The Conservative *
TO SAVE LIVES ON RAILROADS.
In 1898 a law wns passed by congress ,
compelling all railroads to provide their
rolling stock with automatic couplers
and air brakes , that the too frequent
deaths and injuries to employees and pas
sengers might be reduced materially.
The law was to have gone into eft'eot
on January 1 , 1898 , but a protest from
the myriad railway lines that the time
limit was impossible , resulted in post
ponement after postponement , until the
final date was fixed for the first of
August , 1900.
The extension of time was granted on
the condition that the railroads imme
diately begin to equip their cars. In
June , 1898 , after the enactment of the
law , there were 1,047,677 freight cars
imported in service , of which 229,289 , or
22 per cent , were already equipped , as
the law specified. December , 1897 , the
percentage of cars equipped was 59.
In December , 1898 , the percentage had
increased to 77. The statistics for July
were that there were 1,250,808 freight
cars owned in the United States ; that
1,187,299 , or 91 percent , are equipped
with automatic couplers , and 768,644 ,
or 61 per cent , ore.vequipped with air
brakes.
All the rolling stock , which has not
these appliances , will not be allowed to
engage in interstate commerce , but will
be restricted to the carrying trade with
in state lines , as the government has
no control except over those cars cross
ing from one state to another.
To give an idea of the great expense
attending such a radical change , it maybe
bo stated that compliance with the new
law , cost the twenty-five interstate
lines entering the city of Chicago , $48-
747,820. The average cost for equip
ping a car with the regulation air
brake , was $90 , and for the automatic
coupler $20. Of the 456,016 cars owned
by the roads entering into Chicago , 447-
046 are freight , and 8,970 are passenger
cars.
This practically puts 12,854 freight
cars , owned by Chicago roads , out of
service. Each violation of the law is
subject to a fine of $100. Any road that
moves an unequipped car over its lines
is amenable , whether the car is the
property of the operating road or some
other line.
The large roads maintain that the
decrease in the number of accidents
likely to follow the use of air brakes
and automatic couplers , eventually will
repay them for the expenditure. The
law requires that such couplers be
adopted as shall couple and uncouple
without the necessity of freightmen
going between the cars. The air brakes
shall enable a train to be controlled en
tirely from the engine. The number of
accidents due to the coupling of cars by
so *
OMAHA NATIONAL BANK ,
OMAHA , NEBRASKA.
CAPITAL AND SURPLUS , $1,150,000
DEPOSITS , 6,300,000
DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS :
J. H. MILLARD , Prest. E. w. NASH.
ERASTUS YOUNG. GUT O. BARTON.
N. W. WELLS. A. J. SIMPSON.
O. W. MINK. W. WALLACE , Cashier.
E. E. BALOH , Asst. Cashier.
i
a
the old pin system in 1898 was one
injured for every 57 trainmen employed ,
and one killed for every 480. The intention -
tention of the law is to prevent these
accidents , and to decrease the number
of collisions by better control of moving
trains. Campbell's Illustrated Journal ,
March.
LITTLE BRYAN ATTACKS BIG MR. |
CLEVELAND. ]
'
What does the democratic party of ,
the nation think , pray , of the spectacle
of Colonel Bryan administering to ex-
President Cleveland , through the col
umns of the Commoner , a rebuke for
his letter to a democratic 'club in Balti
more on party reorganization ? Hyper- '
ion to a Satyr , Thersites to Hercules ,
mud to marble , a singed cat to a Bengal
tiger !
The Nebraska freak is not worthy to
unlatch the ex-president's shoes. One
of Mr. Cleveland's little fingers contains
more sense than Bryan's entire
anatomy. The idea of a man , who is
not now , and never was , a democrat ,
lecturing the greatest democrat of the
nation , on democracy and his diity to
his party !
Mr. Cleveland will doubtless treat'
this attack as it should be treated with
silent contempt. The Californian ,
Eureka , Gal. , April 18 , 1901.
XXXXXXXXXU.XXX XXXXXXXJ.XXXXXXXXXXXXX.i.1/
THE
AMERICAN TRUST
AND
SAVINGS BANK ,
CHICAGO ,
DEPOSITS , - - $12,500,000.00
CAPITAL AND SURPLUS , - 1,250,000.00
. RECEIVES ACCOUNTS
OP
Banks , Corporations , Firms and Individuals ,
and pays interest thereon.
OFFICERS :
EDWIN A. POTTER , JOHN JAY ABBOTT ,
President. Ass't Cashier.
Q. B. SHAW , O. 0. DECKER ,
Vice-President. ' Asa't Cashier.
Jov MORTON , FRANK H. JOKES ,
Vice-President. Secretary.
J. K. CHAPMAN , W. P. KOPF ,
Cashier. Ass't Secretary.
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1 X.