Chapter L: P. Jarvis, engineer, and Samuel Minns, fireman, injured

November 20, at 7:15 a.m., one-half mile east of Peeble's Corners;
engine No. 759 had just backed in on side track with work train,
and switch had not yet been closed; engine No. 1473, train No. 48,
Engineer Tibbits, Conductor Perry, came along at a high rate of
speed, and ran into this open switch just east of the home signal,
colliding with engine No. 759.

February 14, at 8:20 p.m., one mile north of Indianapolis, Ohio
division, extra freight engine, Packard conductor, collided with
Ohio division passenger train No. 11. This freight train had an
order to run from Indianapolis to Cameron as an extra. Indiana
division passenger train 141, due at Indianapolis at 8 p.m., was
15 minutes late. Conductor Packard of the extra was on station
platform when this train pulled in. He supposed it was Ohio
division No. 11 and so told his engineer, and pulled out and met
No. 11 a mile from the station. Two engineers and one fireman were
killed and five trainmen injured. If Rule 53 requiring conductors
and engineers of trains at meeting points to ascertain by word of
mouth what trains they are had been complied with accident would
have been avoided.

Nov. 5 freight train No. 52 slowed down to take side track at Park
Rapids when extra freight moving in same block, on caution card,
ran into caboose and rear brakeman was killed. If Rules 7, 14 or
15 had been complied with accident would not have occurred.

Rule 12a says: When you get a train order the conductors must read it aloud and then sign it and show it to the engineman, the rear brakeman or flagman, and the engineman must show it to the fireman and in case of freight train to the head brakeman, who are required to read it, the object being that every employee on the train will know what the order is and if the engineman or conductor forget it the brakeman or fireman may remember and by remembering prevent an accident.

DERAILMENTS

Next come injuries caused by derailments, which generally result from running into open switches, off derails, too fast running at bad places in the track, defective equipment or track. Nearly all of the cases would be avoided by careful running, proper inspection of track and equipment, and by compliance with the rules.

Oct. 21. 10 a.m. Passenger train 41 derailed near Venice while
running around a reverse curve fifty miles an hour. Engineer
killed; fireman and twenty passengers injured.

April 27. Way car jumped track at middle lead switch in Pewaukee
yard and switchman Jno. Williams killed; Jas. Grant and Robert
Riley injured.

Lemuel Izzard and L. Wackles, killed; R. P. Bownes, engineman,
Roderick Bloke, stockman, Robert Castel, fireman, C. Plympton,
brakeman, injured, four miles west of Beadleston, July 24. Train
No. 36 had broken air hose or axle, derailing and throwing third
car from engine onto westbound track just as train No. 98 was
coming. Train No. 98 ran into derailed car and 14 cars of time
freight burned up. Izzard and Wackles were stealing a ride on
train No. 36.

ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT

I shall next call your attention to accidents caused by defects in the equipment, especially in that of freight cars and engines. They are of such frequent occurrence as to no longer attract attention, but when the time comes _that the man who inspects reports not to the foreman, whose duty it is to keep the equipment in repair, but to a superior, whose duty it is to find defects_, there will be a material reduction in such cases. Train and enginemen should report defects discovered by them on Form 995 and attach card to truss rod of car or locomotive tank. And first we will take up those caused by defective cars:

J. I. Smindorf, brakeman, killed at Snook's Junction, by falling
from car, September 8, at 7:40 p.m. The running board was rotten
and full of holes; the brake at the north end of the car would not
hold on account of having a loose ratchet wheel.

P. L. Merritt, conductor, injured at Pencost, November 12, was
climbing down side of car; screw pulled out of top handhold,
allowing Merritt to fall to the ground, striking on a rail.

Randolph Smuck, brakeman, injured at Parrott, April 3, was going
down side car; stirrup was gone and he fell to the ground.

Matthew Brummage, switchman, injured January 4, at Keewahtah, was
riding on car which was being switched; he tightened the brake,
but the dog was in bad order and he had to hold brake with his
hand. There was two inches of slack on the bottom brake rod, the
chain slipped, and he was thrown from the car and his left foot
run over.

How many of the accidents caused by defective running boards, handholds, ladders and brakes would have been avoided had Rules 25, 26, and 28, requiring trainmen to examine cars, brakes, and ladders and to set out bad order cars been complied with, I leave you to guess. And why when such defects are discovered by train and yard men they do not report them to the next crew taking the car, so as to prevent any of the latter being injured, I never could understand.

One cause of the great increase in accidents by trains breaking in two and by defective couplers is probably on account of the fact that many of the automatic couplers are commencing to wear out and are not repaired or renewed promptly enough, and, also, because the levers and chains of the coupling apparatus do not receive sufficient attention. Another reason is because of the unnecessarily hard usage given the couplers, especially in the yards where trains are made up. Just why an appliance to save life and limb should be abused by the employees, for whose benefit it was put on the cars and engines, is one of the things which it would take a mind-reader to answer. But the truth of the matter is, as every experienced adjuster knows, that the automatic coupler has cost the railroads for equipment and freight damaged many times over what it cost them to settle claims for personal injuries caused by the old link and pin coupler; and when the brotherhoods take up such matters as this and try to remedy them, they will not have so many crippled members drawing insurance for permanent disabilities, which would have been avoided by the proper handling of cars.

Another class of injuries which has come with the safety appliance is that caused by the bursting of air hose, and it is surprising how many of them there are.

