The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-03-27
Railroad and Steamboat Accidents.

guarding our own safety.
Railroad and Steamboat Accidents.
Since the LIST January, ls53-that is to say
during period of nearly fifteen months, nine
hundred and fifty people have been killed and
eight hundred and forty nine wounded by acct
dents on American railways and steamers. The
detailed account with dates will be found else
where we recommend its careful perusal to the
public. Less than year ago, similar cata-
logue Of catastrophes enabled us to estimate the
average mortality from railway accidents at one
death per day. The estimate was considered
high but if we add to the 259 deaths given in
the table as caused by these disasters fair pro-
portion of the GA cases Of severe injury as an
allowance for those who never recovered from
their wounds, it will be found that one life per
day is really not more than the usual consump-
tion Ct our railroads.&c. say nothing of arms,
legs and ribs broken, and similar casualties. The
list Of deaths from steamboat accidents is unu-
sually large. 1t has always, we believe, exceed
ed that Of deaths on railways; but when we
ticipated from the working of the new law we
are shocked we confess to find that 69l persons
have been killed by steamboat accidents during
the last fifteen months and that the mortality
from this cause now falls but little short of two
lives per day. 1t says but little for the law to
find that since LIST January 1853, forty-eight
fatal accidents have occurred to our steamers
Of these, one, the burning of the Independence
near Margaretta Island in the Pacific, hurried
12O souls into eternity. The sinking of the John
L. Avery, a few. days ago, in the Mississippi,
ranks next in magnitude; and the burning of the
Caroline in the same river, and of the America
in the Alabama river, in January last which
destroyed respectively ffty-one and fifty per-
sons, complete dreadful total of 28l deaths
from accidents. OF the whole, about thirty oc-
CURED in the South and Southwest and ten on
the Mississippi. AS usual, the deaths far exceed
the casualties; the lucky few who escape when
a steamer is burnt, or sunk, or shattered by the
explosion of a boiler, generally escape I'M
harmed.
Railway accidents, which are more numerous
are fortunately less fatal than steamboat dis
asters. The average Of deaths caused by ls9
railway accidents during the past fifteen months
is scarcely IA per accident: aud this average is
unusually large in consequence of the whole
sale slaughter of forty-six persons on the New
Haven road at Norwalk in May last-the most
awful catastrophe in the annals of railway ira
yelling. Next to that frightful butchery, the
collision on the Michigan Southern on 25th
April last by which twenty -four persons lost
their lives, that on the Providence and Worcester
road on 18th August by which fourteen per-
sons were killed, and the accident on the Belvi-
dere Delaware road on the I'd of the same
month which caused the death of eleven, de-
serve to be individualized in the chronicles of
railway slaughter. Travellers will thank us for
distinguishing the roads which have distin-
guished themselves by their sanguinary track.
The Baltimore and Ohio road stands first on the
list, with q catalogue of eleven accidents in
twelve months, causing fourteen deaths and
forty casualties. Next comes our own New
York Central, on which ten accidents have oc-
Cured during the same period, killing seven,
and wounding twenty-eight persons. The
Hudson River Railroad occupies the third
place, with seven accidents, causing six
deaths and twelve casualties. On the Erie
road, four accidents have occurred, by which
nine persons have been killed aud twenty wound
ed. But by far the most fatal road has been
the New York and New Haven line, on which
three accidents Gncluding the Norwalk disas-
ter) have occurred since last March, killing
forty-seven and wounding twenty seven per-
sons.
Comparing these figures with the statistics of
railway and steamboat accidents in foreign
countries, we find that until recently, the for
mer were as disastrous in England as they are
persons were killed and 3S7 wounded. Public
attention being aroused by the report of the
Commissioners, laws were passed obliging rail-
way trains to run according to time, and heavy
damages were awarded by juries for injuries
received on railways These measures have
been followed, we understand, by considera-
bic falling off in railroad mortality; and now
fatal railroad accidents are rare in England.
Accidents on the coasting steamers especially
on those plying between Liverpool and Dublin,
have occurred periodically during the last few
years, and caused great loss of life; those of the
Queen Victoria on 10th February last and of
the Times on I'd June show that no improve
ment is yet perceptible in this branch Nor
can there be any doubt that large share of
the responsibility for this and other similar ca
tastrophes is rightly chargeable on the owners
and captains. Another year or two will show
whether the searching examinations and severe
scrutiny which invariably follow these disas-
ers will really diminish their frequency or pre-
vent their occurrence
So far as we have been able to learn there
has leen but one fatal accident on the French
railways during Tie pas. year. 1t was q COLI
tiOn between Two TRAINS and took place on the
Paris and Bordeaux line on the I'd of August
last. Five persons we're killed. As soon as the
news reached the Project. vigorous measures