New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-10-04
STATISTICS OF RAILWAY DISASTERS.

STATISTICS OF RAILWAY DISASTERS.
We have great reverence for the science of stats
tcs-ths side Of reason wherever that may be found
There is however, something irresstiby cOmical
in the manner in which statician will take hold Of
the sum total Of facts real or eigned of any subject
and work them up to the advantage disadvantage of
the individual man. He is so absorbed in this satist
cal way Of going TO work that the laughable results of
such process do not strike him Having determined
his facts in the gross with great skill and industry the
next thing is to make them fit the individual. He is
so penetrated with his fayorte science that all else is
subordinate TO ii. He is perchance happy when a
pestilence breaks out at some respectable distance.
80 that he can calculate the chances of death
or recovery, and estimate whether children I'M
der one year stand better chance than those
under five, or than adults under no particu-
lar age. Having settled that in his mind, he is
easy for the rest of life on that pestience and is
ready for shy, say az steamboat explosions To de-
termine in what proportions people who travel by
steamboats, are entitled to be destroyed, scaldei
MANNED, can be reduced to so pure science as re-
CARDS the individual man, that statican travels
the strength of his figures with perfect security or the
reverse the may be- As regards the production
Of men of genius his figures equally cear,-there
must be given supply to given demand The staff
clan is not interested in single disasters
they must figure in combination to attract his attention
and enable him to educe his favOrte resuts-from the
many to q single one. All casualties crimes misfor-
tunes, blessings, and honors be calculated on the
same plan and with equal satisfaction.
We have been particularly struck with the purely
technical nature of report made to the London Sta
tistical Society on accidents by railways. valuable
paper indeed but certainly connected with some sci
entifc Celebrations and reductions that are monsrousy
queer We shall present both the serious and the
comic In the years lsii-i7 the distances travelled
by all classes in England III miles in 1881
1863 miles and in 1852 it had diminished to l55 miles
Out of AIS COZ passengers conveyed in the years
le5I.52 237 were killed and 4l6 injured, being in
the proportion of one killed to 20S959, and one in
ured in 337 9lG OF the engine drivers stOkers and
guards the number killed was 275 injured ga, out of
40ls6 being at the rate of killed in III and one
injured in las We think their wages should rise
the announcement of this bit of information for in
pgthe corpse of one killed one would moraze the
philosopher did over the soldier at sixpence day,
whose brains lay spattered about-Of 1858 porters
and other persons employed there were 6S3 killed and
343 injured, the ratio killed being TO SCI, and
fghtful than that pertaining to the stokers depart
ment During the years l3i4-5l, 7,OH4 69,4 ASS miles
had been travelled by passengers and l76 deaths hal
occurred from accidents of all so that it would
appear that one passenger had been killed for every
40 CPS 800 miles travelled this statement Is ex-
tremoy consoatory except to the particular individual
But the most alarming part OF our saticans work Is
coming If person were to be constantly IN mo
ton a railway, and travelling at On average speed OF
twenty miles per hour he would travel 1920 miles
yearly and he would have travel ~ years in order to
be killed by accidents arising from all causes, and he
would require in order to be killed by accIdent
arising from al causes under the control of the
company. to travel for period OF 4)0 years.
Tie same person would require 10 travel 425
years order to De killed by accident arising from
causes oud tie control OF companies but If this
person were 10 travel only Il hours per day for each
OF the 365 days in the year then in l6 years he would
BE- l. led by IN accident OF the class included in those
Which arose from all causes and in 90 years he would
b. killed By an accident arising from under
the control OF the railway companies aud in s52 years
lie would meet with his death from all accident arising
oui beyond the control OF the railway compa-
ny. This view OF the Is horrible if any well-ds
posed and moderate chooses i've 9oJ years and
ride on the railway all the time and what is more, pay
for irst-cass ticket, the company reward him BY
certainly killing him at that ripe period. having no
speet for his gray hairs To such ends DO statistics,
running rails lead But 10 revert 10 the actual
figures OF the 237 passengers killed in the years
l.;0-5l, there were 1903 killed by causes beyond the
control of the companies and l3i by accidents arising
fOm causes under the control Of the companies.
OF the number injured during the period -
14l6-there were l3o injured by causes beyond
the control OF companies. and 1-225 from
causes under their control The working of tue railway
system in England is improving deaths from collision
are lessening but thOse from the recklessness Of the
passengers themselves are increasing OF the later
hind lately were three deaths and seven injuries to
persons from attempting regain their hats Deaths
arising from aIe-trees formed eight per cent OF the
whole humber in the four years since 1874 but
have occurred since that time and from the
breaking OF other parts d the machinery since lS7.
On the German Railways daring the years l5i5, lsi9
and 1850 ON a length OF railway open Of s45J English
miles the number of passengers conveyed was 5l7l3
2S7 the niles Travelled llSilS60, only one passen-
ger had been killed. mark that American Companies ,
while So railway s4yloyls were killed and - injured
The world is indebted TO Mr- + 7. G. Neison for
these valuable statistics. with the ndiyiluslising