The morning call., 1893-12-16
RAILROAD ACCIDENTS.

In the last mum Der of the North Anler'i-
can ReUiew Mr. II. G. Front Institutes
some comparisons between American and
English railroads. He notes, for instance,
that the average annual Dumbe of deaths
by accident on English railways during the
last five years was %. while ii was 15S on
American railroads. AS there are about
nine times as many miles of railroad in
the United States as there are in Great
Britain the comparison is in favor of this
country; if we killed as many people to
the mile as they do in England the mortal
ity would foot up not 15S, but 252.
Mr.. Front advocates the Grimm al prose-
cution of railroad officials who are found
guilty of negligence in connection with ac-
cidents. He would throw on the State a
duty which is now exclusively discharged
by the injured or their families. This
would be a good idea, but it may be a
question whether il would insure greater
precautions. ln many of the States Dis
trict Attorneys would not display super
fuous zeal in prosecuting powerful and
wealthy corporations. Many indictments
would be apt to be pigeonholed. Under
the present system when an accident oc-
ours victims are beset by agents of the
corporations with offers of settlement al
most as soon as they recover conscious
ness. The other day there was an acct
dent on Missouri road. A San Francisco
gentleman happened to be on board and
was good deal shaken up, especially as
he was asleep when the accident occurred.
When be pulled himself together railroad
official shook a roll of bills in his face and
asked. Now, you, how much do you
want?"
Railroad companies often escape their
full deserts by wearing out the patience of
suitors for damages. A railroad appeals
cases which it loses and avails itself of all
the technicalites of the law 70 put off lti-
giants. All the same. an accident involv-
ing loss Of life or injury 10 limb is a
serious thing for railroad company and
makes a hole in its net receipts. Old
people remember the terrible AshtabuIa
disaster. when two or three cars full of
immigrants were dumped into a creek in
Ohio. The Michigan Southern, on whose
line the disaster occurred, employed an
army of lawyers and resOrted to eyery
legal device to defeat the claims of the
injured; for doing which il was roundly
abused by the press. Next year II turned
out that the cost of the accident had nearly
baDkrupted he company.
Companies have the strongest kind of
incentive to take precaution against acct
dents. When they kill or MAIN a traveller
they are sure sooner or later to be made to
pay. and pay rOundly; 1uries are often
liberal with corporation funds. 1t seems
doubtful whether new legal remedies
would lead to more care. Our railroad
service might be improved if We adopted
the stringent rules which are enforced on
the continent OF Europe and at New York
at the depOts of the Elevated Railroad and
at the Grand Central depot Here people
Jump on the cars when they are in motion
and jump off; they stand on the platform
when the train is travelling at the rate of
thirty miles an hour. The happy-go-
lucky fashions of the passengers are con-
tagious and spread to the employees; and
hence accidents happen. If all parties
were taught the lesson that It Is a serious
thing TO endanger human life, and that
negligence in a business of such peril is in
the highest degree criminal, as 1t is In
France, perhaps the list of casualties on
railroads mig he raducoa