ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY MOVING CARS ON OR UNDER WHICH MEN ARE WORKING
Injuries caused by the moving of cars being iced or on or under which men are working seem to me of a class so inexcusable as to merit the discharge of the party at fault. Think how you would feel if you or your boy was under, on, or in, a car with a flag out and someone moved the car without notice and you or he was run over. The following are a few such cases:
Philip Elder, car cleaner, injured at Armstrong, July 5; caused by train being moved by switch engine while he was on the ladder filling the water cooler.
Patrick Connelly, car repairer, injured Nov. 29, at Falesburg, was under end of car on repair track; Switchman Moody backed train No. 27 on No. 5 track, and cars did not clear coach No. 368; it struck the car under which Connelly was working, moving it about 10 ft. and dragging Connelly, who caught hold of brake-beam. Flag out as required by Rule 1.
A. F. Brown, car cleaner, injured at Perryville yards, May 3, at 10:00 a.m., was working in smoker No. 762; engine No. 37 coupled onto the car and pushed it down track and it collided with some other cars, knocking this woman down. No switchman riding on the car at the time of the accident.
Injuries caused by carelessness in throwing switches and derails we all know ought not to occur, and yet they are of frequent occurrence. The following are samples.
G. M. Claney, engineman; Alfred Dolan, fireman; injured about 10 a.m., June 4, at Peronia; after going in on side track to get some cars, got signal from brakeman to come ahead. Brakeman failed to throw derailing switch, and while going to main line engine left the track, went down embankment, and turned over.
Richard Jones, brakeman, injured May 7, at Nelson. Foreman Brinson told him to cut off two cars and ride them out onto main line, and after he had started the foreman noticed an engine coming up the main line, and threw switch for side track, the cars collided and he was thrown down in car.
ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY KICKING CABOOSES
Accidents caused by kicking caboose cars in which men are resting are of altogether too frequent occurrence, and are as inexcusable as they are frequent. Rule No. 10 should, I think, prohibit the practice, as it does of moving cars containing passengers unless coupled to the engine and air-brakes in use. Had this been done, the following cases would not have happened: