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The Commoner,
SEPTEMBER 12, 1W.
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convenience in doing the track work, Into sec-sloners tho dangerous
tlnna nf an avoracrfl leneth of ttDOUt S0V0U 1111108. IOUDQ to CXlSt.
To properly perform the labor of keeping tho
tracks in repair, there should be employed on
each of these sections, a foreman, who has super
vision of the work, and also there should bo
employed from seven to twelve workmen or
section laborers. In addition to this, in order
to safe-guard tho lives of tho men in the train
service, and tho traveling public, there should
be omployed on each section, at least two track
walkers, one for the day time and one for tho
night time, where trains are operated at night.
The day track walkers should be provided with
a wrench with which to tighten loose bolts, a
hammer to drive in spikes that have worked
loose, and a flag with which to signal train
crews and warn them of danger. The night
track walker should be provided with a" lantern
and torpedoes, so that, if he finds dangerous
places on the tracks he can signal and warn those
in charge of approaching trains.
Third. Your complainant further alleges,
that by its long continued practice of not fur
nishing sufficient material, to keep its railway
tracks iu repair, the said company, hast in use
on a largo part of its lines of railway in the
state of Nebraska, rotten and decayed ties, and
old and worn out rails. Instead of employing
the proper number of men per section, it has
on a majority of its sections only a foreman and
from one to two men. It provides neither track
walkers for day or night. As a result of these
conditions, the said railway company is operat
ing its trains over tracks that are extremely
dangerous and unsafe for the transportation of
passengers. There is constant liability to
wrecks and great loss of life. Herewith your
complainant files Exhibits "1 to 32" Inclusive,
and asks that they be made a -part of the com
plaint. Tho said exhibits are photographs taken
along the lines of the defendant's railway in
Nebraska since the 22nd day pf July, 1907. They
show the general character of tho dangerous con
ditions above referred to.
Your petitioner further alleges that the said
Missouri Pacific Railway company in anticipa
tion of the filing of this complaint, has through
ts officers given notice in writing, to its track
men that "Where ties are broken in the center
of the track to throw some dirt on the center
ojE the ties so they can not be seen." Your
petitioner further alleges that according to its
information in some instances, the foregoing
order was obeyed by tho trackmen, and In other
instances they refused to do as bidden and be
come parties to such villainy.
Wherefore, your complainant prays, that an
investigation be at once made into the truth of
this complaint, that an inspection of the track
of the said company be forthwith made, and that
the said railway company be compelled by order
of your honorable board to place their said'
tracks in safe condition for the transportation
of passengers. And that during the time neces
sary repairs so required are being made you '
direct said railway company through its proper
officers to have its tracks properly patrolled both;,
day and night, and that they move their trains
until tho repairs so ordered are made, at such
rate of speed over said defective tracks, as will
not longer endanger the lives of the men in the,
train service, the railway mail clerks, and the
passengers, who travel-thereon.
Your complainant asks that the opportunity
of having Its officers and agents, who took the
photographs filed, herewith as exhibits, present
at the inspection of said company's tracks, .in.,
order that they may pofnt out to the commis---
cdnditions which they
NATIONAL UNION OP RAILWAY TRACKMEN,
uy h. a. vurpia, vice President.
oooo
RAILROAD WRECKS
Under an act of congress, approved 'March
3, 1001, it is tho duty of railway officials on all
roads engaged in interstate., commerce, to make
a monthly report under oath to tho interstate
comraorco commission, of all collisions of trains,
or where any train or part of a train accidentally
leayes the track, and of all accidents that may
occur to passengers or employes. The report
must state the nature and tho causes of tho
nccident, and the circumstances connected there
with. We have taken tho period from Janu
ary 1, 1903, to January 1, 1907, and compiled
from the accident bulletins issued by tho inter
state commerce commission the number of de
railments on the various railroads for tho period
mentioned.
Below Is printed a table showing rosult of
this compilation: "
"The conditions that exist iu this depart
ment are not caused by tho rccont railroad agi
tation; they havo continued to exist for a poriod
of years and they havo now become unendur
able Tho troublo is that no railroad owner to
day knows whothor he will bo a railroad owner
tomorrow or not. A suddon turn In tho stock
market may oust any or all of them. Each gen
eral managor feels that ho must mako a record,
and when ho Is cither discharged or promoted,
tho noxt ono must mako a record for economy,
as his predecessor did. A succession of general
managers, each making his own record, in a
largo measure destroys the railway property.
If tho economizing in tho track department con
tinues for a sufficient length of time, as it: has
dono on some roads, tho proporty Is ready for
the junk pile. Ralls and ties must be replaced
occasionally to havo any railroad at all, Thero
must bo a sufficient number of good men em
ployed to keep the track In good condition, cven
whon tho rails and ties aro good. Wo make the
stato?nont boldly and without fear of succpssful
contradiction, that thero Is not a railway In the
United States today that employes enough men
January, February and March, 1903
April, May and June, 1903
July, August and September, 1903
October, November and December, 1903...
January, February and March, 1904
April, May and June, 1904
July, August and September, 1904
October, November and December, 1904.,,...
January, February and March, 1905
April, May and Juno, 1905 r.
July, August and September, 1905
October, November and Decomber, 1905. . . .
January, February and March, 1906
April, May and June, 1906
July, August and September,1906
October, November and December, 1900.. ..
Derail.
.1,181
.1,202
.1,298
.1,179
.1,140
.1,238
.1,321
.1,190
.1,321
.1,535
.1,530
.1,645
.1;509
.1,515
.1,781
.1,739
Lobs. Killod.
