accidents enumerated three more of the thirty-four were caused by engineers and conductors forgetting orders.

If there had been a third man on the engine whose especial duty was to lookout for danger and also to read orders, in addition to the destruction of life and property in the ten items enumerated, three "important" accidents, involving the death of eleven persons, the injury of twenty-five persons, and $53,600 damage to property, might have been avoided.

In how many of the accidents enumerated in the ten items "double-cab" engines were involved is not known, but "Item 14" is doubtlessly the Cranston wreck on the Jersey Central, where it is known that twenty-seven lives would have been saved by having a "lookout" in the front cab with the engineer.

It must not be supposed that a fireman, even though he is in the cab with the engineer, can look out for danger and attend to his duties as fireman. His attention must be devoted almost entirely to the fire-box, and after placing coal in a firebox at night he is unable to see anything for some time. Nor must it be supposed that the engineer who just once makes a mistake is to be punished for his error. It is safe to say that no other men in the world have as much to burden their senses, and no men have been truer to the trusts imposed upon them. It is no reflection upon the integrity, skill or worthiness of locomotive engineers to assume that the lives of train crew and passengers should not be subject to the mental failure of any one man.

Railway and Engineering Review, an eminent railway technical publication, says in its issue of May 2, 1903:

In view of the fact that the demands upon the time and attention of locomotive engineers have largely increased in recent years, this journal some two or three years ago suggested that it might be wise to consider the advisability of putting an extra man on the engine whose duty it should be to observe and call to the attention of the engineer, anything that should be noticed by him. It is impossible, under the circumstances, for the engineer to constantly keep a lookout ahead, nor can the fireman, particularly on the heavier class of engines, give him material aid in this direction. It would seem, therefore, that a lookout whose business it is to see all signals, obstructions, or anything else which is necessary for the engineer to notice, and who should call his attention thereto, would be almost a necessity in railroad operation. Engineers are continually running by signals, but it is only when accidents happen that the public, and sometimes the railroad officials, know of it. At sea, where the

things to be noted are infinitely fewer than on a railroad, such a lookout is kept on all vessels, although the man at the wheel has not a tithe of the things to distract his attention as has the locomotive engineer. Some roads are already seeking to partly cover the case by making it obligatory upon the part of the conductor to signal the engineer for a stop on orders notwithstanding the duplicate instructions are already in his hands. This has been adopted because occasionally engineers run by stations for which they have a stop order and at which a stop signal is also usually displayed. It is understood that the Southern Pacific proposes to put an extra man on the train to relieve the conductor from the duty of collecting tickets in order that he may be able to give more time and attention to the running of his train and see that orders are not overlooked. It would seem that inside of the rear car, or any other car on the train, was not the best place from which gineer aided by a man whose duty it is to to direct its movements, and that the entake note of everything could better control that part of the service. Such a movement means extra expense but also, it is believed, that such a movement means a freedom from accident that would offset the expense many times

over.

Railroad Accidents.

Accident Bulletin No. 6, of the Interstate Commerce Commission, covers the three months ending December 31, 1902. The number of persons killed in train accidents during the months of October, November and December, 1902, as shown in reports made by the railroad companies, under the "accident law" of March 3, 1901, was 266, and of injured 2.788. Accidents of other kinds, including those sustained by employes while at work, and by passengers in getting on or off the cars, etc., bring the total number of casualties up to 12,811 (938 killed and 11,873 injured).

Accidents to employes resulting in slight injuries which do not prevent the employe injured from performing his accustomed service for more than three days, in the aggregate, during the ten days immediately following the accident, are not reported.

The total number of collisions and derailments was 2,759 (1,680 collisions and 1,079 derailments), of which 282 collisions and 99 derailments affected passenger trains. The damage to cars, engines, and roadway by these accidents amounted to $2,462,056.

The Bulletin includes tables which show "casualties to persons," "collisions and derailments," "causes of thirty-four

prominent train accidents," "rear collisions where block system is in use," etc.

Four of the accidents were caused by engineer sleeping, and three others are attributed to men being on duty very long hours.

"It is well recognized," says the Bulletin, "that the block-system or space-interval method of regulating the movement of railroad trains, the method that is required by law throughout Great Britain and Ireland, is a safer method than the time interval; and the fact has been touched upon in the annual reports of the Commission as well as in these bulletins. The records of the causes of rear

collisions, which have been published, tend strongly to confirm this. At the same time it is everywhere understood that the block system itself depends on adequate care and discipline, and that defects in administration or inspection, or in apparatus, or negligence of enginemen or signalmen, sometimes lead to collisions where the block system is used. The fact that two or more serious collisions in the

quarter under review occurred through

failures of this kind emphasizes this matter, and a list has therefore been made of all the collisions occurring in this quarter

which fall within this class. *

"It is matter for deep regret that again the number of coupling accidents reported is large as compared with the number for the preceding quarter, and very large as compared with the corresponding quarter of 1901. It is quite possible that the reports made by the railroad companies for the first few months of the operation of the accident-report law were incomplete. In the matter of collisions, and to some extent as regards other accidents, it was found that some roads had deliberately omitted from their reports certain accidents which, when their attention was called to the fact, they said they understood could be rightfully omitted, because the train affected was engaged in traffic wholly intrastate. It was claimed that such traffic was not subject to a Federal law. Care was taken to correct this erroneous view, and the accidents in question were included in supplemental reports.

"It is probable, however, that many such cases were never discovered. A company which has omitted collisions and subsequently corrects its practice in this respect will, presumably, correct its practice in regard to reporting coupling accidents, though at the same time it may not go back and revise its reports of those

classes of accidents concerning which the Commission has made no complaint.

"The amendment to the safety-appliance law, which was passed at the last session of Congress, will correct erroneous views held by many railroad officers as to what trains and train operations are and what are not subject to a Federal regulating statute. This law deals only with couplers and air brakes, but the principle laid down-that a Federal law regulating interstate commerce affects all of the train and car movements on a railroad line over which interstate shipments are carried or interstate passengers travelis of wider application; particularly when the purpose of Congress is to ob

tain information.

"The increase in the number of coupling accidents is undoubtedly to be accounted for largely and perhaps chiefly by the enormous increase in freight traffic and the consequent necessity of employing additional men. This fact was mentioned in the last bulletin. New men ought to be at first employed at such places and in such departments of the work as are the

least dangerous to those who are inexperienced; but, in the stress of work occasioned by the congestion of coal traffic

and by blockades at many places this rule increase the number of casualties. The has evidently been ignored. This tends to increase in freight traffic, putting unusual burdens on all departments of train and yard work, including the department of car inspection, also results, no doubt, in a less efficient condition of cars. Couplers and other parts are not so well cared for and maintained.

"It is also to be noted that the swelling of the accident records by reason of the inexperience of new men may, and probably does, go on after the increase in the volume of traffic has reached its climax ; for the enlargement of the number of train crews, yard crews, etc., has usually been inadequate at best. It has been observed that certain companies have engaged new men as fast as practicable, and in every way have striven to provide forces adequate to perform the work; but that these efforts were only partly successful, as is evident from the constant pressure on all the trainmen, old and new, to work as many hours daily as possible. It has therefore been necessary to continue adding new men after the capacity of the railroad and of its stock of locomotives and cars has been fully taxed and the increase in tonnage therefore stopped.

"It will be observed that other accidents to trainmen have also increased

largely, so that there is no ground (other than the lack of perfect maintenance due to congested traffic before referred to) for assuming that the coupling accident record indicates any increase in the risks or dangers of coupling work, or any change for the worse in the condition or quality of couplers.

"The law just passed by Congress (March 2, 1903,) facilitating in a marked degree the enforcement of the safety-appliance act, and putting engines, cabooses, and cars-all vehicles in ordinary railroad traffic on a uniform basis as regards this act, will, it is confidently believed, produce a decided improvement in conditions."

of the latest advance, the Scientific American says:

"The car on the right shows what we may expect in the immediate future. It is one of a large number in course of construction for the Aurora, Elgin and Chicago line. A car of this type recently ran from Chicago to Aurora-a distance of 35 miles-in 34 minutes, or at a speed of nearly 62 miles an hour, including several slow-downs. The lower illustration represents the first shipment of ten of this type of cars, built by the John Stephenson Company. The floor frame is of steel, on which a body of wood is mounted. There are two compartments in each car, one of which is the smoker, and the other for the ordinary passenger service. Between them comes a toilet room. The ends are completely vestibuled, and arranged in a manner somewhat similar to those of steam coaches. For the interurban service the third rail is used, but

Railways.

The illustrations of cars used by the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Electric Railway, published herewith, impress upon the reader the rapid development of electricity in railway service. Descriptive

street railroad tracks, the cars are provided with the usual trolley pole at each end. Running, however, in pairs, they are all provided with end entrances. The cars without electrical attachments are used as trailers. These cars have been designed and built to maintain a speed of 70 miles per hour and upward."

Notes. A press dispatch dated Los Angeles, Cal., April 16, 1903, says: "Announcement was made today from the headquarters of the Santa Fe System in this city that that road would soon install oil-burning locomotives on the SeligmanWinslow Division in Arizona, adding about 146 miles to the mileage now covered by oil-burning engines on the Santa Fe System. The change will increase the Santa Fe's consumption of fuel oil from 30,000 to 35,000 barrels per month. The company will then be burning a total of from 140,000 to 150,000 barrels, all of which is supplied by its own wells in this State."

The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad is said to be making preparations to remedy a weak place in the equipment of that system, and are adding locomotives at the rate of about twenty per month at a cost of about $300,000 per month.

The C., R. & M. R. R. is said to be getting ten new freight engines of the "Consolidation" type, each costing $17,000. The engines are being built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, and their weight is 170 tons each. It is also stated that

the Baldwin Locomotive Works have been given orders for ten new passenger engines of the latest type and capable of great speed.

