Injuries to passengers for which employees are at fault, and which
could and should be avoided, result from collisions, derailments,
improper handling and management of trains and stations, and I will,
by way of illustration, cite a few cases which have occurred and tell
you how, in my opinion, they might have been avoided.
We will first take those caused by collisions:
At Forest Station, April 2, in which 3 passengers were killed and
26 injured, caused by train No. 112, upon which they were riding,
being run into by engine No. 405, hauling train No. 2, Engineman
Jackson, at 4 p.m.
Charles Early and ten other passengers injured May 21, at 8 a.m.,
caused by engine 109, hauling train 477, colliding with engine 309
backing a train to yards; latter train had been stopped five
minutes, engine standing under 89th street viaduct, contrary to
rule 31. Smoke blew down on track, hiding engine and train.
In a dense fog and on a part of the division and at a time when trains
were thick, with a knowledge that he had followed No. 112 all the way
from Thornton, the engineman was so careless as to run by two
automatic signals set at danger, a flagman, and into No. 112, and
three lives go out and 20 odd are injured. Could anything be more
reckless? Do any of you want to ride behind that kind of runner or be
on a train in front of him, even if you have your life insured and
your home paid for? Will we not all agree that such a man is unsafe
and unfit for the service? And in view of the dense fog and the number
of trains moving, should not trains have been blocked a station apart?
It is an absolute protection against accident, which the time interval
is not. And when you enginemen see a signal against you, think of the
wrecks you have known of since you entered the service, and STOP; take
no chances. If you can't see the signal, if your view is obstructed by
smoke or steam so that you can't see the track beyond the smoke or
steam, stop or slow down until you know it safe to proceed. And don't
do as was done in the second case mentioned above, but slow down to
such a speed that you can stop within the range of your vision. In
case of doubt always take the safe course. If you know a man with
defective vision and so little regard for the lives of others as to
try to remain in the service with that defect, you owe it as a duty to
yourself, to your family, the passengers, and other employees, as well
as to the company, to report him to the proper officer before and not
after an accident occurs. Some day there will be a law requiring
frequent examination of the vision of trainmen, but until that time
comes we should all do the best we can to guard against such men.
Next we come to accidents caused by making a switch of cars containing
passengers without the engine being attached to the car:
Thomas H. Norton, injured Oct. 20, in Sixtieth St. yards; caused
by the Pullman car Winona, in which he was traveling, being kicked
down against a coach standing at the other end of track, by switch
engine 731; and when switch crew tried to stop the car they
claimed they could not do so with hand brakes, although they were
in good condition.
Everyone knows that it is unsafe to handle a car containing passengers
without the engine being coupled to it and air-brake in use, and that
Rule 10[1] expressly prohibits such work, yet in this case it was done
by men long in the service, who probably had done the same thing
before without accident and without being caught, so they chanced it
once too often, and the cost in this case would pay many times over
for the time they had saved before. It is just as unsafe to switch
caboose cars in which train crews are resting or cars loaded with
horses and cattle or emigrant movables in that way, and it ought to be
stopped. If it was, there would not be the injuries to trainmen or
damages to live stock that we have now from that cause.
[1] Copies of all rules referred to will be found in the
Appendix.
We all have no end of trouble with circuses and theatrical troupes
traveling in their own cars, many of which ought to be in the scrap
heap. These cars should never be accepted, no matter who is in them or
what notice you may have received about the runs to be made with them,
unless the brakes, running gear, and everything connected with them
are in good repair, but when you do take them, handle them as
carefully as if they contained dynamite, and get them off the line
without accident. When you find such a car on a track which you are
obliged to use--it should when possible be set on a track not used for
switching--either to move it or some other car, handle it with the
greatest care; don't do as was done at Harrison just a short time ago
when
Laura Jameson, with a theatrical troupe, was in car "Pomfret,"
Nov. 9th, which was coupled onto by engine No. 402 with such force
that she was thrown from the chair in which she was sitting,
bruising and injuring her.
Neither would any of the following cases, caused by careless handling,
have happened:
Mrs. R. A. Storrs, passenger injured at Whiteford, Aug. 8th, at
7:20 a.m. Engine was pulling train back in the yard and ran in on
track that had some cars on it and collided with them, the switch
having been left open.
W. R. Thomas, injured at Winton, at 2:50 p.m., Dec. 10, by reason
of standing up near stove in way-car when two cars were coupled on
train, he was thrown against stove and onto floor.
John A. Klohs, stockman, was riding in the caboose of extra stock
train east, at Yale, June 4th; got up to take off his coat; the
train was coupled up with so much force that he was thrown over
the stove and his ankle injured.
Now we will take up cases caused by careless loading and unloading of
freight from mixed trains:
It would not seem necessary to have to tell anyone that timbers or
telegraph poles ought not to be unloaded from moving trains carrying
passengers, or from any moving train, and yet that is exactly what was
done, when
John A. Owen, W. A. Stead, Martin Kjoelseth, Andrew Thorsen, and
C. G. Strombeck, passengers on train No. 82, were injured at
Wallace, Aug. 2, by reason of the caboose in which they were
riding colliding with some cars on the side track, caused by
Anderson, a telegraph lineman, unloading some poles from a car in
the train upon which they were riding while it was moving, one of
which struck a switch target, opened switch, and caboose ran into
side track and collided with cars.
And when you have a car loaded with logs in your train see that they
are secure. If you do an accident like the one near Hamlin, January
8th, won't occur:
Julius Lewinsky, passenger, was injured while riding in coach;
chain on one of the cars gave away, and logs fell off and were
forced through bottom of the coach, striking his left leg.
It would seem to be a simple matter to see that logs, water pipes,
machinery, or other property liable to fall from cars are properly
secured before car is taken in the train, and so avoid such accidents.
Why not do it?
When in a terrible rain-storm you are running with a slow order over a
track which is being repaired, don't do it at a speed of 50 or 60
miles an hour, if you value your life and the lives of those in the
cars behind you. If you don't value them, don't do it because it is
dangerous and your orders tell you not to, and because your family
will suffer if you get killed in the attempt and the company's
property will be damaged, and don't, under such, or any other,
circumstances, run by a station five minutes ahead of time contrary to
Rule 4, and yet that is just what was done on the night of July 2,
when
James Williams, engineman; Charles Jones, fireman; and two tramps
were killed; and F. C. Stodmeister, brakeman; W. W. McAllister,
baggageman; C. W. H. Brown, Charles Brown, and A. Parsons,
porters; W. J. Smith, telegraph operator; Mrs. Miller, Alice
Eager, and Mrs. David, passengers, and Thomas King, a tramp, were
injured, 1-1/2 miles west of Janeway by train No. 8 running off
derail and knocking down the tower.
When you get a bulletin prohibiting your running down certain hills or
around curves faster than 30 miles an hour, don't do it at 40 or 50
miles an hour, as it is unsafe, and yet that is exactly what was done
May 12 near Wilkes, and resulted in the derailment of freight train
No. 18, and
William Little, brakeman, was killed, M. J. McWheeney, Geo.
Orneson, Jr., O. A. Dalseth, C. F. Shoelkopf, Geo. V. Hickock, and
C. W. Doner, passengers, injured.
A bulletin was issued by Superintendent Davis prohibiting trains going
down this hill faster than 30 miles an hour. From the statements of
the train crew it would appear that no attention had been paid to this
bulletin, and, from what the passengers say, it has been customary for
a long time for trains coming into Wilkes from Notman and Guilford, if
in sight of each other, to make a race to see which train could get
there first, so as to get out of Wilkes for Joppa without delay.
Now, there was no excuse for the engineman and conductor not complying
with the order. They both got off without injury, as the parties to
blame for such accidents generally do. Neither was there any excuse
for the train dispatcher not knowing that the order was being
disregarded daily, as the train sheets would tell him that, and he
should have stopped it. To my mind, he was just as guilty as the
engineman and conductor, and should have received the same punishment.