$1,004,533 75
1,100,206 72
1,120,029 102
l,035,6ol 157
893,664 62
1,142,815 67
1,214,472 190
929,462 57
1,190,171 79
1,525,493 130
1,250,247 109
1,264,209 99
1,407,242 75
1,410,833 89
1,557,720 105
1,382,349 140
Injured.j
782'
885.
942
787
704
728
1392
890,
' 1244
'4Wj
iiSJLU'
T034
,1495
15i7
Total . 22,384 1M34,095 1,614 17,442
AEECORD OF DESTRUCTION
Directing attention to this table the Track
man, published at Fort Scott, Kan., says;
"What a record of destruction and death.
Pestilence, famine and war combined would be
required to equal this tale of carnage. The
country is rnpldly being filled with widows and
fatherless children, while the army of maimed
and crippled Is growing to enormous propor
tions. What can be done to remedy such a sad
state of affairs? Surely there must bo a way
to prevent such slaughter. On every page of
the Trackman is printed evidences of the main
cause of this deplorable and criminal condition
which confronts tho people who' travel on rail
roads. "The pictures published hero are reproduced
from photographs taken in Missouri and Kansas
on the main lines of railroad. Wo are trying
to give this matter as wide a circulation as pos
sible, so that all tho people will know as much
about the situation as we do. If we had the time
to devote to tho matter we could procure pic
tures enough like those published herein to fill
every page of the Trackman for the next ten
thousand years. We have neither the time, the
inclination nor the money to devote more effort
to the procurement of the photographs. We
have enough. for this and one or two succeeding
issues. These samples wiU bo sufficient to warn
the people and cause them'to investigate.
to properly do tho repairing and keeping In ro
pair its railway tracks. We make tho furthor
charge that whon they desiro to make a saving
they always attack the track department. They
do this because tho men are unorganized and
will stand for any kind of mistreatment, Tho
men in the track departments of tho railroads
of our country aro tho most poverty stricken
class of laborers we have. Their wages are not
sufficient to decently and properly house, feed
and clothe their families. While vast millions
aro being made every year by railway owners
and squandered oftontlmes In riotous Uviug, the
men who aro engaged in trying to keep tho rail
way .tracks safe for travel are poorly fed, poorly
housed and poorly clothed, underpaid, and over
worked. The treatment which they receive has
grown to be a national disgrace and scandal.
Surely the people of this country will come to
their senses and take steps to right the wrongs
of these poor laborers and compel tho railway
companies of tho country to place their tracks
in safe condition for travel and keep them so.
Undoubtedly many of those who read this -will
ride to their death on defective railway tracks
before we secure safe conditions, Tho track
havo been so long neglected and have in mariy
instances deteriorated so far that a long period
of time must necessarily elapse, from the very '
.nature of things, before they can be put in ja
proper state of efficiency, no master ,how vigpr
oua the campaign for these changes may be."
A SHOCKING STORY
Elsewhere in this issue The Commoner pre
' sents a series of pictures showing the dilapidated
condition of a railway track over which thous
' ands of passengers are carried every day. The
half-tones were made from photographs taken
by officials of the National Union of Railway
Trackmen and filed with the Nebraska railroad
commission. The complafnt filed will be found
elsewhere, together with statistics showing the
loss of life and injuries sustained in railroad
accidents. The pictures show the utter uncon
cern of the great corporation managers for the
safety of life and limb. In order to increase divi
dends on stocks und bonds watered to the limit,
they dally jeopardize the lives of millions of
people. These pictures aro of conditions by no
means confined to the one road mentioned in
the cofaiplaint; they might be pictures of actjia'l
xonditronsihaLjexist on, many, other railroads
"lnJth'istcQantry."Tho public ghould.be awakened
fKiJt f,wftn bids . f " t
to tho fact that those who travel upon the rail
roads are absolutely dependent for safety upon
that class of railroad men who are the poorest
paid in the' service the trackmen, or "section
men" as they aro better known. If these track
men are not provided with material and given
ample time,, it follows that the track becomes
unsafe. Material and men cost money which
managers want to divide in tho shape of divi
dends, therefore the track is left to become un
safe and often hurl scores of people to their
death. This, utter unconcern for the public
safety seems to be characteristic of American
railway managers. It Is of a pleqe with the
unconcern, for tho public health disclosed in the
beef trust investigation.
It Is ime to cease Juggling with words In
referring to these conditions. They are crimi
nal. The men responsible for them are crimi
nals and should be dealtwith' as such. The
life dashed but because of an accident'' due to
unsafe, track caused by a desire for dividends
greater than a desire to safeguard life and limb
is as' much a murder as the life dashed out by
the bludgeon of the highwayman. Pilate may
havo thought he washed the blood of tho Naza
rene from his hands, but the time came when he
realized his mistake. Coroner's juries may ex
onerate railway managers from all blame for
accidents due to greed and rapacity, but guilt
remains, and sooner or later they will be called
-to an accounting which they can not evade. ,
The pictures here presented tell i shocking
story, of disregard for human life in the race
for material wealth. They portray conditions
which must be changed quickly If this country
wpuld not come to the position of regarding
h.uman life aa of utterly no value when .compared
with wealth or power. The National Union of
Hallway Trackmen, made up of the humble
wprkmen who shovel dirt, tamp ties and spike
ralls,"is doing the traveling public an Immense
favor by calling attention to the facta."
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