George Brownell, brakeman, injured July 17, one and one-half miles south of Cranton. At Cranton train extra, picked up a car loaded with logs; two stake pockets broke; logs fell under way-car, which tipped over.
And it is just as important to properly unload packages of newspapers and mail from moving trains, and to exercise a little care in throwing coal from engines, as it is to see that freight is securely loaded. The number of accidents caused in this way since the running of the fast mail and newspaper trains commenced would fill a book and could all have been avoided by the exercise of that care which employees or postal clerks would have exercised if they, instead of the company, had to foot the bills caused by their carelessness. To me, it seems not a difficult or unreasonable precaution to look, before you throw out a heavy bag of mail or half a dozen packages of newspapers, to see that no one will be hit by them, and that they could and should be dropped just beyond the far end of the station platform, but never in a street or public highway; and don't throw your clinker bars or ash bars off engines, or anything else for that matter, without looking to see if anyone is passing and when through with them put them in a safe place so they won't project and strike anyone on the next track or fall off and injure someone. If this had been done cases like the following would not have happened:
Henry Forbes, roadmaster, injured November 3, at Marionette, was walking west on station platform, when mail sack was thrown from train struck him on the legs and knocked him down.
Paul Rhelips, injured at Dragitt, May 15, at 5:30 p.m.; caused by his being struck with a block of hard wood which was tied to a letter thrown from train by the baggageman, while passing through the station at 45 miles per hour.
ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE ENGINES
During the last two years there has been an epidemic of accidents caused by defective grate-shaking rigging and defective shoveling sheets on engines, especially of the former. A few years ago they were practically unknown. Now they come so often as to create no remark. The following cases will demonstrate the necessity either of some different apparatus for shaking grates of engines, of greater care in using the apparatus, or of some better method of inspection and repair:
A. G. Kenly, fireman, injured near Windermere; caused by the shovel which he was using catching on the shoveling sheet of engine No. 418.
James Cooney, fireman, injured June 19, in Caster yard, was shaking grates on engine No. 917, and connecting rod broke, catching his hand between shaker rod and quadrant.
H. D. Porter, fireman, injured near Mansfield, May 10; caused by grate rod breaking as he was shaking the grates on engine No. 1280.
Next we come to a class of accidents which is also on the increase and which is of comparatively recent origin, and which, I believe, could and should be absolutely prevented by the exercise of a little mechanical ingenuity or which, even under present conditions of engine construction, would be avoided by greater care on the part of the engineman. And some day when an injector breaks or a blow-off cock is opened as some mechanical superintendent is passing an engine, and his legs are scalded, I will bet my next month's salary against an 1899 bird nest that they will find a way to prevent such injuries, which are as painful as they are unnecessary and expensive, either by putting the blow-off cocks under or on top of the engines, instead of having them project from the side.