And when disregard of such orders and bulletins are not winked at,
until an accident happens, there will be fewer cases of failure to
observe them.
Don't try to run around curves 50 or 60 miles an hour, as a train I
was riding on a few weeks ago did and went in the ditch; neither
should freight or passenger trains run over interlocking switches
faster than 15 and 25 miles an hour, respectively, because it is not
safe to do so, and Rule 5 says you must not. Conductors, who are in
supreme command of the train, should pull the air on any engineman who
is running too fast around curves, over bad places, or through
stations, and when you get in, report the matter to your
superintendent, as reckless running should not and will not be
tolerated.
Next we have the accidents resulting from occasional derailments,
which were not serious, but might have been, and it is the cause, as
well as the result, we want to eliminate, such as:
Mrs. K. Smith and four other passengers, train No. 6, which was
derailed at Heilprin, Sept. 3. The train was very crowded and
these women were standing up at the time of the accident and were
injured.
Mrs. Jessie Doan and five other passengers, injured Oct. 11,
caused by train No. 15 being derailed one-half mile east of Morse
station, caused by reason of a brake-shoe on the tank of the
engine coming off; this brake-shoe had an old defect.
J. E. Fitzsimmons, passenger, injured near Hedley, by derailment
of train No. 316, on which he was riding.
None of which would have happened if some one had not failed to
perform his duty, and when every accident, no matter how slight, is
investigated by an expert--who reports not to the officer who may be
primarily at fault, but to the chief operating officer--to ascertain
the actual cause and find a remedy, such cases will be largely
eliminated.
The same is true of injuries like the following, resulting from trains
breaking in two:
R. B. Janeway, passenger, and J. P. Mitchell, baggageman, injured
Jan. 9th near Gray. Train No. 280 broke in two and rear end ran
into head end.
George Burgan and W. L. Smith and two other stockmen, injured at
Newport, Neb., Nov. 21st; train broke in two, and when the two
parts came together these men, who were sitting on the locker in
way-car, were knocked down.
Another class of accidents which are of altogether too frequent
occurrence are injuries caused by trains not stopping long enough for
passengers to alight.
Frequently the persons injured are old people not accustomed to
traveling, who are necessarily slow in their movements, and of whom we
should take greater care. Think how you or I would feel if our mother
or grandmother, if we were fortunate enough to have them with us
still, were injured just because a conductor or brakeman didn't have
forethought or decency enough to give them time to get off. If you
will do that, there will not be a procession of such cases as the
following, and the companies will be so much ahead.
Mrs. A. J. Denman, passenger from Norwood to Avon, injured at
Garwin, Sept. 7th; caused by the train not stopping long enough
for her to alight.
Mrs. C. E. Collinwood and C. Collinwood, passengers on train No.
32, from Omaha, injured at Hamburg, Oct. 17th; caused by train
starting before they had an opportunity to get off.
P. J. Wilkins, passenger, injured at Johnsport, at 1:10 a.m., Oct.
31, getting off train No. 35, while in an intoxicated condition;
brakeman gave signal for train to start as the man was coming down
the steps, thinking as he claims, that the man would have gotten
off before train started; both the brakeman and the conductor of
train knew that the man was intoxicated.
Sarapino Guiseppi, injured at Engletown, Sept. 26, at 6:15 p.m.
When train stopped at Engletown a number of passengers crowded
onto it and, before this man had an opportunity to get off, the
train started, and, while alighting, he fell and was run over and
lost his left arm.
