The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-11-14
A FRIGHTFUL EXHIBIT.
The Number OF Lives Lost by ROilrORd
Accidents in Great Britain and this
Country.

The Number OF Lives Lost by ROiIroNd
Accidents I'm Great Britain and this
Country.
If the habitual newspaper reader
would take the trouble to mark in each
days paper the dispatches and local ac-
counts relative to railway accidents, and
add them up at the end of the month
or quarter, he would be beyond meas
ure surprised, if, indeed, he were not
beyond experiencing that feeling. The
eye, in running over the columns of a
newspaper, gets so accustomed to the
ever present heading, RAILROAD Casual
ty," that, without the results are some
thing extraordinary in the way of des-
truction of life or property, the para
graph leaves little impression. A late
number of the Railroad Gazette says
that during the single month of August
last there occurred in the United States
alone one hundred and fifty accidents,
resulting in the death of sixty-three
persons and the manning and iniuring
of one hundred and thirty-five more.
| Nineteen of these accidents resulted IA
tally, thirty resulted in injuries alone,
the remainder being destructive only TO
property. On six days of the month
there was eight, nine, and ten accidents
daily, the 14th being the only day Of
the month free from casualties of some
sort. OF the numerous causes assigned,
the carelessness of railroad employers
is said by the board of investigation to
be the most frequent. We give the fol-
lowing statement, that the exact extent
of the aggregate disasters may be seen
at a glance, the first number following
the number of accidents during the
month, the second the number killed,
and the third the number injured Sep
tember, 1872, II, "a, 104; October, 30,
90, 102; November, 103, 81, ia; Decem-
ber, 112, AZ, 1873; January, 1873, 17S, 40,
1879: February, 133, %, 1876: March, 1l2,
1S, 80; April, 101, %, 8S; May, 70, 10,
113; June, 80, u, 104; July, 80, 1S, 80;
August, $50, 63, 1856; total, 1890, 34l,
1,410.
This is frightful showing, but the
catalogue of disasters which occurred on
the railways of Great Britain during the
same period is much more extensive.
There is little difference in the running
distance of the railway systems of the
United States and Great Britain, but the
average speed is greater in the latter
country and the number of trains larger.
One peculiar kind of accidents happen
ing on American railways-that of teles-
eoping-is impossible in Great Britain
while from the popularity in that conn
try of the entrance to the car being upon
the sides instead of at the ends, there is n
much larger number of people injured
from falling under the wheels of trains
than in America. During the past year
there were killed upon the railroads Of
tho United Kingdom 1,145 persons,
while there we're 3,038 more or less in
jured. About half of both these num-
bers were servants of the railways, and
more than half of the entire number
suffered from their own carelessness or
misconduct. OF the employees, 563 were
killed from their own recklessness, GA
only from causes beyond their control.
OF the l, 1852 passengers injured, 1,247
suffered from causes beyond their con-
troll. OF the entire number killed, the
report estimates that more than two
hundred deliberately chose that method
of committing suicide. OF the direct
causes of all the reported casualties,
217 are ascribed to broken rails; collis-
ions with other trains, 152; broken
axles, 162; and running over obstruc-
tions, 115. It is a curious fact that only
one life has been lost through the break
ing of axles, and but ten from running
over or against distractions, almost the
entire damage to property and life re-
sulting from collisions.
With these results before them, and
a certain knowledge of the causes to
which the disasters upon their various
roads are attributed, it would certainly
seem as if the corporations of both
countries could put preventive meas
ures in force that would reduce the list
at least 80 per cent the. coming year.
OF course they have no jurisdiction or
influence over cases of personal care
lessness, but for all other causes they
are directly responsible and should be
made to understand it.