first No. 3 has not arrived at A. No. 4 is ready to go.

Has second No. 3 the right to bring first No. 3 to A on their right order, or has No. 4 the right to proceed until meeting first No. 3 and there take siding for second No. 3?

Engine 249 will work 7 a. m. until 7 p. m. between A and D, meet No. 30 at D. At 7 p. m. work extra 249 has not arrived at D. What will No. 30 do?

We are going to have the new rules here but everybody seems to be indifferent. MEMBER DIV. 194.

Answer: Under the revised rules second No. 3 could take first No. 3 ahead of them to A, providing that they overtake first No. 3 between telegraph stations. Revised Rule 94 reads: "A train which overtakes another train sɔ disabled that it cannot proceed will pass it, if practicable, and if necessary will assume the schedule and take the train orders of the disabled train, proceed to the next open telegraph office, and there report to the superintendent. The disabled train will assume the right or schedule and take the train orders of the last train with which it has exchanged, and will when able proceed to and report from the next open telegraph office.

When a train unable to proceed against the right or schedule of an opposing train is overtaken between telegraph stations by an inferior train or a train of the same class having right or schedule which permits it to proceed, the delayed train may, after proper consultation with the following train, precede it to the next telegraph station, where it must report to the superintendent.

"When opposing trains are met under these circumstances, it must be fully explained to them by the leading train that the expected train is following."

You will note that the above rule is sufficient authority for a leading section to precede a following section when such following section is not restricted by train order or when such following section holds a train order which gives them rights over the opposing train as in the case cited. We have repeatedly pointed out that this new Rule 94 is a dangerous one if lived up to strictly, for the reason that it permits one section to take another ahead of them even though the leading section may hold an order to wait at a certain non-telegraph station for an opposing train, if the following section has no orders restricting them. Mind you, I do not say trainmen would be foolish enough to do this, but I do say the rule permits it, and this fact makes it unsafe.

Those who favor the rule say that I am

mistaken and that the following section in case they overtake a leading section held by a time order or by a schedule would be held by the person of the first (or leading) section, forgetful of the fact that the rule expressly states that when they overtake a train under these conditions that they may take such train ahead of them in case they (the following train) have right or schedule which permits them to proceed. This does not look very much as though the leading train (and right here I wish to call attention to the fact that a section is a train within the meaning of the rule) was intended to restrict a following train by its person.

Another view taken of the rule is to the effect that if second No. 3 held an order to wait at a blind siding until 6 p. m. for an opposing extra and should they be overtaken at 5:40 or at any other time before 6 p. m. by third No. 3, that third No. 3 could not use the rule in this case and take second No. 3 ahead of them, for the reason that the schedule No. 3 has been restricted and therefore third No. 3's schedule is not good until the time limit addressed to second No. 3 expires. Of course that is the way it should be, but the rule does not make it so, and because it does not make it so it is defective. If we were to accept this interpretation of the rule as good logic we would find that a second section could never take a first ahead of them for the reason that whenever a leading section was restricted between telegraph stations it would be by right or schedule, and we would have to admit that the whole schedule was restricted, and therefore any following section would be restricted. It would also be necessary to change Rule 204, for this rule states that orders will be addressed to those who are to execute them, and if we expected following sections to execute orders held by leading sections they would have to be addressed to them, or the rule must be changed; for this reason such view is not possible, and clearly shows that the makers of the Standard code never expected following sections to execute orders held by leading sections.

Regardless of all these arguments the fact remains that the rule plainly states that a train unable to proceed against the right (train orders) or schedule of an opposing train, overtaken by a train of the same or inferior class that has right or schedule which permits it (the following train) to proceed may precede such overtaking train to the next telegraph office. A little thought will show you that this applies to sections, and for this reason I consider, the rule dangerous in its present condition and the only reason that it can

be used with any success at all is because trainmen are too wise to get caught in its meshes.

On roads which use this rule trainmen should get rulings as to what interpretation the officials intend to use in the execution of this rule as between sections. If they hold that following sections under Rule 94 are restricted by orders held by first and must execute them then the question immediately arises as to the following sections executing orders held by leading sections when such orders give additional rights instead of restricting rights. It seems to me that if it works one way it will work the other. The fact of the matter is Rule 94 is a misfit in its present condition.

