Before leaving the subject of engines I want to say a few words about accidents caused by the breaking of lubricator glasses and water gauges; they grow more frequent every year and until somebody invents something to take the place of glass—possibly the celluloid glass now used on automobiles may be available—which will not burst, as you value your eyesight, which becomes more necessary every day as the number, speed of trains, and signals increase, carry the shields, which the company has provided for your, not its, protection, over the glass, not in your seat box as many enginemen do now, and then when the glass breaks, and no one can tell when it will do so, there is little danger of your vision being impaired or lost by your eyes being struck by flying particles of glass.
DEFECTIVE SCAFFOLDS, DERRICKS, ETC.
Accidents caused by use of defective derricks, scaffolds, and the careless handling of derricks are comparatively new and are one of the recent surprises in the business. I venture to say that the companies have paid out during the last 18 months in the investigation and settlement of accidents caused by defective scaffolds enough money, not only to furnish the most approved scaffold now known, but to nickel plate them as well. The following cases will show what is going on in this way:
R. B. Babcock, bridgeman, injured at Ferncliff, a mile and a half north of Whiteston, Jan. 14, while standing near derrick mast, which was being raised and put in position on abutment; the mast suddenly slipped, and knocked this man off the abutment to concrete foundation 34 feet below, breaking his leg in two places and his arm, and bruising his hip.
H. R. Roberts, bridgeman, killed near Red Creek, March 4, at 11 a.m.; derrick car in rounding curve an attempt was made to swing the boom of derrick to outside of curve, but it suddenly swung over to the other side of car and tipped the derrick car over; Roberts was standing on front end of car and jumped, falling back onto the track, and the derrick tender, which did not leave the track, ran over him. A 2×4 cleat, nailed on side of mast to hold sling-lines in place came off, allowing ropes, which control swinging of boom, to slacken so that movement of boom could not be controlled.
B. H. Jackson, seriously injured at Leicester, Dec. 30; caused by the plank on which he was standing, used for scaffolding, slipping out of the hooks, on account of its being covered with ice and snow, and allowing him to fall 15 ft. to the ground.
Within the last few years injuries caused by defective jacks and drop cables, which, when I commenced to investigate accidents, were unknown, have become very frequent. I mention the following to show what they are. All of them would have been prevented by proper inspection—not by inspections made to find things O.K., but by inspections made to find defects; and if not made for that purpose they had better be discontinued.
L. M. Lumpkins, section foreman, injured Feb. 20, at Graves; he was helping car repairer, and had jacked up a car in order to move the trucks, but when ready to let the car down the jack would not work, and all at once gave way, and Lumpkins was struck on the head by the lever and knocked down, injuring him.
R. J. Hopkins, laborer, injured June 22, at Osazi, was giving signals to have train, loaded with ties, moved, when cable broke and hit him in the face.
In the same category, while perhaps not of the same class, come accidents at coal chutes and water tanks, roundhouses, stations, and other places. Had inspectors, repairmen and employees using the appliances, done as they would have done if the loss occasioned by neglect was to be theirs, none of the following accidents would have happened: