Page:Engines and men- the history of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen. A survey of organisation of railways and railway locomotive men (IA enginesmenhistor00rayniala).pdf/72

 of great ability shown on many occasions, were mercilessly swept aside by one little slip of memory, which sent one train banging into another and cost a life. The accident occurred at Prestbury, and it brought Mr. Clement E. Stretton, civil engineer, who later became consulting engineer to the Associated Society, into prominence.

The A.S.R.S. was in low water at the time, and at the Darlington Conference in 1882 the General Secretary. Mr. Fred W. Evans, reported:—

"'There is not much encouragement to be derived from a review of the numerical and influential position of the Society. For three successive years the members have gone on decreasing, and the downward tendency has not ceased. At the end of 1880, 8,589 member wade up the Society: 7,700 members were in the Society on August 30th, 1881, at the end of 1881 the number was reduced to 6,874, and from the half-yearly returns to hand, I compute the Society's present strength to be not more than 6,000 members.'"

In the meantime the utmost severity was exercised by companies towards drivers and firemen. These men, upon whose loyalty and judgment rested the lives of the community and the property of the companies, were treated with something worse than cold indifference; they were treated with contempt and harshness.

"'To give a man a half hour for work which occupies an hour or an hour and a half is common amongst enginemen and firemen on those Lines where the hours are not taken from the time the man books on duty to the time he books off.'"

After the Society had been formed and officers elected, the following further circular was issued:—