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occurs in connection with the movement of important high-speed passenger trains, and when it results in a collision or derailment a most deplorable casualty list is its invariable accompaniment. Fourteen of the investigated accidents which have occurred on blocksignaled roads since July 1, 1911, were caused by enginemen running by stop signals or failing to reduce speed as directed by caution signals. In these 14 accidents 105 persons were killed and 311 were injured. In 7 of these accidents the culpable enginemen themselves were killed.

No adequate reason can be offered for these serious lapses from duty by men who in many cases suffer death as a consequence. Frequently it is hard even to suggest a plausible explanation for the disobedience of signal indications. That they are disobeyed, however, is a fact, and the lives that are annually sacrificed from this cause call loudly for some means of arresting its results. The most disastrous accidents of this character occur on roads equipped with modern systems of automatic block signals, where elaborate precautions to prevent accidents (short of guarding against the consequences of signal disobedience) have been taken. The trains involved in these lamentable disasters generally are operated by trusted employees of long experience. But the record abundantly proves that even splendid signal equipment and admirable discipline, coupled with long experience and high moral character on the part of employees, can not prevent the occasional man failures which produce such fatal results. These facts are brought to the attention of the Congress, with the suggestion that these man failures indicate the necessity for the development and perfection of some system of automatic train control to be used in connection with existing signal systems. In its annual reports for several years past the Commission has called attention to the desirability of legislation requiring the use of the block-signal system.

High speed was an important contributing cause of several serious accidents during the past year. On many roads there is no limit to the speed at which passenger trains are allowed to run. Enginemen are thus encouraged to run their trains at excessive speed in an effort to make up time lost on schedules that are in many cases already sufficiently fast for safety. Such high speed is especially dangerous in times of fog or storm, when signals can be seen but a comparatively short distance. The maximum allowable speed of trains on all roads should be established at a safe limit, and it should not be left entirely to the judgment of enginemen to determine whether or not this limit is exceeded. There are devices readily available which will indicate to an engineman the speed at which his train is running. In its last annual report the Commission noted that the railroads were making progress in the substitution of steel and steel under

frame passenger cars for those of wooden construction. The superiority of these modern cars over the old-style wooden cars has been amply demonstrated by their performance in both collisions and derailments, and to insure that all carriers make proper efforts to procure these modern cars legislation should be enacted prohibiting the use of wooden cars in high speed through train service after a certain date. Reasonable time should be given the carriers for compliance with the provisions of any law of this kind, and its application in the first instance should be confined to important high-speed trains. There are a great number of wooden cars now in service, and the carriers should be permitted to make use of these cars on branch lines and in local service until they can be replaced by steel equipment, but the law should provide that all new cars constructed after a certain date should be made entirely of steel or of steel underframe construction of approved design.

Bad conditions of track and roadway, to which the Commission called attention in its last annual report, are responsible for many derailments. Such conditions, as well as unsafe operating practices which have been disclosed by these investigations, demand closer supervision in the interest of safety than the Commission is empowered by existing law to give them. The present statutes dealing with the safety of travelers and employees upon railroads do not authorize the Commission directly to make investigations with respect to the physical conditions and operating practices existing on railroads, and the only knowledge pertaining to such matters which the Commission now obtains is gained through its investigations of accidents. It should also be noted that whenever unsafe conditions and practices are disclosed, as the result of an investigation following an accident accompanied by numerous fatalities, the Commission is without authority to order their correction. It can only call attention to all the facts, conditions, and circumstances attending an accident and make recommendations with respect thereto, relying upon the force of public opinion to bring about the necessary reforms.

Inasmuch as the only purpose of investigation is to learn the true causes of accidents, so that such causes may be eliminated as fully as practicable, it is manifestly impossible for the Commission fully to accomplish such purpose unless empowered by law to enforce its recommendations. Furthermore, the Commission should be authorized to conduct independent investigations with respect to all matters affecting the safety of railway travel, the object being to prevent accidents as far as possible rather than, as at present, merely to point out the causes of accidents after their occurrence. There is particular need for an investigation of the conditions surrounding the use of steel rails and car wheels upon railroads. In its last annual report the Commission called attention to its investigations of accidents

involving broken rails, in which it had received valuable aid from the Bureau of Standards of the Department of Commerce. These investigations have continued and have emphasized the need of information pertaining to track and rail conditions with respect to the vastly increased wheel loads consequent upon the use of heavier locomotives and cars and higher rates of speed. As was pointed out in a recent report of the Commission, covering its investigation of an accident caused by a broken rail: “It is difficult to refer to a more flagrant example than that of steel rails where definite knowledge of the actual fiber stresses made use of in service is lacking. The loads which are placed upon the columns of buildings are known with reasonable certainty. Strain sheets show the stresses with which the members of bridges are loaded, and the details of such structures are carefully designed to keep within what are believed to be safe loads. The strength of elevator ropes, on which we trust our lives, is known and a careful margin maintained between the breaking load and the allowable working load. These illustrations of the use of structural materials are relatively simple examples when compared with the complex conditions which attend the use of steel rails, emphasizing therefore the necessity for ascertaining so far as may be the working stresses in steel rails."

