Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-03-25
Railroad Accidents.

Ii the llibItual newspaper reader would
take the trouble to mark in each davis ma
per the dispatches and local accounts rela-
tive to railway accidents and add them
up at the end of the month or quarter. he
lie would be beyond measure surprised, if.
indeed. he We're not beyond experiencing
that feeling. The eye, in running over the
columns OF newspaper. gets so accustom-
ell to the ever-present heading Rail-
road Casualty" that, without the results
| are something extraordinary in the way
OF destruction of life or property. the para
graph leaves little impression 4 Late
number of the Ra lroad Gazette saws 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
malming or inlnring of one hundred and
! thir y-iive more. Nineteen of these acci-
dents resulted fatally. thirty resulted in in
luries alone. the remainder being deStruc-
tive only to property. On six days of the
month there were eight, nine and ten ac-
cidents daily. the l4th being the only day
of the month free from casualties of some
sort. Of the numerous causes assigned,
the rarelessnesS of railroad employees is
said by the Boards of Investigation to be
the most frequent. We give the following
/ statement, that the extent of the aggre-
| gate disasters may be seen ut a glance,
I the first number following the date being
the number of accidents during the month
the second the number killed, and the
I third the number injured: September, 1872,
Al, "a, 10i; October, 90, %, l02; Novem-
ber. l03, 81, Ia; December. ll2. A, 1873;
January, 1873. 17S, 40, 1879; February, l33,
-, l26; March. 112. Is. 90; April, 10l,
, IS; May. 20. 10. 1l3; June, 80, -,
/ l0f; July. 90. 1S 80; August. 105. 63,
/ l55: total, 1909. 3f1, 14l0.
/ This is a frighlful showing. but the cata-
/ logue 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 railroad systems of the United States
and Great Britain. but the average speed
+ i greater in the latter country and the
number of trains larger. One peculiar
kind of accident frequently happening on
American r;lilways-that of teleScoping-
Is impossible in Great Britain, while
from the popularity in that country of the
entrance to the car being upon the sides
instead of ut the ends. there is Il much
larger number of people injured from fall
ing under the wheels of trains than in
AliltIit-t billH8 liIt lGt>l htsiI llcIt
We're killed upon the railways of the Unit
eel Kingdom 1l45 persons. while there
We're 303S more or less injured. About
[ half of both these numbers We're servants
of the railways, and rather more than half
of the number suff red from their own
,;,releSsnrsS or misconduct. OF the em-
ploves. 56S were killed from their own
reckle>snrss. 64 only from causes beyond
their control. Of the 1862 passengers in
iured. 12i7 suffered from CAUSES bevond
their control. OF the entire number killed
he report estimates that more than two
hundred deliberately chose that method Of
committing suicide. OF the direct causes
nf all the reported casualties. 2l7 are as
cribcd to broken rails: collisions with 9TH
er trains, 1853; broken aNles, 162. and run
ming over obstructions, 1lj. 1t is Il curious
fact that only one life was lost through the
breaking of axles; and but ten from broken
rails and running over or against Ob>truc-
tipns-alm0>t the en- ire damage TO prop
crtv and life resulting from collisions.
With these results before them, and
certain knowledge of the causes to which
the disasters upon their various roads are
attributable. it would certainly seem as if
the corporations of both countries could put
preventive measures in force that would
reduce the list by ut least fifty per cent the
coming year OF course, they have no
jurisdiction or influence over cases of in
tlividutl careleSsneSS. but for all other
c. uses they are directly responsible and
should be made to understand it.-BoSton
Globe