An exchange says that the Pennsylvania Company has been experimenting with a new form of telegraph instrument, wherein the sender is much like a typewriter and at the other end of the line the matter is received in typewritten form.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is

said to be getting two 150-ton electric

motors for service in the Baltimore tunnel. It is expected that with the three 96-ton motors now in use it will be possible to haul all passenger and freight trains from Camden station to the top of the grade without the assistance of locomotives.

It is said that the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company has had a locomotive fitted with an air grate shaker, a device by which the grates are shaken by pneumatic means.

Vanderbilt Fireboxes Discarded.-Several locomotives were equipped with Vanderbilt

THE EVOLUTION OF THE CHICAGO, AURORA AND ELGIN RAILWAY

Future

FIRST SHIPMENT OF HIGH-SPEED ELECTRIC RAILWAY CARS FOR THE CHICAGO, AURORA AND ELGIN RAILWAY

fireboxes and assigned to service in California on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, where oil is the fuel used. These boxes were found to bag down severely after a limited period of service. After considerable experimenting it has been decided to replace this type of box with one of the usual pattern.-Railway and Engineering Review.

Practice Displaces Theory.-After harassing railway employes for several years with multi-colored yarns, crazy quilts, and a lot of other senseless stuff, the theoretical "doctor" as an examiner of eyesight is giving way to practical and sensible methods of testing the vision.

"The Central-Hudson is now giving its engineers a practical eye test," says a report. "When enginemen are called to Albany to undergo the sight test they are taken to the signal tower and the blades of the tower bridge operated in various manners while the engineman stands a half-mile away and is obliged to tell the man who supervises the test the various movements that are being made. Besides being called upon to observe the tower signals the enginemen are compelled to go through a flag test, the man with the flag standing under the tower, while the man undergoing the test stands a half-mile away and is compelled to tell the manner in which the flag is being manipulated. The test is considered fair by the men and is regarded as being eminently practical."

Telegraph Cheaper than Mails.-Those who advocate the government ownership of the telegraph have claimed that the government would reduce the price per message or word just as it has reduced the price of transmitting mail matter. This has been denied by those who favor ownership of the telegraph business by corporations. The following from the Telegraph Age is interesting:

"It is remarkable how much telegraph business is transmitted by private concerns over their leased wires, writes a superintendent of telegraph. Houses which employ none but first-class operators and conduct their business in an intelligent and economical manner, state that they are enabled to handle messages at an actual cost of not over two cents each. The rate is so low that it does not pay to make use of the mails. Of course addresses and signatures are cut down to one or two letters each where the volume of business to handle is large, but the fact remains, nevertheless, that in handling private wires understandingly the telegraph is cheaper than the mail."

Kid Operators.-In commenting upon a disastrous wreck, in which a boy telegrapher takes prominent place, the Railroad Gazette says:

"With the Government official (American or English) and the sociologist, if he ever gets down to such a prosaic matter, the first remedy will be to forbid the employment of boys for such grave responsibilities. It is true that many a boy of 18, or even younger, does brilliant work in a telegraph office, and that in a year and a half a thousand things can be learned. But there must be a limit somewhere to youthfulness, and what more rational limit than the age of 21? The practical effect of this would (or should) be to compel a longer period of apprenticeship in signal cabins and telegraph offices, and perhaps a higher averdoubt that this longer apprenticeship is age rate of wages. There can be little an important element in the safety-record of the English railroads. If a Government authority were to prescribe a youthlimit it would not be likely to set it below 21; and if influenced by the trade union spirit might make it higher. At all events, the lower the limit the greater the responsibility on the railroad company to show that new men are thoroughly trained."

A Fake Sensation.-The public press, and some technical papers, have published columns of matter about a "great sink hole" encountered by the Central Pacific in constructing its line across the Great Salt Lake. Now the sensation collapses, according to the following statement by the chief engineer, Mr. William Hood:

"The yarns and fake stories circulated from Salt Lake City about difficulties and disasters attending the building of the Central Pacific cut-off from Ogden to Lucin are without foundation. I have never heard of any scientist examining the so-called peculiar and wonderful bottomless pit for Mr. Harriman, nor did I even know that any bottomless holes existed in the bottom of Great Salt Lake along the line of our improvement.

"As a matter of fact, we have experisinking of material dumped into the lake enced less trouble from the settling and than is frequently encountered in work of this character. Everybody knows that there is most always more or less settling of material dumped into water and the only thing to do is to keep on adding to the mass until it stops settling. The Salt Lake fill has really been very easy to handle and a small percentage only of material deposited has sunk or settled, thus eliminating many mishaps and trouble often attending even ordinary construction work along railroads. The story that we have driven pile after pile one on top of the other, in an attempt to find solid ground for a roadbed foundation, is too silly to talk about.

"Another thing, the company has never lost an engine or car through sinking into