US1487056A - Means for apportioning liability - Google Patents

Description

March 18, 1924.

. J. D. GILL MEANS FOR APPoRTIpNING LIABILITY Filed April '23 1923 Sheets-Sheet. 1

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. March 18, 1924.

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MEANS APPORTIONING LIABILITY 2 Sheet s-She et (7.01 Ga. H mm. Augusta 5011.641 Pot.Yd. a & o 145 iiiiiadiphia A? 225 z63- 61 hr:. 214 z W Atlanta NCBcStL. B Nashville L Ea N 500 Cliifi'ifififiti 3&0 59 Dayton 50 R 232%2'7 hrs. 32 29 hrs ,26 z con Ga. .125 Aug- A C 465 Rich-"ENC? 110 Pot 3&0' 4'1 Balto z 1- 4 zl -x16-10hrs usta 255 60-26hrs. mend z15-x14-6hrs Yd z6-x6 z-z l /6 /3' /e \W /4 Atlanta 0 Augusta --0 Macon --o Albany 210 Americas 2457 Apalachee 82 Birmingham -2 74 Ft McPherson 265 Dawson 2-97 chattanooga/ 241 Savannah 133 Ft valley x-29 JMMJJ, a;

Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATES JAMES n. GILL, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

MEANS FOR APPORTIONING LIABILITY.

Application filed April 23, 1923. Serial No. 634,029.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES'D. GILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, and State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Means for Apportioning Liability, of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to a means for determining and apportioning liability and has for its object the provision of a device, whereby, in the event of damage to a shipment of goods in transit'over a plurality of common carriers, the proportionate share of such damage to be assumed by each of the several carriers may be determined accurately and expeditiously.

Many damaged shipments often originate at the same shipping point and it is a further object of the present invention to provide means for determining the pro-rata percentage of damage to be paid by each carrier, without the necessity of a calculation for each individual shipment.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for determining the responsibility for damage to a shipment due to delay in transit by any one or more of the several carriers.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds the invention resides in the means hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes may be made within the scope of What is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

In the drawing accompanying the specification:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the device.

Figure 2 is a transverse section therethrough. V

Figure 3 is a view of the front of one of the cards; and

Figure 4 is a view of the rear of the same card.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference,the numeral 1 designates a case comprising a bottom 2, downwardly and forwardly inclined side Walls 3 connected to the bottom and a back 4. A false back 5 is fitted between the sides 3 and is inclined rearwardly at the top.

A number of cards 6 are located within the case the'cards normally resting against the back 5 in an inclined position. A front board 7 is hingedly connected near its lower edge to the end walls 3 as shown at 8. The upper edge of theboard-7 rests against the cards to retainthe same in place when not in use and is tilted to the. position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 when it is desired to inspect the cards. A bracket 9, secured to the bottom 2 serves as a support for the board 7. The ends of the cards in front of the card to be inspected may be engaged above the side walls 3 by the fingers of the operator and tilted forwardly to rest against the front board 7.

The case thus provides a convenient and compact receptacle for expeditious handling of the cards carried thereby.

In the transportation of commodities by several railroads, it often happens that damage is incurred to the shipment in transit, it being impossible to definitely locate the line on which the damage occurred and. therefore to which one of. the several roads 'to charge the damage claim. The

railroads of the United States, Canada and Mexico have therefore entered into an agreement, whereby in case of damage as above described, each carrier pays its proportionate shareof the loss, which amount is apportioned according to the number of miles the respective carrier hauled the shipment. The determination of this item, in the case of a large railroad, requires the services of considerableofilce force; it being necessary in each damage claim to compile from the Oflicial Guide and its complementary timetables the actual mileage between the point of receipt and the point of delivery to the next road handling the shipment and this must be calculated for each road interested, often as many as fifteen roads having handled-a damaged shipment. 1

. In the present embodiment of this inven tion a card 6 is provided for each railroad included in the territory intended to be covered by the device, exceptthe road using the device, hereinafter described as the railroad of destination. Each card has an'indextab 10 bearing the identification of a railroad. The railroad designated on the tab being in each instance the railroad of origin, that is the road on, which the shipment to be considered originated. The identifying designations being alphabetically arranged in vertical columns as show-11in Figure 1.

For the purpose of describing the invention in detail, a card prepared for the Gen-- 12 at the left of the route contains the name of an initial junction point on the road of origin. A subdivision 13 at the right of the route contains the name of a junction point on the road of destination. Other subdivisions 1% located between the subdivisions 12 and 13 each contain the name of an intermediate junction point and the name of the railroad having connection at this point with the railroad named in the preceding subdivision over which road the shipments move in going from the road of origin to the road of destination.

In each of the intermediate subdivisions 14 is indicated the exact number of rail miles between the junction named in the preceding subdivision and the subdivision following. The scheduled'time allowance for freight on each of these sections of the route is also shown in each subdivision 14.

On the back of each card are lists 15 of stations on the road to which the card belongs, each list being headed bv one of the initial junction points on the road of origin and following the several stations is designated the number of miles between the station and the initial junction point at the head of the column.

By this means the number of miles to be apportioned to the road of origin is readily determined.

It often happens that quite a large number of shipments on which damage is claimed arise at some specific point on aroad of origin, the destination of all being the same on the road of destination. To avoid a repetition of calculations whenever one of these claims are presented, I apply a symbol indicated at 16 both to the station on the road of origin and the station on the road of destination and following this symbol through the line of subdivisions, indicate in each subdivision the percentage of damage the road designated therein must assume.

By way of illustration, let it be assumed that a claim for damage has been presented t the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad for a shipment originating on the C. of G. Atlanta is found from the conductors manifests to be the initial junction point and at Atlanta the shipment was handed to the N. C. & St. L. which road hauled it 288 miles to Nashville, turning it over to the L. & N. this road handled it 300 miles to Cincinnati where it was hauled to the B. & 0., Cincinnati, on this route being the ultimate junction. The person investigating the claim being a B. & O. employe will know the local mileage on his own road that is from Cin cinnati to the point of delivery on the B. 8: O. The local mileage on the O. of G. may be found by reference to the back of the card. Suppose for instance the shipment was made from Chattanooga, the mileage to Atlanta as indicated is 241 miles.

Means for further eliminating calculation is provided by the use of a characteristic designation for specific heavy traflic routes, that is the route between a designated point on the road of origin and a definite point on the road of destination. By way of illustration, suppose that heavy shipments are being made between Birmingham on the C. of G. and Dayton on the B. & 0., the letter 2 is shown following Birmingham, Dayton being written in the subdivision belonging t the B. &- O. at the end of the route. In each subdivision on the route is written the character 2. followed by a numeral indicating the percentage of the whole damage for which the road in that subdivision is responsible. As shown several symbols may be used on any one route to apportion between different points, and the same symbol may be used-on more than one route on the same card, it being understood that a symbol shown on a route apportions damage on that particular route alone and the same symbol shown on another route designates the apportionment for that route only.

It will be evident from the foregoing that, knowing the road on which a damaged shipment originated, the inspection of one card is all necessary to provide the operator with complete figures showing the responsibility of each line involved also arranged in proper consecutive order whereby mistakes of omission are avoided.

It will also be noted the device may be used in investigating damage claims from the road of origin, the method of procedure as hereinbefore described being reversed and the same result obtained.

Having thus described theinvention what is claimed as new is 1. In an index system for a railroad of destination, a plurality of members each having means for identifying a railroad of origin, one member being provided for each railroad of origin, each member containing the designation of an ultimate junction on the railroad of destination, an initial junction point on each railroad of origin being displayed on the member belonging to said railroad of origin, there being designations on each member indicating the route be tween said initial junction point and the ultimate junction point on said member and the d stance between the junction points.

2. In an index system for a railroad of destination, a plurality of cards each having a tab indicating a railroad of origin, one card being provided for each railroad of origin, each card containing the designation of an ultimate junction on the railroad of destination, an initial junction point on each railroad of origin being displayed on the card belonging to the said railroad of origin, there being designations on each card indicating the route between said initial junction point and the ultimate junction point on said card by way of other junction points and the distances between the successive junction points.

3. An index as set forth in claim 2 and further characterized by each card having a list of stations of the railroad of origin to which the card belongs and the distances between the respective stations and the initial junction points on said card.

4. An index as set forth in claim 3 and further characterized by having a symbol applied to a specific station on the railroad of origin and the same symbol applied to a specific point on the railroad of destination, the symbol being also displayed with each of the successive junction points to indicate the proportionate mileage at each junction point to the mileage of the whole route.

5. In an index system for a railroad of destination, a plurality of cards each having means for identifying a railroad of origin, one card being provided for each railroad of origin, parallel divisions on the card, each parallel division displaying a route, each route having at one end a sub-division designating an ultimate junction point on the railroad of destination, a sub-division at the other end of the route designating an initial junction point on the railroad of origin and other sub-divisions designating junction points between the initial junction point and the ultimate junction point, each sub-division having displayed therein the distance between its respective junction point and the next succeeding junction point.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signa ture in the presence oftwo witnesses.

JAMES D. GILL. lVitnesses:

,J. HOWARD RIGGAN,

SIDNEY SIGLER.

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