Some day a man will get up a hose which won't burst, or which will give notice of its intention so to do, and we will all rise up and bless him. The following are samples taken from a job lot of such cases:

G. A. Graham, conductor, injured June 4, three-quarters of a mile
north of Bogle; caused by air hose on car bursting, causing Graham
to fall against stove in way-car.

K. L. Grobbet, brakeman, injured one mile north of Brandon; caused
by the air hose bursting, throwing on emergency brakes. This man,
who was in front end of way-car, was thrown to the ground.

Now let us see the result to persons by reason of improper loading of cars:

R. Puddles, switchman, injured at Grammaton, March 4, was hanging
on side of car loaded with lumber, engineman shut off suddenly,
and when car stopped the lumber slid and caught his hand between
lumber and stake on car. Lumber was loaded in two piles 16 ft.
lengths, leaving a space of about six or eight inches between the
piles.

George Brownell, brakeman, injured July 17, one and one-half miles
south of Cranton. At Cranton train extra, picked up a car loaded
with logs; two stake pockets broke; logs fell under way-car, which
tipped over.

And it is just as important to properly unload packages of newspapers and mail from moving trains, and to exercise a little care in throwing coal from engines, as it is to see that freight is securely loaded. The number of accidents caused in this way since the running of the fast mail and newspaper trains commenced would fill a book and could all have been avoided by the exercise of that care which employees or postal clerks would have exercised if they, instead of the company, had to foot the bills caused by their carelessness. To me, it seems not a difficult or unreasonable precaution to look, before you throw out a heavy bag of mail or half a dozen packages of newspapers, to see that no one will be hit by them, and that they could and should be dropped just beyond the far end of the station platform, but never in a street or public highway; and don't throw your clinker bars or ash bars off engines, or anything else for that matter, without looking to see if anyone is passing and when through with them put them in a safe place so they won't project and strike anyone on the next track or fall off and injure someone. If this had been done cases like the following would not have happened:

Henry Forbes, roadmaster, injured November 3, at Marionette, was
walking west on station platform, when mail sack was thrown from
train struck him on the legs and knocked him down.

Paul Rhelips, injured at Dragitt, May 15, at 5:30 p.m.; caused by
his being struck with a block of hard wood which was tied to a
letter thrown from train by the baggageman, while passing through
the station at 45 miles per hour.

ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE ENGINES

During the last two years there has been an epidemic of accidents caused by defective grate-shaking rigging and defective shoveling sheets on engines, especially of the former. A few years ago they were practically unknown. Now they come so often as to create no remark. The following cases will demonstrate the necessity either of some different apparatus for shaking grates of engines, of greater care in using the apparatus, or of some better method of inspection and repair:

A. G. Kenly, fireman, injured near Windermere; caused by the
shovel which he was using catching on the shoveling sheet of
engine No. 418.

James Cooney, fireman, injured June 19, in Caster yard, was
shaking grates on engine No. 917, and connecting rod broke,
catching his hand between shaker rod and quadrant.

H. D. Porter, fireman, injured near Mansfield, May 10; caused by
grate rod breaking as he was shaking the grates on engine No. 1280.

Next we come to a class of accidents which is also on the increase and which is of comparatively recent origin, and which, I believe, could and should be absolutely prevented by the exercise of a little mechanical ingenuity or which, even under present conditions of engine construction, would be avoided by greater care on the part of the engineman. And some day when an injector breaks or a blow-off cock is opened as some mechanical superintendent is passing an engine, and his legs are scalded, I will bet my next month's salary against an 1899 bird nest that they will find a way to prevent such injuries, which are as painful as they are unnecessary and expensive, either by putting the blow-off cocks under or on top of the engines, instead of having them project from the side.

W. P. Willard, engineman, injured July 22, 4 miles west of
Janesville; injector on engine No. 4618 broke, and Willard was
scalded about face and head.

Henry Jennings, conductor, injured October 1, at 5:55 p.m., north
of Rathburn; was walking by engine, engineman started the injector
and threw hot water on Jennings.

Edward Sterns, night engine inspector, injured at Granby
roundhouse, January 12, at 8:45 p.m.; he told engine dispatcher to
open valve to see if sand was running properly; dispatcher opened
the blow-off cock instead of sand valve, and steam and hot water
scalded Sterns' right hand and leg.

Every year a number of accidents occur to employees caused by defects in engines and appliances furnished enginemen, nearly all of which could and should be avoided if there was a more thorough inspection, greater care taken in repairs and, what is just as necessary, more care taken by enginemen in reporting defects; and when you report defects, and repairs are not made, call the attention of your master mechanic or division roundhouse foreman to the matter and I doubt not that not only will the defects be repaired but greater pains will be taken in the future to see that your engine is kept in good condition.

William Curbin, stripper, injured at Elmwood shops on the 10th of
March, was taking boiler front off engine No. 3461; removed all
bolts except one, and while waiting for crane to be attached to
the door to lift it away, the door fell on Curbin's leg, who was
standing on the pilot beam of engine. Investigation showed that
the bolt which had not been removed, and which had been left to
hold door, was a "dummy."

G. M. Cramer, fireman, injured, September 9, at Huntingdon, was
climbing up on cab of engine No. 784, to get coal chute down, when
brake released, and on account of leaky throttle, engine started
back, and caught his leg between cab of engine and chute.

J. B. Olsen, fireman, overcome by heat on engine No. 941; caused
by absence of lagging on side of engine.