The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1894-01-30
BRITISH RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.
Creditable Record of the United
Kingdom IN the Matter Of Casu-
alties on the Rail

SreuitHuie rSecoTu VI tho ShsoN
Kingdom in the Matter of casu-
alties on the Rail.
During the whole of last year
there we're but twenty-one passen-
gers and niue employees, thirty per-
sons in all, killed in railway accidents
in Great Britain and Ireland-in col
lisions, derailments, and accidents
Of a similar nature beyond the con-
troll OF the victims. Nearly nine hum
bred millions of passengers were
carried during that period. Three
accidents were responsible for seven
teen of the deaths of passengers,
those at Tbirsk, Bishopsgate, and
Esholt, so that aside from these
exceptional cases, only four passen-
gers out of all the enormous num-
bers carried by the railways were
killed through causes entirely be.
yond their own control. The record
for the previous year, 1891, is still
better, for only five passengers OF
all the millions carried and fif-
teen employees we're killed in such
railway accidents in the United
Kingdom. Indeed, in two years only
since 1884 has the number OF fatal
tiles to passengers been greater than
last year, aud in each case the large
increase was due to one or two great
disasters. The Armagh accident, for
instance, ran the death roll OF 1889
up from eight to lightweight, three
accidents in all being responsible for
the death record Of that year. The
( Tay Bridge disaster made the mum
Der OF passenger deaths in 1879
seventy.iive instead of two. In only
three or four accidents a year, per
haps, have passengers been killed on
railways in the United Kingdom
, through causes for which they were
in no way responsible. Ranking first
among the countries Of the world in
the number of passengers carried,
though third in the amount Of mile
age, these figures seem to sustain
the claim made for the railway sys-
tenn Of the United Kingdom, that il
is the safest service in the world.
The fur her claim, equally impor-
tant il comparisons involving the
question Of efficiency are to be insti-
tuted, that il is also the best service
in the world may he successfully
disputed by perhaps only one coun-
try, our own.
In Great Britain during last year
there were GOl passengers aud nine
ty-two employees injured in acct
dents Of the nature described. There
were twenty eight collisions between
passenger trains, or parts Of passen.
ger trains, by which eleven passen.
gers and two employees were killed
and 226 passengers aud 10 employees
were injured; forty-three collisions
between passenger aud freight trains,
by which nine passengers and one
employee we're killed, and 1913 pas
sengcrs and twcnty.four employees
injured, and thirteen collisions be.
tween freight trains. The other
casualties were occasioned by trains
leaving the track, running in the
wrong direction through misplaced
switches, running into stations ut
too great speed, aud accidents "a
machinery couplings, axles, and roll
ing stock.
BY other aud general accident.
connected with railways, through
causes tn which the victims contri
buted in some degree, there were lOs
passengers killed aud 969 I'M ured il
the United Kingdom during tn,
year. Thirty-one were killed ant
eighty-seven injured by falling be
, tween the ears and the station
platforms while boarding or alight
ing from trains. Twenty eight wsr,
killed and ten injured while crossin,
the tracks at stations. Other acct
, dents arose from all sorts Of mino
, causes. OF persons other than pas
sengers or employees there were ~
4 killed ON the railways during lS9:
. Seventy-seven persons were kille,
and twenty.one injured at grad
), crossings. 25S persons were kille,
and III injured while trespassing oI
= the railway, aud eighty-nine person
: committed suicide on railways. Fiy
y hundred and twenty five railwa.
: employees were killed and 2s23 in
u jureu during the year through othe
4 causes than collisions and accident
$ coming under the head first rcferre
/ to. There are over 100000 person
= employed on railways in the unite'
l. Kingdom, so that the proportion @
o fatalities is something like one i
= 700. Altogether there were lib
persons killed and 1885 injured o
railways in the United Kingdom i
1892.
On railways in the United State
during the ten months Of the pre-
ent year 2GO persons were killed an
81 injured by accidents to train
O collisions, derailments, aud the lik
N In 1891 $50 persons were thus kille
" and 1855 injured; in 1890 the recor
4 under this head was SO6 killed an
At 2Sl2 injured. Altogether there wei
Ar $685. persons killed and 29,O27 il
a. jured on railways in the Unite
I'd States during the year ending Jun
II 81, 1880; 1923 killed aud 26,3O9 il
II jured during 1889, and 52S2 kille
Il and 25,sss injured in the YET
1883. The percentage OF deaf |
among railway employees is twi'
t. a. high in the United Stat,
as in Great Britain and Irslau