Show MEN ASK SAfETY Employees Want Legislators Legisla Legisla- tors to Regulate Labor Conditions Dele Delegations of railroads raIlroad employees representing the tho various labor or organizations organizations aniza in tho state met with ith officials of the tIle railroads operating in Utah an and tho the house committee on public utilities today to today day for discussion of n a series of bills that havo have been submitted in the tho house by which regulation of conditions of labor labor la la- la bor on railroad trains are aro sO l sought ht Tho The full committee of which Representative George o F. F Goodwin of Salt Lake Lako is chairman was s in attendance R. R B. B Thurman represented tho the delegation of ei eight ht ra railroad men two from each of ot tho the four railroad or organizations The railroad officials who attended in the interest of or their roa roads s were A. A B. B Apperson Apperson Ap Ap- person general superintendent Denver Rio Grande I. I II Luke superintend superintendent ent Salt Balt Lako division di Denver Rio Grande R. R C C. C TenEyck superintendent superintend superintend- ent cut Green River division Denver cr Rio Grande Grandc E. E 0 a Manson superintendent of transportation Oregon on Short Line A A. A F. F Brewer superintendent Utah division divi sion sian Ore Oregon on Shore Line and J D D. D S. S Spencer assistant general passenger agent Oregon Short Line railroad The members of the committee aro are Representatives Geor George I eorge e F F. Goodwin chairman I. I R R. R Browning Drowning T. T W. W Pct Peterson Peter Peter- r- r son B. B D D. W. W B. B Ennis Lawrence Lawrence Law Law- rence renco Blackett C. C L. L Warnick and T. T L. L Allen Lin Limit t of Coach Coaches The Tho committee took up Ut for discussion house b bills 4 and 5 which limit tho the number of coaches on passenger trains to nine an and on ou mixed freight and passenger passenger pas pas- trains to forty five cars R. R B. B Thurman outlined tho the purpose of the tho bills billE He lEe said that tho the sporadic efforts 0 o tho the railroad employees in jn tho the past had failed to bring desired and needed d im improvements and for this reason rca rea son on on the tho ra railroad men had united at this limo in an effort to secure correction of il e evils II The Tho Tho railroad companies desire to tomake tomake tomako make mako a record for long trains apparently without regard to consequences of personal safety ety of employees an and the public LOD Long trains train are subject ct to do do- lays fays at all times time and from front many he continued I I causes Passenger trains of more than nine coaches cannot bo be handled in a manner flat satisfactory to tho the employees or to tho public I Safety first is the tho keynote to this and nl all other bills which have bave been submitted I to tho the legislature at the request of the railway employees II 11 l. l t 3 McIntire for the employees submitted a short written brief covering covering cover cover- in ing the tha reasons advanced ad by the railroad railroad rail rail- road employees for favoring meas meas- ii ures Air Brake Regulation It is difficult to regulate tho the steam heating of passenger trains of more than nine nino cars according to the employees em cm- and passengers are subjected to inconvenience and aim discomfort as a consequence Definite action of the tho air airbrake air airbrake brake system cannot be insured on long trains because of tho the variability of ot pressure F. F L. L lInger Rager in answer to questions b by the tho committee said that it is ma 9 usual to run ruu passenger trains train of ten or twelve cars when through traffic is is taken into consideration These trains arc handled bandied lr by ono one locomotive Tho The arguments follow The First Tho friction Is great greater r on the tho rails ralls flanges wheels heel etc as the length of or trains Is Increased especially Is IE this true truo In mountainous and curvature t ter territory Cr- Cr r- r arid and has a a. t tendency to cause causo the tho rails rails rails' to expand twist etc thereby en- en dangerous danger the lives Iles of employees as 3 well as hazarding the public faret safety Second Second The Tho motive rower power lower necessary consisting on many railroads of oC two four and five lre locomotives es to move a long train say jay a of or sixty five or seventy He cars is so 50 powerful that cars to stand such a strain or pressure must of or necessity ity bo be built of or heavy material and In cases where trains break In two tho the danger daner of ot which Is 1 materially increased as the length of oC tho the train Is Increased makes It and dan dangerous erous for or the crew to clear the track of oC the largo draft timbers dra etc Third Trains Third to be properly protected should not Dot consist of more cars tho the sides wheels Journal boxes etc eta of oC which ought to be plainly visible from coin both the head end and r rear r en end of oC train and the practice practice tice of oC requiring r trainmen to ride on the tue tops of ot trains traina for tor or tho the purpose of ot pa patrolling patrolling pa- pa trolling tr same sante Is a dangerous ono and should be discontinued Some of oC our our- most serious wrecks s o ha been caused by overheated overheated overheated over over- heated Journals broken flanges and overheated overheated overheated over over- heated wheels all aU of oC which ml might ht have been avoided a had It not Dot b been en for or the Inability of oC train and engine crews to have hava detected same on account of or tho the number of oC cars cans of oC which tho the train consisted con con- stated Fourth The Fourth The communication and understanding understanding under under- stan standing fn of oC hand and lantern signals Pore ere area erea a very ery important part of oC railroad op operation op- op cration as a n signal misunderstood may and often has resulted In the death or Injury of or employees ees as well as Jeopardizing lug ing tho the safety of or the public Especially IS la this danger apparent during snowstorms snowstorms snowstorms snow snow- storms or Cog foggy weather Cases are known where T the fog tog was ro so dense that the only movements mo train crews could make mako while switching sidetracking trains etc were vera mado made b by their voices hence on long trains such movements mO would bo ho almost Impo impossible ible On trains of or over tort forty cars signals cannot be understood and acted upon with an any degree of ot safet safety and this alone Is sufficient to Justify a maximum car limit Fifth The Firth The long train 1 is IA something that I trainmen usually dread for tor the following reasons It Jt distributes the crew In such a manner manner man man- ner ncr that tho the man on ott the head end of or orthe the train is working Independently of ot themen themen the tho thomen men on the tho rear end fwd amid it Is a common common cornmon com corn mon occurrence for tho the engineer whoso whose mind roa may be engrossed with other duties dutle to run b by dan danger dancer cr- cr signals or order er boards etc without the con conductors conductor's knowledge of or his hI doing so and It Is a 1 human Im Imi possibility tl to see a signal one mile especially especial I where here steam Is 15 escaping from Crom the locomotive But tho the conductor is held equally responsible with the en engineer engineer engi engi- neer for his failure to properly observe signals hence long trains make mako it ImpossIble Impossible Impossible Im Im- Im- Im possible for for- or the conductor conductor- to exercise o proper Jurisdiction over o a disregard of oC signals as is referred to above e Trainmen are aro unable to scout scent hot Journals journals journals Jour jour- nals on trains of or such len length th which Isan is isan isan an Important factor as hot journals oftentimes are dl discovered cred co in this wa way The mental montal dread which la Is always present pre pres- ont ant with a crew on long trains cannot be bc described as the they fully Cully realize their their- help- help In case ee tho the train should break bruk In two or other ether Impediments Impedimenta overtake o them due duo to their their- Inability to mako make each other understood lJ by signals as al well wen wenns as ns to clear tho tue debris r- r resulting from the tho draft timbers etc ate incident to tho the breaking in two And as one of or ortho the tho most Important rules on railroads Is that tho the crow crew must properly fla lag flag this proper re results ro- ro suits In Iii the conductor being left alone In many cases to mako make necessary repairs give Iv signals etc eta Hence a mental strain follows at ever every turn of ot tho the wheels that cannot be measured by dollars and cents |