Chapter 976. To amend an Act entitled “An Act to promote the safety of employees and travelers upon railroads by compelling common carriers engaged in interstate commerce to equip their cars with automatic couplers and continuous brakes and their locomotives with driving-wheel brakes, and for other purposes,” ap
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CHAP. 976.— An Act To amend an Act entitled “An Act to promote the safety of employees and travelers upon railroads by compelling common carriers engaged in interstate commerce to equip their cars with automatic couplers and continuous brakes and their locomotives with driving-wheel brakes, and for other purposes,” approved March second, eighteen hundred and ninety-three, and amended April first, eighteen hundred and ninety-six. March 2, 1903.[[Public, No. 133](/us/pl/57/133).] *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled*, That the provisions and Automatic brakes and couplers.
Requirements for, extended. Vol. 27, p. 531. *Post*, p. 1107. requirements of the Act entitled “An Act to promote the safety of employees and travelers upon railroads by compelling common carriers engaged in interstate commerce to equip their cars with automatic couplers and continuous brakes and their locomotives with driving-wheel brakes, and for other purposes,” approved March second, eighteen Vol. 29, p. 85. hundred and ninety-three, and amended April first, eighteen hundred and ninety-six, shall be held to apply to common carriers by railroads in the Territories and the District of Columbia and shall apply in all cases, whether or not the couplers brought together are of the same kind, make, or type; and the provisions and requirements hereof and of said Acts relating to train brakes, automatic couplers, grab irons, and the height of drawbars shall be held to apply to all trains, locomotives, tenders, cars, and similar vehicles used on any railroad engaged in interstate commerce, and in the Territories and the District of Columbia, and to all other locomotives, tenders, cars, and similar vehicles used in connection therewith, excepting those Exceptions. trains, cars, and locomotives exempted by the provisions of section six of said Act of March second, eighteen hundred and ninety-three, as amended by the Act of April first, eighteen hundred and ninety-six, or which are used upon street railways.
Sec. 2. That whenever, as provided in said Act, any train is operated Minimum number of cars. with power or train brakes, not less than fifty per centum of the cars in such train shall have their brakes used and operated by the engineer of the locomotive drawing such train; and all power-braked cars in such train which are associated together with said fifty per centum shall have their brakes so used and operated; and, to more Increase of percentage. fully carry into effect the objects of said Act, the Interstate-Commerce Commission may, from time to time, after full hearing, increase the minimum percentage of cars in any train required to be operated with power or train brakes which must have their brakes used and operated as aforesaid; and failure to comply with any such requirement of the said Interstate-Commerce Commission shall be subject to the like penalty as failure to comply with any requirement of this section.
Sec. 3. That the provisions of this Act shall not take effect until In effect September 1, 1903. Requirements of former act continued. September first, nineteen hundred and three. Nothing in this Act shall be held or construed to relieve any common carrier, the Interstate-Commerce Commission, or any United States district attorney from any of the provisions, powers, duties, liabilities, or requirements Vol. 27, p. 531. 944 of said Act of March second, eighteen hundred and ninety-three, as Vol. 29, p. 85. amended by the Act of April first, eighteen hundred and ninety-six; and all of the provisions, powers, duties, requirements and liabilities of said Act of March second, eighteen hundred and ninety-three, as amended by the Act of April first, eighteen hundred and ninety-six, shall, except as specifically amended by this Act, apply to this Act.
Approved, March 2, 1903.