The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-12-06
TO GUARD AGAINST ACCIDENT.

Apropos Of an article that appeared in
The CALL recently touching on the care
taken by European railway Arrangements
to guard against accident, a San Francisco
gentleman who has spent many years
abroad related to the writer an amusing ex-
perence of his own.
He was in a small town in France, and
about TO take the train for Paris. After a
comfortable dinner he walked leisurely to
the station, bought his ticket and turned to
go aboard the train when he saw it was Just
starting. The gate was not yet closed, and
fastening his footsteps he ran through it
aud with spring had boarded the train by
the open door of baggage van. Hardly
had he started, however when half dozen
uniformed officials rushed after him, eX-
horting him with entreaties, threats, even
imprecations, to stop, but lie smiled upon
them from his station in the open door, and
blandly assured them he was ali right, think
ing their anxiety was on his account To
him came the conductor, exclaming with
Gallic impetuosity, my God, sir, what
nave you done?"
'Done?" replied the American; why,
I've got on 10 the train. Not in the usual
way, to be sure, but am here"
"But--but-d9 you not know you have
The conductor was actually CHASTITY with
fright. He then explained TO the thoroughly
repentant traveller that that fatal jump
would probably occasion the discharge of
every empleye at the station, from the
tratn-dl spatcher to the guard, and even of
the conductor himself, the duty of each and
every one OF them being to prevent any one
from boarding train after it was in mo-
ton. The traveller gave his name and ad-
dress, agreeing, II necessary, to see the
powers and take upon himself the blame of
| the occurrence; but it happened no spotter
was present at the time, and all hands being
equally guilty no one of them reported the
matter, and he heard nothing more from it.
| The fright OF the men, however. was evil
| IDENTIFY genuine, and, with such strong pres
| sure brought to bear upon all employees of
! the French roads TO guard against accident,
| 1t is not difficult to understand why there
are fewer casualties and less loss of life on
| European roads than on those in this
! country.
Contrast such system with that which
| prevails on the line Of the Southern Pacific
| in the city Of Oakland, for instance, where
| the very school children jump, unhindered,
| on ana oil the trains, and never a week
| passes without some sort of an accident in
consequences VI tht careless management
that prevails. The figures of statistics re-
garting the numbers annually killed and
! injured by railway accidents in this country
are appalling aud must continue to be so
until such time as the General Government
shall pass adequate laws requiring ali rail-
ways to adopt proper measures and appIi-
| ances for protecting the lives of the travel
| ing public aud of their own employees as well.
The need of measures to insure the safety
! Of the former is at once apparent to all who
travel. and the risks incurred by the latter
| may be inferred from the report by the H.
| teTstate Commerce Commission that there
| were 1872 railway employees killed in the
! performance of their duties during last year
| aud 2O,O2S Injured.