It seems to me that if the instructions contained in Rule 19,
requiring the announcing of stations by brakemen, were complied with
and thereby passengers given ample notice of the approach of the train
to their destination, they would be prepared to get off instead of in
the present method, or, rather, lack of method, as the rule is so
seldom observed as to cause comment when it is complied with, and if,
before giving the signal to start, trainmen would get upon the car
platform and look into the cars to see that there was no one else to
get off, especially should this be done at night when passengers are
tired and sleepy, when platform lights are not any too numerous, and
with excursionists, and picnickers who are often none too sober and
who are not accustomed to moving quickly, and if at division terminals
trainmen would pay more attention to assisting passengers off instead
of being in such a hurry to cut off a car, getting their markers, or
getting away from the train, not only would such accidents as those
last enumerated be avoided, but the journey would be made much more
comfortable to passengers; and the road doing this would increase its
traffic. Deadheads, who mostly ride in Pullmans or private cars, do
not realize how annoying and exasperating to paying passengers is the
present method of trainmen, going into the cars and pretending to call
stations in some dead language, or by talking to themselves. In
transferring passengers from express to local trains trainmen must
bear in mind that the passenger is frequently unaccustomed to the
surroundings, is generally overanxious about getting off so as not to
miss connections, and coming from a lighted car out into the darkness,
in his hurry and excitement may not notice that the train is running;
in these cases the train is always moving so smoothly the passenger
thinks (or says he does) that it has stopped, and off he goes, and it
is necessary, to prevent such accidents occurring, to exercise the
greatest care, and by proper announcement make it plain to all such
passengers that ample time will be given them to alight, and that the
train they are to take cannot pull out until after your train does.
And when you are receiving passengers, especially on mixed or freight
trains, don't start until they have a chance to get seated, and then
such cases as the following won't occur:
Mrs. A. L. Bishop, passenger on freight train 91 from Milton to
Jessop, had gotten into caboose, but had not time to get seated
before train started with a jerk; she was thrown down and injured.
Mrs. Mary Hanson, passenger from Grant to Portsmouth, on train 15,
June 4th, 1:15 p.m. Before she had time to get to her seat, train
started, and she was thrown down and injured.
When you are making your station stop, don't jerk your train, after it
has stopped, or is about to stop, and while the passengers are getting
off, as they surely will commence to do so as soon as (if not before)
the train is stopped. Don't pull up or back up a few feet to get to
the standpipe or coal chute, because if you do, some one is liable to
get hurt, as the following did:
Dr. H. Q. Johnson, passenger, injured at Dale, Sept 6; train No.
603, stopped at station platform and then started to move ahead
again. Dr. Johnson stepped from platform onto steps of coach and,
as he did so, brakes were set to emergency and train stopped
suddenly; he was thrown against the edge of vestibule.
Helen Kennedy, a child 2-1/2 years old, with its parents, was on
train No. 73, bound for Stratford; had gotten up for the purpose
of getting off at Henderson, March 26. Train stopped and as
passengers were on the platform it was backed up without notice,
and this child was thrown, and her arm went between the car
platforms, badly bruising and cutting it, just missed taking it
off.
And when you are pulling into a station and intend to take water and
are going to run by the pipe a few feet, don't use the emergency brake
to stop with, because, if you do, some one is liable to get hurt.
Nearly every one has been on a train when this has been done contrary
to Rules 42 and 43, and if you enginemen could hear some of the
uncomplimentary remarks that are made about you and the company on
such occasions, you would feel like thirty cents. And when it is
raining to beat the band, stop your trains so that the passengers can
get off opposite the station building and avoid getting wet, do not
pull them by a couple of hundred feet just because the locomotive is
thirsty. Pull up to the tank after the passengers get on and off, so
says Rule 24, and the women, and men, too, for that matter, will think
you are a dandy and vote for you the next time you run for school
trustee; and perhaps, by so doing, you may prevent your best girl
spoiling her dress.
And when you are running an engine you want to know that its
grease-cups are screwed on tight and that its brake-shoes are not
cracked, if you do not want to have cases like the following:
Fred. C. Mitchell, while waiting for a train on station platform
at Lucian, Feb. 1st, was struck and fatally injured by a
grease-cup plug from engine No. 206.
