Next we come to accidents caused by making a switch of cars containing passengers without the engine being attached to the car:
Thomas H. Norton, injured Oct. 20, in Sixtieth St. yards; caused by the Pullman car Winona, in which he was traveling, being kicked down against a coach standing at the other end of track, by switch engine 731; and when switch crew tried to stop the car they claimed they could not do so with hand brakes, although they were in good condition.
Everyone knows that it is unsafe to handle a car containing passengers without the engine being coupled to it and air-brake in use, and that Rule 10[ [1] expressly prohibits such work, yet in this case it was done by men long in the service, who probably had done the same thing before without accident and without being caught, so they chanced it once too often, and the cost in this case would pay many times over for the time they had saved before. It is just as unsafe to switch caboose cars in which train crews are resting or cars loaded with horses and cattle or emigrant movables in that way, and it ought to be stopped. If it was, there would not be the injuries to trainmen or damages to live stock that we have now from that cause.
We all have no end of trouble with circuses and theatrical troupes traveling in their own cars, many of which ought to be in the scrap heap. These cars should never be accepted, no matter who is in them or what notice you may have received about the runs to be made with them, unless the brakes, running gear, and everything connected with them are in good repair, but when you do take them, handle them as carefully as if they contained dynamite, and get them off the line without accident. When you find such a car on a track which you are obliged to use—it should when possible be set on a track not used for switching—either to move it or some other car, handle it with the greatest care; don't do as was done at Harrison just a short time ago when
Laura Jameson, with a theatrical troupe, was in car "Pomfret," Nov. 9th, which was coupled onto by engine No. 402 with such force that she was thrown from the chair in which she was sitting, bruising and injuring her.
Neither would any of the following cases, caused by careless handling, have happened:
Mrs. R. A. Storrs, passenger injured at Whiteford, Aug. 8th, at 7:20 a.m. Engine was pulling train back in the yard and ran in on track that had some cars on it and collided with them, the switch having been left open.
W. R. Thomas, injured at Winton, at 2:50 p.m., Dec. 10, by reason of standing up near stove in way-car when two cars were coupled on train, he was thrown against stove and onto floor.
John A. Klohs, stockman, was riding in the caboose of extra stock train east, at Yale, June 4th; got up to take off his coat; the train was coupled up with so much force that he was thrown over the stove and his ankle injured.
Now we will take up cases caused by careless loading and unloading of freight from mixed trains: