Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-10-15
rt,m the New York Tribune.
STATISTICS OF RAILWAY DISASTERS.

We nave great reverence IOT lne SCIENCE OF SUI
side of reason, wherever that may be
found. There is, however, something irresstibly
comical in che manner in which n statican will
take hold Of the sum total Of facts, real feigned
of any subject and work them up to the advantage
or disadvantage of the individual man. He is no
absorbed in this statistical way Of going to work,
that the aughablc results Of such process do not
strike him. Having determined his facts in the
gross with great skill and industry, the next thing
i to make them ft the individual He is 50 pene-
raled with his favorite science that all else is sub
ordinate to it. lie is pcrchancc happy when q
pcsilcncc breaks ont at some respectable distance
so that he can calculate the chances Of death or
recovery and estimate whether children under one
ycar stand better chance than those under FIVE
or than adults under no particular age Having
settled that in his mind, he Is easy for the rest of
life on that pcstence, and is ready for shy say
at steamboat explosions. To determine in what
proportions people who travel by steamboats, are
entitled to be destroyed, scadel or manned, can
be reduced TO so pure a science. as regards the in
diyidunl man, that our statcian travels on the
strength Of his figures with perfect security or the
reverse, as the ease may be- As regards the pro-
duction If men Of genius his hgures ure equally
cloor,-ihcre must be given supply to given
demand The statican is not interested in single
successes or disasters; they must figure in combi-
nation to attract his attention, aud enable him to
educe his lhvOritc rosults-irOm the many TO sim
Gle one All casualties, crimes, misfortuncs, blcs-
sings and honors can be calculated on the same
plan and with equal satisfaction.
We have been particularly struck with the pure
" technical nature Of n report made 10 the London
Statistical Society on accidents by railways.
valuable paper. indeed, but certainly connected
with some scientific elabUrnons and reductions
that are monstrously queer. We shall present
both tho serious aud the comic. In the years
lsl4-47 the distances travelled by all classes in
England was III miles; in 1s4S-'jl 1913 miles,
aud in 1852 it had diminished 10 l5.S miles. Out
Of AIS, ,4SS. .607 passengers conveyed in the years
lS5l-'j2 237 were killed and l.4lG injured, being
in the proportion &c one killed to 2OlS,039, and
one injured in 3JI,9i6. OF the cngme-dgiyers,
stokcrs and guards, the number killed was 215,
injured 2T4 out Of 40 04Sd, being ut the rate Of
killed in Ia and one injured in las. We think
their wages should rise on the announcement of
this Bit Of information for in seeing the corpse, of
one 80 killed, one would murlliac as the pbiloso-
phcr did over the soldier at sXpeucc Il day, whose
brains lay spatercd 0bout.--Of 3j9,GS3 porters
and other persons employed, there were 6S3 killed
and 3l3 injured, the ratio killed being ono to je7,
and one injured in l,0jS This item of the red
rail is less frighttu than that pertaining 10 the
s,Okey's department. Daring the years lSli-'5l,
7,044 460, ,4S3 miles had been travelled by plsscu-
gers, and lTG deaths had occurred from accidents
of all causes, so that il would appear that one
passenger had been killed for every 40,02j ,305
miles Travelled oyer this statement is extremely
consOlatory except to the particular Individual
But the most alarming part Of our staticians work
is now coming; If person were to be constantly
in motion on a railway, and travelling at an aver
age speed of twenty miles per hour, he would
travel III, 200 miles yearly, and lie would have to
travel 22S years in order to be killed 10y afcaonts
arising from all causes, and he would require in
order to be killed by an accident arising from all
causes under the control Of the company to travel
for period Of 400 years. The same person would
require to travel 426 years in order to be killed by
t,n
of companies; but if this person were to travel
only II hours per day for each Of the 500 days IN
the year. then in 4j6 years he would be killed by
an accident Of the class included by those which
arose from all causes, and in $50 years he would
be killed by an accident arising from some causc
under the control of the railway companies; and
in $50 years he would meet with his death from an
accident arising from causes beyond the control of
the railway company. This view Of the case is
horrible if any wcl-disposcd and moderate man
chooses TO live $50 years and ride on the railway
all the time, and what is more, pay for irstclass
ticket the company reward him by certainly kill
ing him at that ripe period, having no respect for
his gray hairs To such ends do statistics running
on rails lead us. But to revert to the actual fig
ures: of the 237 passengers killed in the years
lSj0-'5l, there were l03 killed by causes beyond
the control of the companies, and l34 by accidents
arising from under the control Of the COM
panies. OF the number injured during the period
- itiO--tHtEc NtIt loo ON causes DcNOnu
the control Of companies and ,22S from causes
under their control, The working Of the railway
system in England is improying deaths from col
lision are lesscning but those from the reckless.
ness Of the passengers themselves arc increasing
Of the latter kind lately were three deaths and
seven injuries to persons from attempting to retain
their hats. Deaths arising from axle-trees formed
eight per cent Of the whole number in the foul
years since 1914, but none have occurred since
that time, and none from the breaking Of other
parts Of the machinery since lS47. On the Ger
man Railways, during the years lS4S lS40 anC
1850, on length of railway open of $3.50 En-
glish miles, the number Of passengers conveyed
was 81, ,207, the miles Travelled ll55, ,436 500
! only one passenger had been killed, (mark tha
; American Companiesl) j while 80 railway empioye
: were killed and IS injured.
The world is indebted to Mr.. T. p G. Nelson
for these valuable statistics, with the Individuals
G ing chances up to tho age Of Mathusaleh throw
r in by way Of condiment
u Notwithstanding, a cheerful view may he takei
of the improved chances of life in railway travel
: ling in England, (woud that were true under In,
: higher law of our democracy!) there are som
) purely statistical calculations made which quit
dash us in this branch of the subject They ar
IS MS follow Supposing railway were made to tn
y sun, 1t would take 5l4 years TO ACCOMPLISH th
: Journeys but we have already shown that if tn
h railway were built and managed according 10 th
y English plan, every soul in the train would be XII
r led in 22S years consequently no individual woul
I. ever reach the sun alive, as all the passenger
d would have been killed by the time they had a,
n complshed about one-haIf tho journey Appa
'f ling rs these iacts are as regards ralroad froI
London to the sun, they are utterly thrown int
@ the shade by what n Iailroad will show when hui
I. from Ncw-York TO the sun, and conducted npo
l. purely Democratic principles. For all the passei
n gers 10 be Killed even in train as long as the se
l. serpents tail-wheh is the longest live thing "
$ know Of never hnying been co,npassed vet l
r. human vsion-would require not go years. but
q years without tie q What per ccntage such
! railroad would pay, whether il would be n Dem
n cratic monopoly according to the Camden and An
h boy model, and conducted upon principles struigl
as the rails and rates low as the morals Of cera
!, parties may form the subject Of a future statistic
paper; meanwhile we have only to repeat our col
yiction, that Mr.. Nelson's main statements are G
tremely valuable and interesting, showing the exa
" chances of taking eternity as halfway house
any given railway expedition, and exposing u
= workings of system which proves that the Il
! ries Of peace are not entirely without martyrdor
} habtual, measurable and statistical.