Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1892-03-03
wALHALLA. SOUTH CAROLINA, MARCH g. 1892.
Railroad Risks.

! The hazardous character of rail-
road traffic in this country is one Of
the, most striking facts set forth in
the report of Henry C. Adams, the
statistician Of the Interstate Com
merce Commission. He shows that
during the year ending June 80,
1890, the last year covered by his
statistics, the appalling number Of
1884 persons was killed, and 29,023
injured in railroad accidents of vari-
GUS kinds. And what is still worse,
he shows that this annual.sacrifice of
life and limb is on the increase. To
be sure, he points out that the num-
Der of passengers killed in 1890 was
only 2S6, which is decrease COM
pared with the 80 killed in 1889,
and 315 killed in 1888. But the
number of passengers injured during
this period has increased from 2,138
in 1888 to 2,146 in 1889 and 2,425 in
1890. The class that suffered most
severely at the hands Of the railroads
was their employees. With but two
exceptions, the casualties sustained
by them have increased in marked
degree. In 1883 the figures were
2,O7O killed and 2O,14S injured; in
1889 they were 1872 killed and
20,o2s injured, and in 1890 they
were 2,451 killed and 22,394 injured.
Another striking fact brought out by
Mr.. Adams statistics is that the
greatest number. of casualties nap
pened to.trainmen, that is, conduc-
tors, engineers and ,brakemen.
Although they constitute but 20 per
cent of the total number of en-
ployees, 5s per cent Of the total
number of casualties was sustained
by them. In other words, 1859 of
them were killed and 1912 injured.
But of the switchmen, fagmen and
watchmen, only 234 were killed and
2,3O7 injured; and of all other
employees, 731 were killed and
6,6S1 injured. Mr.. Adams presents
this fact still more graphically by
saying that passenger riding con-
tinuously on a train might expect
immunity from death for 15S years
an engineer or brakeman or con-
ductor could, however, expect immu-
nifty for only 35 years.
Mr.. Adams statistics disclose to
some extent the responsibility for
these railroad accidents. There is
no doubt that many of them were
due to the victims themselves. AL
those occurring at stations and high
way crossings cannot, for example,
be charged to the railroads, as many
people are careless-ausa reckless
enough 90 lump on and off trains in
motion: an1 to run or drive in from:
OF locomotives. During the year
covered by Mr.. Adams report 3S4
persons were killed and S14 injured
at stations, 402 were killed and 675
injured at crossings. The latter
class of accidents could probably
have been prevented in every case
by suitable guard by the railroads
or adequate caution on the part OF
the victims. The culpability of the
railroads in collisions and derailments
is usually much more direct and
indubitable. In collisions SO were
killed and COB injured, and in derail-
ments the killed were 40 and the
injured 712. The persons killed and
injured, not passengers or employees,
are divided by Mr.. Adams into the
/ trespassing, OF whom 1902 were
killed and 3,O42 injured, and the
non-trespass;ng, of whom 500 were
killed and 1,131 injured. OF the
casualties to passengers, A were
fatalities and 527 injuries in coils
ions; 80 were fatalities and 669
injuries in derailments, and AZ were
fatalities and 347 injuries at stations.
The majority of the casualties to
employees occurred in coupling and
sncoupling cars. Of this class, 1868
were fatalities and 7,S42 injuries.
But a greater number of employees.
or SCI, were killed by falling from
trains and locomotives; only 1858
were, however, injuries of this kind
AS to the protection of employees.
Mr.. Adams merely says that if train