Chas. C. Wilson, standing on the platform at Newton, June 30th, to
take passage on a train; brake-shoe on engine No. 716, running
through the station at 60 or 65 miles an hour, broke, and part of
it struck him on the foot.
One of the rules most frequently disregarded is No. 11, prohibiting a
train on the double track pulling through a station while another one
is standing there unloading passengers.
About nine times out of ten you can do it without an accident, but the
tenth time some one will get hurt and you will get a vacation from 30
days to life. I know it is tantalizing, when you are pulling a fast
train and are, perhaps a little late, to be compelled to stop and wait
until the other train has pulled out, and its last car passed the end
of the platform nearest you, when you could sneak through the station
and save a little time, and perhaps no harm be done and no one be the
wiser; but don't do it, because the rule says you must not.
If that part of the rule which says, "When two trains are nearing a
station from opposite directions at the same time, and only one of
them is scheduled to stop, the train making the stop must reduce speed
and let the other through the station before it arrives" was complied
with, the trouble would be largely overcome.
You men who are running stations should see that your platform lamps
are not only kept clean and properly filled, but that after dark they
are burning so that passengers won't get hurt falling off platforms in
the dark, and that the platforms are kept clear of freight as per Rule
17; that baggage and express trucks are placed where patrons won't
fall over them, and, if there is a fast train coming, especially a
mail or newspaper train, notify the passengers and get them inside the
depot, the only safe place at such times. Especially is this necessary
on the double track. If there is a broken plank or a hole in the
station platform, nail a board over it until the carpenters can get
around to fix it. See that the platforms are kept clear of snow and
ice; but when there is ice on the platform throw ashes or sand over
the ice so that people won't slip on it. And if you have people
waiting for trains at your station, especially in the night-time, see
that the fire in the stove in the waiting-room is kept going so that
they will be comfortable and not catch cold. It will take you less
time to do these things than it will to make a report of an injury,
and then cases like these won't be put up to your claim agent to guess
at:
Mrs. J. P. Gedney, injured at Ontario, June 24, 10:27 p.m., was
at station to take passage on train No. 17, went out of a lighted
waiting-room onto a dark platform and fell.
Mrs. Mollis Schmella and Dr. Cleveland, injured, passengers on
train 31, arrived at Altruria 8:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 21st;
raining; got off train, no lights on platform; doors of depot
locked, and fell from platform to track.
M. O. Hudson, passenger from Elton to Woodbridge, on train No. 47,
arriving at latter place Aug. 28th, at 12:30 a.m., got off coach
and ran up to baggage car to get baggage; in doing so ran against
train signal on platform, was thrown down and injured; no lights
on platform or in signal.
S. W. Thomas, passenger on train No. 48, injured at Harkrader, Oct
21st, at 11:20 p.m., was getting off chair car, which stood 150
ft. south of the platform; there were no lights, and the porter
had no lantern, and when he stepped from the car step to the
porter's box he slipped and fell.
And sweep the car platforms, so passengers won't slip on banana peels,
and then such a case as the following won't happen:
H. T. Witheridge, injured at Wingate, Aug. 4, 1903, caused by his
slipping on a banana peeling left on the platform of a coach in
train No. 176 by the car cleaners.
When passengers are carried on freight trains Rule 12 says the car in
which they are riding must stop at the platform to unload them. Don't
do it out in the yard, and, if you have to do switching after
unloading the passengers, stop at the station platform as you are
pulling out and give the passengers a chance to get on and not compel
them to go into the yard in order to do so. If at night, they might
fall into a culvert or over some obstruction alongside the track and
get hurt, and, if the platform at the station is short, arrange your
work so as to make one stop where the passengers can get off safely,
and notify them, so they will know when they can do so; and be sure to
assist them in getting on and off, especially the old men and women,
the children, and the cripples (that is what Rule 23 says, you always
do it for the young and pretty girls) and then we won't be trying to
conjure up excuses for cases like the following, or pay for them
either:
Miss Belle Saunders, injured at Milwood, Dec. 14, was a passenger
on train No. 16 from Homer to Milwood. A mixed train. It was
stopped some distance from the passenger station; the passengers
were allowed to alight, and in getting from the track to the
street going down the embankment she fell and sprained her left
ankle. It has been the custom to stop this train at this point for
some time and allow the passengers to get off there, the busses
coming up as near as they could to take them to the hotel.
