It would not seem necessary to have to tell anyone that timbers or telegraph poles ought not to be unloaded from moving trains carrying passengers, or from any moving train, and yet that is exactly what was done, when
John A. Owen, W. A. Stead, Martin Kjoelseth, Andrew Thorsen, and C. G. Strombeck, passengers on train No. 82, were injured at Wallace, Aug. 2, by reason of the caboose in which they were riding colliding with some cars on the side track, caused by Anderson, a telegraph lineman, unloading some poles from a car in the train upon which they were riding while it was moving, one of which struck a switch target, opened switch, and caboose ran into side track and collided with cars.
And when you have a car loaded with logs in your train see that they are secure. If you do an accident like the one near Hamlin, January 8th, won't occur:
Julius Lewinsky, passenger, was injured while riding in coach; chain on one of the cars gave away, and logs fell off and were forced through bottom of the coach, striking his left leg.
It would seem to be a simple matter to see that logs, water pipes, machinery, or other property liable to fall from cars are properly secured before car is taken in the train, and so avoid such accidents. Why not do it?
When in a terrible rain-storm you are running with a slow order over a track which is being repaired, don't do it at a speed of 50 or 60 miles an hour, if you value your life and the lives of those in the cars behind you. If you don't value them, don't do it because it is dangerous and your orders tell you not to, and because your family will suffer if you get killed in the attempt and the company's property will be damaged, and don't, under such, or any other, circumstances, run by a station five minutes ahead of time contrary to Rule 4, and yet that is just what was done on the night of July 2, when
James Williams, engineman; Charles Jones, fireman; and two tramps were killed; and F. C. Stodmeister, brakeman; W. W. McAllister, baggageman; C. W. H. Brown, Charles Brown, and A. Parsons, porters; W. J. Smith, telegraph operator; Mrs. Miller, Alice Eager, and Mrs. David, passengers, and Thomas King, a tramp, were injured, 1½ miles west of Janeway by train No. 8 running off derail and knocking down the tower.
When you get a bulletin prohibiting your running down certain hills or around curves faster than 30 miles an hour, don't do it at 40 or 50 miles an hour, as it is unsafe, and yet that is exactly what was done May 12 near Wilkes, and resulted in the derailment of freight train No. 18, and
William Little, brakeman, was killed, M. J. McWheeney, Geo. Orneson, Jr., O. A. Dalseth, C. F. Shoelkopf, Geo. V. Hickock, and C. W. Doner, passengers, injured.
A bulletin was issued by Superintendent Davis prohibiting trains going down this hill faster than 30 miles an hour. From the statements of the train crew it would appear that no attention had been paid to this bulletin, and, from what the passengers say, it has been customary for a long time for trains coming into Wilkes from Notman and Guilford, if in sight of each other, to make a race to see which train could get there first, so as to get out of Wilkes for Joppa without delay.