Answering the second question: It is generally conceded that whenever any train expires by limitation that any orders issued for or relating to such train expire also and become of no effect. The book of rules states that train orders shall contain nothing except that which is essential; therefore, the fact that No. 30's order contains a limit to the existence of extra 249 makes such limit essential and potent for the use of No. 30. In such a case the dispatcher would not have the authority to extend the time limit of extra 249 without first notifying No. 30. But to make assurance doubly sure I would suggest that should a case as above occur that the matter be taken up with the dispatcher if possible before taking action.

Farmers Running a Railroad.

Six miles of railroad track between Shumway and Effingham, abandoned eight months ago by the Wabash Railroad because the business did not justify heavy expenses of maintenance, has been put in a novel business by the farmers alongside.

Some of the mechanically inclined constructed a sort of gondola handcar, with a long pole as propeller. Twenty can ride the craft at one time. It has been dubbed the "daylight limited," and on market days makes almost regular trips from end to end of the farmers' railroad.-Mattoon Correspondence in Milwaukee Sentinel.

What 50 Cents Worth of Electricity Will Do.

An enterprising engineer has figured out the number of things which can be accomplished with but 50 cents worth of electricity at 10 cents a kilowatt hour. Here are some of them:

Light an ordinary barn or stable with

three 16 candlepower lamps one hour every night, for 30 nights.

With a small motor attached to the washing machine and wringer 50 cents worth of electricity will do eight washings.

It will also do two weeks' ironing, using a 6-pound iron.

An electric fan can be operated three and one-half hours a day for 30 days for 50 cents.

Two weeks' sewing can be done on the motor-driven sewing machine for the same price.

It will light the porch light for three hours every night for two months.

Fifty cents will pay for the current consumed in using the electric heating pad three hours every night for 30 nights.

It will grind 1,125 pounds of coffee; broil 30 steaks; cook 20 rarebits in the electric chafing dish; fry 400 eggs.

It will run the blacksmith's forgeblower for a week.

It will hoist 2,000,000 bricks, two stories.

motor A one-horsepower will run seven hours at full load for 50 cents.

Last Railway Washerwoman in Scotland.

"Take care of the pence," says somebody, "and the pounds will take care of themselves." There is nothing mentioned about the shillings, but probably it is assumed that, like the pounds, they, too, may safely be left alone. Evidently, however, that is not the opinion of the N. B. Company, for, whatever it may be thinking of the copper and gold, it is certainly looking carefully after the silver. A most remarkable amount of economy is going on at present. Trains are being abolished, men who count their pay in shillings are being put on short and yet shorter time, when their services are not being dispensed with altogether. But that seems not to be enough. The charwoman who washed up the waitingrooms for a few shillings a week is now no longer required, and the porter, presumably at his former wage, has this sanitary function added to his already multifarious and varied duties. It is enough to provoke a smile, were it not for the sad fate of the washerwoman. Where all this economy is going to end it is difficult to imagine. The man to whom it occurred that the washerwoman's pittance might be saved to help the dividends must be a genius, and whoever is working short time just now, it certainly cannot be him. It must involve him in a good deal of overtime to invent and think out all those methods of economy.-Dundee (Scotland) Advertiser.

Railroad Gleanings

Board of Inquiry on a U. P. Collision.

The results of an inquiry regarding a wreck on the Union Pacific, which was made by some of the highest officers of the Harriman lines and by some distinguished citizens, have recently been made public. The wreck took place at Borie, Wyo., on the Union Pacific, November 10. Train extra 223 east, 31 cars, 1451 tons, became uncontrollable near Ozone, Wyo., and collided on an 85-foot grade between the switches at Borie with work extra 1408. As a result of the collision ten persons were killed and two were injured. All the killed and injured were employees of the company, the killed including the enginemen of both trains, the conductor of the work train and brakemen on both trains. The accident was first investigated by a board which, besides officers of the road, included two bankers. This board recommended that W. H. McCormick, conductor, and E. R. Tracy, brakeman of extra 223, be dismissed from the service. There being some criticism of the action of the company a second board was convened, composed of the following: Charles C. Hughes, general superintendent Chicago & North-Western, retired; George M. Randall, Major-General U. S. A., retired; Frank D. Baldwin, Brigadier-General, U. S. A., retired; W. B. Scott, assistant director of maintenance and operation, Union Pacific and Southern Pacific; H. H. Forney, general air-brake inspector, Southern Pacific; A. L. Mohler, vicepresident and general manager, Union Pacific; W. L. Park, general superintendent, Union Pacific.

This board examined all employees concerned in or having knowledge of the handling of extra 223, and from te timony by experienced engineers, firemen, conductors, brakemen and car inspectors of the fifth district of the Wyoming division of the Union Pacific, found that this train left Laramie and passed Buford in normal condition, which was held to support the findings of the first board that investigated the cause of the accident, which were as follows:

"After having heard the testimony of conductor McCormick, brakeman Tracy of extra 223 east, engineer Clinton, and fireman Hansen on work extra 1508, which were in collision at Borie at 7:40 p. m., November 10, 1908, we reached the following conclusion:

have

"As the evidence shows, leaving Buford, extra 223 had a train line air pressure of 90 pounds; at a point between Ozone and Buford this pressure was re

duced to 40 pounds; the conductor having stated that frequent applications and releases of air had been made without the necessary time being allowed the train line to recharge, we believe that the accident was caused by the improper manipulation of air by engineer Schley on engine 223, which resulted in his not having the necessary pressure to control the train when the emergency arose.

The second board of inquiry further found that had prompt and proper response been given by the crew with hand brakes the speed of the special train would have been checked and controlled in ample time to have prevented the accident.-Railway Age Gazette.

Appointments and Promotions.

MR. L. B. LYMAN, superintendent of the Sterling division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, at Sterling, Neb., has been appointed superintendent of the Wymore division, with office at Wymore, Neb., succeeding C. B. Rodgers, resigned to take employment with another road. W. M. Weidenhamer, trainmaster at McCook, Neb., succeeds Mr. Lyman.

MR. C. S. MAHARG, superintendent of the Canadian Pacific at Saskatoon, Sask., has been transferred to Medicine Hat, Alb., succeeding J. S. Lawrence, assigned to other duties. T. R. Flett, superintendent at Brandon, Man., succeeds Mr. Maharg, and W. J. Uren, chief dispatcher at Winnipeg, Man., succeeds Mr. Flett.

MR. JOHN REED, of the mechanical department of the Oregon Short Line at Salt Lake City, Utah, has been appointed general superintendent of the Salt Lake & Ogden Railway, at Salt Lake City, in place of Mr. A. D. Pierrson, resigned.

MR. H. CARRICK has been appointed assistant division master mechanic of the Oregon Short Line, with headquarters at Pocatello, Idaho.

MR. A. WEST has been appointed master mechanic of District 1 of the Canadian Pacific, with office at Kenora, Ont., succeeding A. H. Eager.

MR. FRED REGAN has been appointed master mechanic of the Southern division of the Kansas City Southern, with headquarters at Shreveport, La.

MR. A. W. HORSEY has been appointed master mechanic of the Chalk River section of District 4 of the Canadian Pacific, with headquarters at Smith's Falls, Ont., succeeding G. T. Fulton.

MR. CALVIN SEBRECK, an engineer on the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis, has been appointed road foreman of engines for the Indianapolis division. The position is a new one.

A Railroad Surgeon's Opinion of Railroad Men.

The JOURNAL has been favored with a large number of newspapers from east and west stating that Dr. R. W. Corwin, with the title of division surgeon of the Missouri Pacific at Denver, Colo., read a paper before the New York and New England Association of Railway Surgeons at the Academy of Medicine in New York on November 17, in which he said that many of the railroad wrecks in this country are brought about by railroad employees' love of women, drink and gambling. In fact, he says, the railroad employees have six moral defects-gambling, jealousy, drink, smoking to excess, domestic troubles and social ambitionscertainly a high compliment for railroad men as a class, a statement that needs no contradiction, though newspapers give it notoriety because it is sensational, not because they believe it is true; whoever associates with railroad men as a class and knows their real qualities will know such a general statement could not emanate from any man who had any regard for truth, and ten of the readers will put

Dr. Corwin down as a dope fiend where one will believe that what he says applies any more to railroad men than to doctors. Railroad men are not infallible any more than doctors, but are at a decided disadvantage in respect to their responsibilities. The railroad man cannot bury his mistakes; they are always public property and made the most of. If the mistakes of doctors could be made as public we believe there would be a less number assisting the undertakers.

The New York World, in an article on the doctor and his fees, says:

"There are 200,000 doctors in the United States, or one for every 400 of population. The average yearly income is estimated at $750. A few doctors make princely incomes. There are great and good physicians who are not famous nor rich, and there are charlatans who are notorious and wealthy."

The distinction between the New York World and Dr. Corwin is that the World does not call the doctors as a class dope fiends or charlatans and gives credit for there being some decent ones-some that know enough about their business to get a decent living-and a bunch that all they have to brag about is a spattering of Latin which they haven't brains enough to use; and the unfortunate thing is that where there is a hospital department or relief association on railroads it is made a kindergarten for medical students and a place for the $750 and under doctor to learn the business at the expense of these trainmen Dr. Corwin talks about as licentious drunkards and gamblers. Dr. Corwin evidently wants to stand in with someone who regulates his salary.

We do not know this Dr. Corwin, but if his practice is as far off as his statements relative to the character of railroad men, he is surely in the class with Bill Nye's doctor who he said "made a specialty of eternal rest," or the doctor in Chicago who sent in a certificate of death and signed his own name as reason for cause of death.

The bureau at Washington in its accident bulletin shows that there were 300,000 deaths and 2,000,000 injuries during the past year among working men in

the United States, and we believe that if the record were obtainable it would show more people killed and injured by automobiles than killed and injured by the railroads, other than employees. We presume Dr. Corwin would diagnose the cause of all these disasters as gambling, jealousy, drink, smoking to excess, domestic troubles, and social ambitions; but we would rather think that most of them are accidents and that such mouthings as that of Dr. Corwin indicated that he should smoke some other kind of a pipe, and confine himself to water.

There are nearly 64,000 engineers, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and they are classed in a body by Dr. Corwin as moral degenerates. The charge is such a gross misrepresentation of fact that we are almost ashamed to dignify his statement by discussing it; but he claims to be a railroad surgeon treating the men he condemns and who doubtless contribute to his salary, and who, in all probability, would be better off without his services.

We know there are a lot of good doctors in the service of the railroad companies. There are some bad ones who know more evil than medicine, and there are some nice young fellows learning the business by practicing on railroad employees. The railroad men do not take any particular exception to it, but when Dr. Corwin or any other doctor condemns the whole class of railroad men as immoral drunkards and gamblers, we want our readers to know about it, who know the engineers and know that intellectually as a class they are peers of any class of doctors, even if they cannot write a prescription in Latin, and we are willing to stand on their judgment as to whether there are proportionately more dope fiends and drunkards among engineers than among doctors. The engineers may smoke much, but not cigarettes; and from the standpoint of good citizens and Christian gentlemen no one familiar with engineers will turn away from them and look for medical men to sustain the churches. fact, we do not fear comparison with a like number of any class of citizens, and Dr. Corwin or anyone else who makes

In

such a sweeping statement as he is quoted with making is either ignorant of facts, has indulged in something that gives him brain fog, or has some purpose other than that of stating a truth.

The President's Last Message.

President Roosevelt has said many things and accomplished much for the laboring classes. His course during the last Congress evidenced his earnest consideration for those who "earn their bread by the sweat of their brow," in his efforts toward the enactment of laws in their interest. The 16-hour law, and the amended employer's liability law, many employers did not like. They did not like the liability law because it created larger liabilities for them and because it abrogated the making of contracts in which the employee agreed to assume all the risk.

Some have appealed on constitutional grounds, and while it is all right to stand upon constitutional law, we want that law to fit the conditions of the present and not to be ruled out of court because of some law that has been out of date for a century.

Some employers did not like the 16hour law and do not now because it interferes with doing business their own way, regardless of consequences to others, and there are many of the employees in train service who do not like it because it interferes with long hour earnings, and others because their runs had to be changed in order to comply with the law; but it would be hard to make a law in the interest of safety or for social reform which did not in some sense interfere with the individual desire to do as we like. We must give way to what is needed for the common good of the whole people.

The President, always vigorous and plain-spoken, does not mince matters in his presentation of subjects in the interest of the common people for the consideration of Congress in the present session. He says:

There should no longer be any paltering with the question of taking care of the wage-workers