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Show Brakes That Tail, "The brakes failed lo work. '"That generally is an announcement that means more work for the undertakers. Tho brakes may be on a railroad train, on a trolley car, or an automobile the result is nearly always the same. Accidents, Acci-dents, of course, will happen; indeed, in the heltcr-skeUcr way in which wc conduct con-duct most of our transportation agencies, agen-cies, they are practically certain to nap-pen nap-pen sooner or later. But. after all, win-do win-do the brakes fail to work? There must be a reason. Men may decide not to work, without any reason other than a psychological one. but not brakes, in other words, when a brake fails to work there is something the matter with it. and generally something that could have been found out by timely and proper inspection and remedied, or. if not remedied, the resultant accident, could have been averted with the knowledge of Ihe defect in mind. Bwi wo arc an impatient people. When we decide to go any place we want lo arrive at our destination as soon as possible. If our machinery of transportation appears all right at a'first clance it hardly ever gets a second one. The theory is that it is probably all right. And so wo arc off at such speed as may be until wc reach the emergency, emer-gency, and then then the story is told by large headlines on the first page, with the arrangements made for the subsequent investigation duly set forth. When there is a chance to be taken it is better to sacrifice a few moments of time than a few lives and limbs, whatever may be the exhilaration resulting re-sulting from taking: the chance and' managing to come out, unscathed. The daring automobilist may send his speeding speed-ing machine across the tracks in front of the rapidly moving street car and escape by the skin of his teeth a good many times, but only thoso who are born under an extremely lucky star will not do it once too often. Tho point to be borne in mind is that in addition to having the brakes in as good working condition as it is possible for them to be, the man who handles the brake must likewise have the brake of caution and foresight on his daring, and remember that due care is always better than doubtful machinery. There are undoubtedly un-doubtedly such things as unavoidable accidents, but most of tho kind we read of in these hurry-scurry days are nol that kind. Indianapolis News. |