ENGINEMEN.

Locomotive engineers, or enginemen, are subject to quite different accident exposure from that of conductors, as is clearly indicated in the following table. The accidents to enginemen during the period 1888 to 1907 numbered 671, of which 70, or 10.4 per cent, were fatal and 601, or 89.6 per cent, were nonfatal.

CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS TO ENGINEMEN FATALLY AND NONFATALLY INJURED IN NEW JERSEY, 1888 TO 1907.

[Data compiled from the annual reports of the railroads of New Jersey to the state comptroller.]

The above table is of special interest because it shows that enginemen are particularly liable to fatal accidents as the result of collisions. Of the 70 enginemen killed, 25, or 35.7 per cent, were killed in collisions. The next most important causes of fatal injury were derailments, breaking of parts of cars or engines, and being struck by trains, locomotives, or cars. Each of these causes was responsible for 9 deaths. Of the nonfatal injuries, 20 per cent were caused by collisions, 14.3 per cent by falls from trains, locomotives, or cars, and 11.6 per cent by striking overhead or other obstructions. Enginemen are expected to haul their trains on schedule time, and are, therefore, frequently tempted to take chances which would not otherwise be taken. For example, the engineman might have knowledge of a hot box on a car and yet keep the train in motion with the hope that the wheel would not set, at least not before the next station was reached. In the meantime the engineman would, if possible, watch the wheel or journal, and to do this it would be necessary to lean out

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of the cab window. Quite a few of the injuries from striking outside obstructions have been received while the enginemen were so engaged. Injuries from striking outside obstructions are comparatively numerous with enginemen, and of the 70 killed, 7 were killed as the result of this cause; and of the 601 nonfatally injured, 70 were injured in this manner. The table is an interesting one as indicating, in a general way at least, the duties of the engineman and his exposure to injury from various causes.

In the next table are shown the nature and extent of the nonfatal injuries to enginemen reported as injured in New Jersey during the twenty years 1888 to 1907:

NATURE AND EXTENT OF NONFATAL INJURIES TO ENGINEMEN INJURED IN ACCIDENTS IN NEW JERSEY, 1888 TO 1907.

[Data compiled from the annual reports of the railroads of New Jersey to the state comptroller.]

SUMMARY OF NONFATAL INJURIES TO ENGINEMEN, BY NATURE OF THE INJURY.

Of the 601 nonfatally injured, a considerable proportion suffered severe, not to say serious, injuries. For example, 27 represented fractures, and of these 6 were of two or more ribs, 4 of an arm, 4 of a wrist, 4 of a leg, 2 of a hip, and 1 of a shoulder. Of the 4 injuries representing lost parts, 1 was of a hand and 1 of both feet.

FIREMEN.

In the next table the accidents to locomotive firemen during the 20-year period 1888 to 1907 are classified by causes in the usual

manner:

CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS TO FIREMEN FATALLY AND NONFATALLY INJURED IN NEW JERSEY, 1888 TO 1907.

[Data compiled from the annual reports of the railroads of New Jersey to the state comptroller.]

Firemen are exposed in a general way to about the same causes of accidents as enginemen, but are somewhat more exposed to certain causes, such as falls from trains, locomotives, or cars, by reason of the fact that their duties require them to be more or less outside of the engine proper and at work between the tender and the engine. During the period 1888 to 1907 there were 738 accidents to firemen reported in New Jersey, and of this number 69, or 9.3 per cent, were fatal, and 669, or 90.7 per cent, were nonfatal. The large majority of the accidents, both fatal and nonfatal, were due to train accidents. Firemen are exposed to injury in the firing of their engines, as is clearly shown by the table, but injuries due to this cause are generally slight and seldom fatal. In the opening of the fire box, in the poking of the fire and in the raking of the same, the tools used often slip,

with consequent injury to the hands or fingers. Firemen are specially liable to falls from trains, locomotives, or cars, and of the 69 fatal injuries 10, or 14.5 per cent, were due to that cause. Breaking of parts of cars or engines was also an important cause of injury to firemen, as well as to enginemen. Under this head are included, among others, accidents due to the bursting of boilers, flues, cylinders, etc. Firemen are exposed in practically the same way as enginemen in case of accidents involving collisions. Ten, or 14.5 per cent, of the firemen killed were killed in collisions, and of the 669 nonfatal injuries to firemen 82, or 12.3 per cent, were due to collisions.

In the next table the nonfatal injuries to firemen during the period 1888 to 1907 are classified according to the nature and extent of the injuries:

NATURE AND EXTENT OF NONFATAL INJURIES TO FIREMEN INJURED IN ACCIDENTS IN NEW JERSEY, 1888 TO 1907.

[Data compiled from the annual reports of the railroads of New Jersey to the state comptroller.}

SUMMARY OF NONFATAL INJURIES TO FIREMEN, BY NATURE OF THE INJURY.

At least 15 per cent of the nonfatal injuries to firemen involved more or less serious disability. Of the lost parts, 1 was of an eye, and 2 of a hand. Of the 31 fractures, 4 were fractures of the skull, 6 of a rib, 6 of a leg, 3 of an arm, 3 of a wrist, 3 of an ankle, 2 of a collar bone, and 1 of a shoulder. Of crushed parts, some represented very severe injuries and probably permanent disability. Of the 28 injuries reported as crushed parts, 3 were of an arm, 3 of a foot, 2 of a leg, and 2 of a hand. The statistics clearly indicate that firemen are subject to exceptional hazards and that to a great extent the injuries to this class of employees are likely to be serious, if not fatal.

PASSENGER BRAKEMEN.

Passenger brakemen are apparently not very liable to fatal injury. All the brakemen of this class, however, are not reported under a title sufficiently defined to enable them to be classified as passenger brakemen. In fact, there were only 33 passenger brakemen so specified in the returns, and of these none was fatally injured. The details of the nonfatal injuries are presented in the appendix, page 296.

FREIGHT BRAKEMEN.

Freight brakemen, like freight conductors, are considerably more exposed to accidental injury than passenger brakemen, and the percentage of fatal injuries is considerably higher. Of the 962 accidents to freight brakemen 103, or 10.7 per cent, were fatal and 859, or 89.3 per cent, were nonfatal. In the following table the causes of the accidents to this class of railroad employees during the period 1888 to 1907 are presented in the usual manner.