TH - Canada Southern Railway

48 New York Central Lines Magazine for May, 192S
N the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie
O Railroad, where F. H. Babcock is
Safety Agent and L. A. Lee is Secretary
of the General Safety Committee,
noteworthy results have been obtained
from the propaganda spread among
employes by means of posters, contests,
individual instruction and Safety
meetings at which original papers
have been read by the men themselves.
Two papers presented during February
stated the P. & L. E. Safety
situation clearly, and were aimed at
spurring the departments on toward
completion of their design. A third,
by C. W. Endean, Inspector at Pittsburgh,
offered practical Safety advice
in sentences whose initials spelled the
phrase, "Thirty-five per cent less accidents
by nineteen-thirty."
M. J. Cagney, Supervisor of Track
at McKeesport, Pa., spoke with pride
of the past record of his road, but
warned his fellow workmen that a
battle half won may yet be lost
through over-confidence.
"Accomplishments in the saving of
human life and limb have been many,"
said Mr. Cagney, "and we congratulate
ourselves on our splendid record
for the past year over those of preceding
years as we enter into the work
of the present year with enthusiasm
and confidence.
"It is not only natural, but quite
proper that we should do so. But let
us not overlook the fact that many a
battle half won has been lost through
over-confidence. We cannot afford to
overlook the danger of that tendency
to ease up a bit which usually follows
first success.
"It has been said that the secret of
success is to keep on succeeding. This
cannot be done if we are too well satisfied
with past achievements. The
Safety work is only well begun and
must be carried on with undiminished
vigor and alertness. We must continue
to preach vigorously, practise
Safety and be alertly watchful for the
thoughtless and careless worker, as
only through teaching and training
can we make ours a safe organization.
"Teach our men the safe way to do
their work and explain to them why
it is not safe to do it otherwise. Train
them to do it the safe way by insisting
on strict observance of the rules
until you have them in the habit of
doing it safely. By so doing, we will
perfect an organization !. hich will
work Safely, not only from habit but
also from knowledge of the danger of
working any other way. The man
who cannot be trained is not only a
menace to himself but to all and must
be eliminated from the organization.
"These are the principles upon
which our success to date is founded.
Let us not lose sight of them or
slacken our efforts, but push on with
undaunted courage toward the goal of
Safety always and for all."
After pointing out that few accidents
and no deaths were incurred
through carelessness at the Dickerson
Run Terminal during 1927, W. H.
Simmons, General Foreman in the
Rolling Stock Department there, adds:
"My object in bringing this report
before you is to emphasize more fully
the difficult task which lies before this
committee and the employes of this
terminal in order to reduce our accidents
during the year 1928. For the
period from January 1, 1928, to February
16, records in all departments
here show but one lost-time accident,
which is a good record to start out
with, but in order to maintain this
record it will require the united efforts
of every employe in the service.
We, as a Safety Committee, pledged
ourselves to make this a banner year
for Safety on the P. & L. E. Railroad,
and to do this will necessitate each
one's being constantly on the alert for
unsafe practices and conditions and
keeping the Safety movement before
the employes at all times.
"The P. & L. E. is in competition
with other roads in the Safety movement
for 1928, and our President, Mr.
Crowley, has been very generous in
offering a cup to the road producing
the best record for the year. We have
no use for accidents. They cause only
misery and suffering. But we do have
use for the cup, so why not pull together
and push this Safety movement
to the limit, and trade, to the mutual
advantage of all, the things we do not
want for the things we do want?
"Let every employe be safe on the
job, the cup be in our possession, and
eventually we will have 35 per cent
accident reduction by 1930!"
Safety as it is Practised on One
Section of the Big Four
By W. P. Whitlow, Houston, Ohio
E were called off our section a
W
while ago to help another gang
in changing a few rails and I noticed
that when we picked up the first one
and started to walk away with it that
there were men on both sides. Now
if someone should have stumbled and
caused the rail to fall to the ground,
someone no doubt would have been
hurt or probably crippled for life. It
does not take any longer to do it the
right way, so why take a chance?
In tapping down spikes we stay two
rails behind one another for fear a
spike head may break and fly off.
New York Central Lines Magazine for May, 1928 49
In cutting bolts, nuts, rails or anything
that may fly we use goggles to
protect the eyes. These goggles are
furnished us by the Company and we
should always use them when the jobs
we are on require them.
We never use a tool that is in any
way broken or unsafe, for by so doing
we know we are not only liable to injure
or hurt ourselves, but are breaking
and trespassing upon the Safety
rules of the Company.
When a train is approaching we get
clear of both tracks, for we never
know when a chunk of coal or some
other loose article may fall and hurt
or injure someone.
We watch for hot boxes, brakes that
might be stuck, or any loose piece of
material that might be dragging beneath
the cars, for should we find any
of these causes we can easily give the
trainmen a signal and possibly save
them from having a wreck.
While going or coming from our
work, in passing a switch someone
will say, "The banners are white," to
which our foreman will answer back,
and by doing this we never pass a
switch without seeing that it is safe.
Public Go-operation Needed in
Safety Movement
By W. H. Fortney, Fireman, Big Four
N my fifteen years of employment
I
with the Big Four Railroad, Safety
First has been my paramount thought.
