seventy-eight names; probably not more than one hundred and forty appeared in person, or by attorney, to advocate the merits of their inventions. The Commissioners examined carefully every plan and every model offered; heard fully all the arguments made for each invention with the particulars of its merits, and as far as the parties were able to arrange for practical tests, saw their working upon the cars. The conviction forced itself upon the minds of those who witnessed the tests, that there were a number of couplers whose claims were presented, that if applied would prevent the accidents that had become so frequent. On December 5 they issued the following circular: "The Board of Railroad Commissioners, acting under chapter 222, of the acts of 1884, 'requiring railroad companies to use safety couplers on freight cars,' prescribed the forms of couplers, herein named, to be placed upon freight cars on and after March 1, 1885, according to the provisions of said chapter, viz: "The Janney car coupler, for freight cars. "The Hilliard automatic freight coupler. "The Cowell freight coupler. "The United States automatic coupler. "The Ames automatic coupler, being the coupler patented by Gilman H. Ames." The writer agrees with the Commissioners to the five couplers selected, and suggests that possibly the list might with propriety have been somewhat enlarged. It is in the State of Massachusetts that, so far as this country is concerned, the railway commissioner system originated, and it is but simple justice to say that here the system has reached its highest efficiency. The views of that commission on the questions that have arisen between the public and the corporations have been studied by railroad officers and attorneys, by the members of legislative bodies, and by commissions all over the country, and it seems fitting that here should originate a reform in one branch of railway service that will save, annually, the lives of hundreds and the crippling of thousands of active, vigorous young men at the period of life when their personal services are the most valuable. We look for the action of Massachusetts to be followed everywhere, either by the voluntary act of the railway companies or by legislative enactment, until the appalling list of killed and injured from this cause shall belong to the past. In this connection it may not be out of place to say that a rather important reform must, we think, before long, follow the automatic coupler, that is, the application of the power-brake to freight trains. To one who has paid attention to the handling of freight trains, the methods seem crude compared with the efficient brake used on passenger trains, and it is difficult to resist the conviction that the item of repairs of freight cars would be reduced more than the increased cost of the application and use of the power-brake. The item of falling from cars, that figures so largely in the list of accidents, might, we think, be materially lessened. It is not our purpose here to fill our report with suggestions that would be too expensive and impracticable to carry out, but we believe that we are giving voice to the deliberate conclusions of many of the best minds in the railway service, in advocating reform in these particulars. MR. COFFIN'S VIEWS. The fact that over two thousand employes upon the railroads of this State have met with severe bodily injury, many of them fatal, from causes that are clearly traceable to the common method of coupling and uncoupling cars, and to the use of the hand-brake for controlling trains, since the creation of this Board in 1878, and that not less than three hundred and fifty accidents from these causes were reported last year, and that this report shows two hundred and six more from these same two causes, warrant us in calling the especial attention of the legislature to these startling facts. Should not a thorough investigation by State authority be made, for the purpose of ascertaining whether the railroad companies are using the best known devices for those purposes, viz.: coupling freight cars and controlling freight trains? It is a matter of public knowledge, that injuries and fatalities to train men, from these two causes, are almost wholly confined to those employed in the freight train service. Passenger cars have mechanical or automatic couplers. They also have power-brakes, controlled by the engineer in his cab. It may be well to state here, what has been done by the railroads towards the adoption of an automatic safety coupler, as a "standard coupler" for all roads. The National Master Car Builders' Association, which has a membership representing about 90 per cent of all the railways of the nation, has had this matter of a safe coupler under discussion and investigation for over twelve years. Some five or six years ago a committee of experts was created by that body, who were specially charged with the responsibility of investigating and reporting upon the best way of coupling cars. This committee made its final report, after a very exhaustive investigation and public tests of couplers, to the association, at its twenty-first annual convention, which was held in Minneapolis, in June, 1887. This report recommended the adoption of a vertical plane hook automatic coupler, of what was then called the "Janney type," but afterwards changed, by a vote of the convention, to the "Master Car Builders' type." This report of the car coupler committee was adopted by the convention by over a two-thirds vote. By a rule of the association, any vote or action of this body as standard, so important a thing as a universal coupler has to be submitted by what is termed by them, a "letter ballot" to the managers of the railroads of the nation, represented in the association, and if, after ninety days' consideration, these managers return a two-thirds majority affirmative vote, then that device, whatever it may be, becomes standard, and all virtually agree to adopt and use it on their cars. Within the ninety days the managers did approve, by over a two-thirds vote, of the action of their master car builders in adopting the report of their committee on car couplers, which made the master car builders' coupler the standard couplers for the roads of the nation. In order to prevent a monopoly by any one pattern of couplers, the executive committee of the association was instructed to make specifications and a draft of the contour lines of this, the master car builders' coupler, and name it the Master Car Builders' Coupler, and any vertical plane hook coupler, coming within these specifications and conforming in its lines to the master car builders' coupler, and interpolating automatically with it, and by hand with the old link and pin coupler, would be considered as coming up to the standard, and could be used by any of the roads. There are now several, we think ten or twelve, couplers of this kind, now more or less in use, and all couple with each other and with the old link and pin coupler. The recital of these facts of the history of the work of the master car builders has been made for the purpose of showing that the railroad companies themselves have voluntarily adopted an automatic coupler as standard, which, if put into universal use, would nearly, if not fully, eliminate from these reports the recital, year after year, of this long list of distressing accidents from coupling cars. The main excuse now made for not putting these couplers at once on their cars, is that of expense. We are inclined to think this would not be so heavy as, at first thought, it may seem. The average age of the common draw-bar is about three and one-half years. Hence, nearly one-third of the old link and pin coupled draw-bars will be replaced by new ones the coming year. If the master car builders' automatic coupler was, by law, required to be put on every new or repaired car, the change could soon be made, and with but comparatively small extra expense. But one thing should be borne in mind. The transition state from the old hand coupler to the automatic coupler will, of necessity, be a dangerous one, and should be as short as possible. There is more danger in coupling an automatic to a link and pin hand coupler than in coupling the two link and pin couplers. This is more from the familiarity with the old kinds than from any other reason. What has been said above of the history of the improvement in car couplers, can almost as truly be said of automatic or power-brakes, and their practical application to freight cars. The test of brakes by a committee of master car builders, at Burlington, this State, has been commented upon in previous reports. It has been proven beyond all controversy, that power-brakes are as practically applicable to freight as to passenger cars, and when it is known as a fact, as it is, that with four to six cars fitted with power brakes, in a train of twenty to thirty cars, the engineer can control the train better than can three men with hand brakes, on the top of the cars, it certainly does seem that these reports should not much longer be compelled to report so many killed, as they do year after year, from falling from the trains. The time has certainly come when railroad companies should be required by law, if they will not voluntarily do so, to so equip their cars that it would not be necessary that men should endure the great exposure and run the terrible risks they do now, in handling freight trains. We are of the opinion that the fitting up of freight cars with power-brakes, would, in the end, be an economical investment, even if human life and limb were not in the question. So many wrecks could be prevented, if the engineer had the brake power in his own hand to use at once, in case of emergency. Trains could be run on much faster time when thus equipped. The same work could be done with much fewer cars. But pecuniary interest aside, that of human suffering and the loss of life, inevitably attendant on the continual use of the old hand brake, makes it an imperative duty on us to recommend the railway companies to so equip their freight cars with the best known practical appliances, both for coupling them and for controlling them by brakes, as to reduce to a minimum the danger to life and limb of the men who handle them, and if they do not do this in a reasonable time, we surely feel that railways should be required to do so by the laws of the State and nation. We would not think it proper for us to designate what particular pattern of coupler or brake should be used; neither do we think the legislature are as competent to select the most practical devices as the railroad men themselves. This should be left to them, but they should be required to act at once, and prevent any longer unnecessary danger, suffering and death to their employes from these causes named. |