Every man in the train, engine, and switching service ought to have every requirement of these rules by heart, understand exactly what they mean, and be ready at any instant, and in any weather, to execute them to the letter, and no punishment should be too severe for failure to observe them to the very letter, for on their faithful observance depend the lives of passengers—it may be some of your own loved ones—of employees, and the safety of the property entrusted to the companies for transportation, as well as their own. And yet, if the instructions contained in the two fundamental rules and those known as the "Flag Rules" had been observed, none of the following cases and many others that help fill the records and the daily press would have happened. It is a standing disgrace that such accidents happen, and the sooner employees help get the careless and reckless men and the drones out of the service, as it is your duty to yourself and the companies to do, the quicker the traveling public, yourselves, the property in transit, and that belonging to your employer and yourselves, will be safe and the greater your certainty of getting to the end of your run to be welcomed by the wife and children awaiting you.
In this connection I want to suggest to the enginemen that when you discover a cause for the sending out of a flagman give him a chance to go back before you get stopped, so that he can cover the required distance quicker. And as these rules are among the most important, if not the most important, in the book, I call especial attention to them.
The following cases will illustrate how much room there is for improvement in this regard:
Joseph Atkinson, brakeman, injured September 26, at Muggleton. He was standing on top of way-car in train which stopped just west of the depot and then started up and ran into side of freight train.
Alexander Peabody, engineer, George F. Smivins, fireman, injured at 10 p.m., October 3, on track 3, near Penryn Ave., Peltonville; engine No. 784 was backing down track 3, and collided with engine No. 1891 standing on that track. Instructions require engines running on this track must run at slow rate of speed, so as to be able to stop within their vision. The engine was running so fast that it could not stop, although Engineer Peabody saw engine No. 1891 when 300 feet distant.
J. L. McPherson, yardmaster, and Jacob Gonorowski, brakeman, injured at Peeweezle, July 28, were in caboose of extra engine No. 674, which was stopping for drawbridge, when engine No. 937, Engineman Isidore Guggenheimer, ran into the rear of train.
Luke M. Peters, engineer, injured April 14 at Aromintap, was in charge of engine No. 2143, backing around Y, when train No. 31 backed into extra No. 7326, to which engine No. 2143 was attached.
L. P. Jarvis, engineer, and Samuel Minns, fireman, injured November 20, at 7:15 a.m., one-half mile east of Peeble's Corners; engine No. 759 had just backed in on side track with work train, and switch had not yet been closed; engine No. 1473, train No. 48, Engineer Tibbits, Conductor Perry, came along at a high rate of speed, and ran into this open switch just east of the home signal, colliding with engine No. 759.
February 14, at 8:20 p.m., one mile north of Indianapolis, Ohio division, extra freight engine, Packard conductor, collided with Ohio division passenger train No. 11. This freight train had an order to run from Indianapolis to Cameron as an extra. Indiana division passenger train 141, due at Indianapolis at 8 p.m., was 15 minutes late. Conductor Packard of the extra was on station platform when this train pulled in. He supposed it was Ohio division No. 11 and so told his engineer, and pulled out and met No. 11 a mile from the station. Two engineers and one fireman were killed and five trainmen injured. If Rule 53 requiring conductors and engineers of trains at meeting points to ascertain by word of mouth what trains they are had been complied with accident would have been avoided.
Nov. 5 freight train No. 52 slowed down to take side track at Park Rapids when extra freight moving in same block, on caution card, ran into caboose and rear brakeman was killed. If Rules 7, 14 or 15 had been complied with accident would not have occurred.