Mrs. A. Zuehlke, injured at Granby, Oct. 10th, at 6:10 p.m., in
getting off a train on which she had been riding as a passenger;
the station platform is so short that only the platform of one car
in train can be stopped at it.
Mrs. Mary H. Crawford, passenger, injured at Beulah, Oct. 13th,
getting off train No. 35; porter allowed her to fall, and she
stepped between platform and car steps.
Many of the roads have the steps on coaches that come near enough to
the ground so that such accidents are practically impossible, but on
the Pullmans and on cars of some of the roads they are so high from
the station platform as to require a ladder to get on them. Why they
are not all made on a proper and safe standard no one seems to know.
Another cause of injury to passengers, especially children, who always
want the windows open, is by the windows falling and injuring them.
Nearly always their little hands or fingers get hurt; or by
ventilators falling on their heads. When you have an accident caused
by a window falling examine it immediately and, if the catches are all
right, show the injured person or, if a child, the man or woman in
whose charge it is traveling, that is was not the fault of the window
catch, and at the same time call the attention of some intelligent
passenger and of your brakeman to the matter and have them try the
window catch, and send in their names and addresses with your report.
If, however, the catch is defective report the fact, but don't
advertise it, and whenever you find any defective catches or anything
else wrong about a car in your train call the attention of the first
car repairer you meet to the matter and have it repaired, and report
it to your superintendent. If the car repairers would make an
examination of the windows, their catches, and of the ventilators, for
the purpose of finding out their actual condition, we would get rid of
many such cases. Do the same thing with the matting in the aisles, and
when there is a hole in it get it fixed, or get a new one. If you
can't do that, take the matting up and so prevent any one falling on
it.
Ruth Darman, child five years old, injured December 25th, near
Correctionville, was riding in coach 269, train No. 39; caused by
ventilator window falling and striking her, injuring her head.
J. E. Wills, passenger on train No. 25, January 25th, stumbled
over the zinc at end of matting, which was out of condition, in
coach No. 659.
Mrs. Jones, passenger, injured September 23d, at Junction, was
riding in coach 480, train 65, when train stopped at Junction. She
walked to rear end of coach and in doing so caught her foot in a
hole in the aisle matting and fell forward on her face.
Nora Holm, 3 years of age, injured near Henshaw, July 24th; caused
by a window in coach 338, train 9, falling on her arm, on account
of a defective spring.
And, speaking of aisles, so far as possible get passengers to keep
their valises, suit cases, and bundles out of the aisles so that other
passengers won't fall over them. If the glass in a door gets broken,
when the train is running, be sure that the glass is taken out of the
frame, so that passengers won't catch their hands on it. Take pains to
see that your passengers, especially the old and infirm, the women,
and children, are provided with seats, and when some passenger,
whether man or woman, who has paid for only one seat or is riding on a
pass, is occupying three or four seats, have them make room for those
standing. Pay some attention to ventilation--in cold weather open the
ventilators on the side the smoke trails on, and then there won't be
any draught. In other words, comply with Rule 20 and then cases like
the following, which seem to be on the increase, won't happen:
Mrs. Alice Gahriels, passenger from Clinton, Iowa, to Lincoln,
Neb., on train No. 3, June 2d, while returning from the dining car
between Cedar Rapids and Belle Plaine stumbled over a valise which
was left in the aisle of the chair car and fell and was injured.
Mrs. Little, passenger, injured at Van Buren Street depot at 9:52
p.m., March 9th, was alighting from train No. 594, and in doing so
took hold of frame of vestibule door of coach. The glass in door
had been broken and this lady's hand was seriously cut on the
broken pieces which had not been taken out of the frame.