump on an engine pilot, which Rule 33 prohibits, or on a moving car to ride a few feet to a switch, when the same is going so fast as to make it dangerous, unless they want to show how expert they are; why they should get off moving cars or engines under the same circ.u.mstances; why a man should not get off a standing car or engine without getting hurt; undertake to climb from car to car when unnecessary; cross the track in front of moving cars or engines, when they are so close to them that to the uninitiated it looks like suicide; or cross between cars, when they could just as well climb over? But rather than take the time, which the company pays for, they take the chances, and then if they get across, like the man who drove over in front of the engine at the last highway crossing and waited on the other side to see the train go by, they wait until the tail end comes along and get on there, but if they get caught blame the engineman for coming too fast, or the company for not having the track nickel plated, or for having a handhold in the wrong place.

Why they should allow themselves to be struck frequently in broad daylight by overhead obstructions, for which tell-tales are erected to warn them; by building close to the track, with the location of which they are familiar. Yet rather than work their gray matter a little, they get hurt. Why a man sent out to look after broken rails or defects in the track shouldn't watch for trains from both directions or take the trouble to ascertain before starting whether trains are on time. And yet we all know that just such chances are taken every day with results shown in the following cases, which are such as happen all the time; the only reason or excuse that can be given for them, that I can imagine, is, that the men injured never should have been employed; that instead of being employed on trains and engines and drawing--not earning--more pay than princ.i.p.als of schools, and frequently than school superintendents, they should be working in a barn or shoveling dirt instead of on a railroad, where their recklessness, carelessness, and failure to realize the dangers of the business and the necessity of complying with the rules and taking no unnecessary chances, not only endanger their own lives, but those of others. They are of the same cla.s.s that the railroad organizations, for the protection of their desirable membership, ought to help get out of the service, not try to keep in until someone is seriously injured or killed, and then complain and say the company is liable because they kept such a grossly careless, incompetent man in the service; and if you will think for a minute, you will know that none of the careful, forehanded men--the men who own homes and have a little money in the bank--are in this cla.s.s.

I will first refer you to some cases caused in coupling cars, and by getting on and off cars, of which the following are fair samples, each of which not only could but should have been avoided by the exercise of a little common sense by the injured person:

G. L. Penston, collector, injured at Wanley, May 10; went in to uncouple hose after getting train onto track; did not tell anyone he was going in between the cars; other cars were switched onto train and his head was caught between the cars.

Henry Kendrick, switchman, injured at Mertonville, March 13; was standing on front footboard of engine, which was about to couple onto a car; draw-bar on engine was too far to one side to make the coupling and Kendrick attempted to kick it over with his foot, but missed it and his foot was caught and crushed.

M. T. Bowers, fireman, Fairmill, Jan. 6, was trying to jump from the running board of engine to footboard, when he fell and was injured.

L. B. Gorky, conductor, Panitoca, Aug. 14; was standing on top of car, gave engineer a stop signal, and when slack came back, fell off car.

P. F. Newton, conductor, injured Oct. 3, at Durham; got off head end of train, and tried to get on way-car as it came along, and was thrown to the ground and badly injured. Train was moving about 15 miles an hour.

Then comes the cla.s.s of injuries caused by crossing between or going between moving cars or in front of moving cars or engines, and those caused frequently in broad daylight by obstructions with the location of which employees are perfectly familiar, but fail to take any care to avoid, such as the following:

H. M. Tupper, switchman, injured at Murferton, March 21, ran ahead of moving car to throw switch; after throwing the switch he attempted to cross the track again ahead of the car, was struck and badly injured.

David Spurton, switchman, Olivia, Dec. 12; while hanging on side of car, was caught between car and viaduct, and severely injured.