The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-12-08
RAILROAD ACCIDENTS.
Their Commercial Aspects-Dead Men
Cost Less than Injured Ones.

Cost Less than Injured Ones.
Railroad accidents have, in the eyes O
stock spectators, merely q commercial as
pect. When the terrible calamity ON the
st. Paul was learned of Wall street wanted ia
know how many cars had been wrecked, how
many lives had been lost, but especially
how many people had been injured. The
especial stress laid on this last would not be
understood by the ordinary lay brother who
is outside of Il railroad Office, unconnected
with a law office, and who is not stock
brokerage expert. The passenger who is
Killed III railroad smash up costs the rail-
road company just $1,000 This is settled
law Decision after decision has been made,
and legal fight has followed legal fight until
1t is now accepted by litigants of all sorts
that 80, 900 can be collected as damages for
the death OF n relative, and no more. But
while the courts have argued that for the
protection of railroads damages for death
shall be limited, by one of those unaccount-
able inequalities OF which the law is full no
limit has ever been set on the sum that a
passenger can sue Tor who has received sim
ply an injury. And so a broken leg may
cost railroad corporation $50, 900; q
broken arm, 100000; but the children
can only collect 50, 900 for the loss of their
father; the widow can get no more for the
loss OF her husband. Dead lawyers count
40 more than tramps; dead millionaires
bring after railroad wreck $1,000; dead
iabofers cost the railroad last as much. II
millionaire, however, escapes alive from
smash up, he can probably get for his
broken arm $25, 200, while the laborer who
escapes alive gets only $500 for his. This
Is law. Wall street is on to 1t, and really
expressed itself as gratihed the other day to
learn that in the terrible wreck at Rio all
had been killed; none injured.
The most frightful railroad accident that
aver occurred in the West was within ten
miles of Chicago, and right out on the
rrairie where there was no excuse for it. II
las thirty years ago, when the Michigan
Central and Michigan Southern were fight
Ing each other, both at this erl and in the
East. They crossed at right angles Mt
Grand Crossing There had been n big
light when one laid its rails across the
others. Whenever two engineers passed
DOWN there they glared at each other.
Trains used to race for the right of way,
and there was the most utter recklessness.
Michigan Southern train, loaded down
Will enigrants, was approaching Chicago
along one line and Michigan Central was
racirg along the other. The former got
there first and was half way across
when the Michigan Central engine plunged
right into the centre of the train load of
human freight There had never been such
a sacrifice of life by railroad accident be-
fore. Men aud women and babies wer,
ripped and torn and burned. II was thi,
massacre that created the law compelling all
engineers to come to dead halt nj all
crossings.
The Ashtabula accident is said to hay.
cost the Lake Shore 81 ,000, 900, paid out to
the families of the dead and TO the sufferers
from wounds. 1t made millionaire Amasa
St..,4. 90. nm Ia 49, i.i.s -. T..
his bath tub, 1t was his bridge ut Ashta-
through, aud engineers declared that the
pattern WIS bad.
In 1880 Capt. Prindiyille left Detroit in a
Canada Southern train for Chicago. just
the other side of the Welland Canal a
broken rail caused the engine to plunge of
the track and to upset. Every car in that
train went over on its side, some of them on
their backs. Not passenger was injured
The Captain says that it was the most com
| plete wreck he ever saw, and that it wai
marvellous that no one was killed. An
agent of the company came rushing along
In a few hours in especial" with an at.
torney. Instantly, the Captain says, the
whole train load of people who had been
returning thanks to God were taken with
spinal difficulties and all kinds of horrid
injuries. of one sort or another. He de
tected a young fellow who had sat next t.
aim, and who had laughingly been con.
graduating himself on his escape, blackinp
his eyes with mud. The railroad agen
wrote check for 300 for that sly young
man on the spot. The others got checks II
proportion. Chicago Mail