INSPECTION OF LOCOMOTIVE BOILERS.

The tabulated data contained in the report of the chief inspector of locomotive boilers show a marked decrease in the number of casualties due to failure of locomotive boilers and their appurtenances and a substantial improvement in the condition of such equipment.

A reduction of over 60 per cent in the number killed and 10 per cent in the number injured by failures of locomotive boilers and their appurtenances is shown during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1913, as compared with the preceding year.

In accordance with the provisions of section 8 of the law, 592 accidents resulting from failure to locomotive boilers and their appurtenances were investigated by the Division of Locomotive Boiler Inspection during the year; 228 accidents, most of which were of a minor character, were not properly reported by the carriers, therefore an investigation could not be made. Failure to make a proper report has usually been found to be due to the fact that the requirements of the locomotive boiler inspection law were not fully understood by all carriers. It is believed that all are now fully conversant with these requirements, as practically all accidents are now properly reported and investigated.

The practice of conducting a rigid, searching investigation of all accidents to locomotive boilers and their appurtenances sufficiently

serious to justify a report, with the sole object in view of determining the exact cause and having the proper remedy applied, has done much to reduce the list of casualties and has directed attention to conditions which previously have been overlooked or ignored. The knowledge that such an investigation will follow every accident is an incentive to the railroad companies to maintain their equipment so that its condition can not be shown to have caused accidents, and is also an incentive to the employees to perform their work in the most efficient and careful manner.

The period since the law became effective has been too brief to permit a comparison to be made which will accurately show its value. It is believed, however, that in addition to the comparison with the preceding fiscal year the following comparison of some of the most serious as well as some of the most frequent accidents during the first and last quarters of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1913, fairly represents the benefits which result from Government supervision over the condition of locomotive boilers and their appurtenances:

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A summary of the inspection work performed during the year shows the following:

Number of locomotives inspected...

Number found defective.....

Number ordered out of service..

Number having pressure reduced to insure proper factor of safety..
Number having seams reinforced by welt plates to insure proper factor of safety
Number having the lowest reading of the water glass raised to comply with
the law...

90,346

54, 522

4, 676

472

561

381

172

Number having the lowest gauge cock raised to comply with the law..
Number strengthened by having braces of greater sectional area applied...
Number requiring additional support of crown sheet....

281

147

It will thus be seen that during the year 6,690 locomotives were either held out of service for repairs or ordered changed and strengthened to conform to the requirements of the law.

The number of locomotives found defective, as shown above, viz, 54,522, does not indicate that this number of locomotives were found to be in violation of the law, but they were found to contain defects which should be remedied before the locomotives were again placed

in service. The number found in direct violation of the law is represented by the number ordered out of service in accordance with section 6 of the law, which requires the district inspectors to issue a written order holding the locomotive for repairs when one is found that does not meet the requirements of the law or rules. No formal appeal from the action of any district inspector has been filed during the year. This, in view of the vast amount of work performed and the number of locomotives on which repairs were ordered, shows that while the inspectors have been diligent they have also used discretion and good judgment in the enforcement of the law. It is believed that it also shows the existence of a spirit of cooperation and an earnest effort to comply with the requirements of the law on the part of a large majority of railroad officials.

Specifications for practically all locomotive boilers in service were filed within the time prescribed by the law, but the variation in design and the widely different methods of calculation followed by the various railroads has delayed the work of checking them. Very satisfactory progress is being made in this important work, and it will soon be possible to show accurately the stresses on each part of every loco

motive boiler in service.

The results obtained indicate that when the checking is complete it will be necessary in some instances to compare the data shown on the specification cards with actual measurements in order to insure the accuracy of the information furnished.

Specifications are filed for all new locomotive boilers before they are put in service, and when repairs are made on boilers now in service which in any way affect their strength, the changes are reported on a suitable form; therefore, our records are kept up to date.

Shortly after the district inspectors of locomotive boilers were placed in the field they began to frequently advise that they were finding locomotives in service with serious defects, such as sharp or badly worn flanges, flat wheels, cracked or broken wheels, loose wheels or tires, thin or badly worn tires, excessive lateral motion in engine trucks, drivers, and trailers, broken frames, broken arch bars, broken springs, and other defects which are a fruitful source of accidents and derailments, but which are not covered by the locomotive boiler inspection law or any other law. In fact, it was found to be a common practice on some railroads to continue in service on their line equipment which if offered in interchange by a connecting line would be refused on account of its defective condition.

Although the boiler-inspection law gave no legal authority to act in such cases, it is believed that travelers and employees on railroads are entitled to all the protection against accidents that can be provided. Therefore, inspectors were instructed while making their regular inspections to note any defective conditions on locomotives

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