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Show All Cars Ml Have Safety Couplers Decision of Great Importance to Bail-ronds Bail-ronds Handed Down, by United States Supreme Court. "WASHINGTON, Dec. 19. In a decision handed down by Chief Justlco Fuller In tho caso oC Johnson vs. the Southern Pa-clllc Pa-clllc Railway company tho Supremo court of tho UnlUd States today practically held that all csirs Including locomotives, should bo equipped with uniform automatic auto-matic couplers- Tho court also held that dining cars cannot bo exempted from the requirements of tho safety appllanco law when In use, even though empty. Tho decision Is considered by tho Interstate Inter-state Commerce commission and tho Department De-partment of Justice to be a decided step forward In the protection of railroad employees. em-ployees. Secretary Mossley of the commission, com-mission, summarizes the points decided as follows First, that couplers on railroad cars must be of such a character that they will counlo automatically and so save employees em-ployees from eoliiu between cars, though absolute uniformity Is not required. 'Second, a car, though empty and on a sidetrack, may bo engaged In Interstate commerce. "Third, 4hat for the purpose of tho safety safe-ty appliance law locomotives are cars, and that thev are required to be equipped with automatic couplers " The accident out of which tho suit grew occurred at Promontory, Utah, In 190), when Johnson, who was the head brake-man brake-man on a throuph passenger train between be-tween San Francisco and Ogdcn, was directed di-rected to coupiu the locomotlvo to a dining din-ing car which was standing on a sidetrack side-track at that point. Tho cnglno and car were equipped, respectively with tho Jen-ney Jen-ney coupler and tho Miller hook, but they djd not work together, and Johnson was compelled to go between tho cars, with the result that his hand was so badly mashed that amputation became necessary. Ho brought suit for damages, but both the Circuit court for the District of Utah and the Circuit Court of Appeals for tho Eighth circuit decided against-him. Today's To-day's opinion revorses both theso Judgments Judg-ments and orders a new trial. WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 The "United States Supremo court today adjourned until January 3, for the Christmas holidays. |