, 1885-04-29
DANGERS OF STAIR CLIMBING.
Evils Resulting from Frantic Haste to
Catch Elevated Trains.
New York Sum-

Evils Resulting from Frantic Haste to
Catch Elevated Trains.
New York Sum-
The physicians of this city say that
many complaints of sickness have their
origin in hurried ascensions Of the stairs
to the elevated railroad stations. In
the upper part of the Ninth avenue and
Second avenue lines some of the station
platforms are sixty feet above the street
level, and the. climb is n serious matter
to delicate women and corpulent per-
sons. One physician says that the large
amount OF stair climbing at the elevated
stations and in tall tenements has
greatly increased the list of sufferer
from diseases to which women are liza
Bile. Saleswomen and operatives who
are much on their feet, are particularly
liable to evil effects from the excessive
effort Of climbing to the stations in a
hurry.
Another physician says he has fire.
quent occasion to warn business men
and professional men, especially those
whose vocation Is sedentary, of the dan
ger of rushing upstairs at the top Of
their speed when trying to catch q train.
A man may thus expend an amount Of
vitality so great as to interfere with his
efficiency for the day, to say nothing of
the special danger to individuals who
have a tendency to heart troubles, apo
plexy and other diseases. He added:
THE other day an experiment was
made at the ~Forty-second street station.
A man who weighed 100 pounds, ascend
ing the stairs at an ordinary pace, raised
that weight 2Ss inches in thirty-four
seconds. This required an expendi-
ture of force equal to about nc-
fifth of n one horse power engine.
II he had gone up in half the
timo he would have put forth two-ffths
of the energy of one horse power. | have
no doubt that plenty of people go up
that flight in ten seconds. The rate at
which the man climbed the stairs called
for an expenditure of force equal to that
used in running at the rate of nearly
six miles an hour. A man who should
run up the stairs in ten seconds could
as easily squirt at the rate of eighteen
miles an hour. 1t is no wonder that
delicate women and heavy men ON
plain, and even strong persons puff
over catching trains. In the excite
ment they do not know how much they
over-tax themselves until they sit in the
car, or later, when exhaustion OF more
serious results develop.
A professional athlete said yesterday
that there is a knack in climbing stairs
easily. To throw the body forward,
bending at the hips, more than doubles
the work. The weight of the body is a
load that the muscles Of the legs and
loins must carry, and they can carry it
easiest il the center of gravity is kept
directly above them. Bending forward
imposes on the muscles of the trunk the
unnecessary task of holding the load
from pitching forward. This is like
carrying a load at arms length, instead
of on the shoulder or on the head, as
many Europeans carry burdens. Ath-
letes lift m weights by bringing
the strain on the pelvic arch and legs,
keeping their backs straight.
The gentleman gives this advice to
stair climbers: do not lean forward.
DO not hurry. Do not spring from stair
to stair. Step firmly, leisurely and
keen erect