Many times in my work it has come
to me how accidents could be eliminated
if the public would only heed
and co-operate.
Even our employes do not practise
Safety as they should. Time after
time I have warned men about kicking
the drawbar with their feet. A short
time ago I witnessed a man doing
this very thing; he consequently lost
his foot. Had he practised Safety
First he would not have been injured.
I believe there is not a railroad
crossing in the country that does not
have some Safety First sign on it, yet
a woman was killed by train No. 6 recently
while I was on duty firing. She
had been warned by the flagman on
No. 45 that a train was approaching
on the eastbound track. Nevertheless
she stepped into the path of our train
and was killed instantly. This is just
another instance where the applying
of the simple rules of Safety on her
part would have proved beneficial.
In the years I have fired for the
Big Four my aim has been to be on
the seat box at places where it is most
dangerous, namely, passing through
small towns with street crossings and
over public highways. This enables
me to warn the engineer about anything
that looks unsafe.
People in this day and age do not
realize the danger that lurks at every
railroad crossing: not only to themselves,
but to the engineman and fireman
as well. The least the public can
do to lighten their burden of responsibility
is to use caution and judgment
at all crossings.
The public needs to be impressed
with the vital importance of Safety
First, and when this is accomplished,
every man, woman and child will
think and act Safety involuntarily.
A d v e n t u r i n g into Safety o n the M i c h i g a n
C e n t r a l
By C. J. Burrough, Train Master, Michigan Central
N the United States during the year
I 1920 more than six per cent of all
the deaths were violent deaths. In
other words, out of every one hundred
persons who died, six lost their lives
because someone was careless.
It has been said that "accidents will
happen." However, education is the
first step toward eliminating accidents—the
realization of the importance
of Safety.
As we look over the year just passed
we can see many things that were
accomplished, which will make 1928,
if improvements continue, the banner
year.
"Safety that lasts" is more important
than "Safety First." Most mistakes
are excusable only in so far as
they are not carelessly repeated.
The fact is, of course, that Safety
is not the prime object in life. The
most important object in the world is
adventure, and by adventure I mean
a fresh, first-hand experience of life.
Safety then is leagued together in the
noble company of recreation, love,
friendship, loyalty, knowledge, art,
creed and all the other main forces
of life.
A human life is the gift of Almighty
God, and as such should be treasured
and preserved. It is upon this bedrock
that the Safety movement has
built its admirable, effective structure.
The whole world has responded
to the inspiration and is moving forward
with hope and confidence.
What do you choose to have thrown
out of your life and what do you
choose to have put in its place? As
for me, I choose adventure. I choose
to have the bad adventure thrown out
and the good adventure brought in,
because I believe that adventure is in
truth the deep, significant value in
life, and by that token I believe that
we have the real meaning of Safety.
One year has gone, another one is
here. Great work was done in 1927
under the guidance of our Safety
agents and committees. Our committee
has gained strength in meeting
with emergencies during the past year
"Dis-obey that impulse!" is the title
of the above poster printed in the
Albany Buick News, which offers the
suggestion that a good Safety stunt
is to slow down and shift into second
gear before crossing a railroad track.
and, at times, we are subject to a
test to prove our fitness. The Michigan
Central Railroad has, and will
always have, problems arise, and it is
good for you and me to speak frankly
of the great problems to be solved
during 1928.
The Safety agents and committees
must be supported by the active backing
of all railroad men who are capable
of contributing to the cause.
Our fields of endeavor touch upon
so many phases of activity, there is
work for all. A greater activity of a
larger number is needed to sustain
and maintain the purpose which the
Safety agents and committees are trying
to accomplish.
We cannot all be on the committee,
but we can all fill such effort with
meaning by our support. The great
work is yet to be done. More heads
are needed.
What a Mile of Railway Does
in a Day
//npHE average mile of railway line
in the United States last year
handled seven passenger trains and
seven freight trains each day," says
the Railway Age, in a discussion of
the service performed by the steam
railroads of the United States.
"In dealing with railway traffic figures
running into hundreds of millions
and billions," continues the Railway
Age, "it is sometimes difficult to visualize
the amount of work which is performed,
on the average, by the units
of the railway plant. The following
figures, therefore, have been prepared
on the average daily operations of
each mile of railway line.
"In the seven freight trains which
passed each day over this average
mile of railway there were 325 freight
cars, of which 205 were loaded and
120 empty. In the loaded cars was
freight weighing, roughly, 5,600 tons,
while the total weifcnt passing over
this mile of line, including freight,
locomotives and freight cars, was
14,400 tons. The seven daily passenger
trains which ran over this average
mile included 46 passenger train
cars and carried a total of 416 passengers.
"The daily gross revenues earned by
this average mile of railway line
amounted to $72. The average direct
operating expenses consumed 74 per
cent of these total earnings, or $53
daily. Next, a total of $4 a day was
paid by this average mile to local,
state and national tax collectors. After
the payment of certain other expenses,
including rental charges for
property belonging to others, the average
daily net earnings of this typical
mile of railway line amounted to $13.
This daily average net earning figure
of $13 amounted in a year to a return
of approximately 4% per cent on the
average railway property investment
per mile.