The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-04

KILLED ON THE RAIL
The Deadly Car Coupler
Does Fearful Destruc-
ton In This State.
WORSE THIS YEAR THAN LAST.
On ALAG Miles of Track LIZ
People We're Injured and
279 Lives We're snuffed
WORSE THIS YEAR THAN LAST.
Out.
snecia1 to the Jersey cttu Nsus.

Special to the JefScy CttH iNehS'
TRENTON, Aug. 8, 1s94.-The deadly coup
er has been getting in its work on the rail-
road employees in New Jersey. TIL reports
OF the railroads that are annually made 10
the State Comptroller show that there were
enough men stricken down during last year
to have populated a good sized country vii
lage.
There are in New Jersey 4, l46 miles of rail
road track, the better part of it being IN the
most populated sections, and in consequence
accidents are numerous.
The law compels railroad companies in
their reports to give an account of all acci-
dents. and while the law is not always car
ried out to the letter, there is no means of
enforcing it and compelling the railroads to
make full and extended reports While
some railroads report all accidents, they do
not do it in a classified form, so that it APP
pears on sight just how many people the
cowcatcher cuts down. The statistical phase
of these reports must be worked OUT WIN
paper and pencil.
Comptroller Hancock did not prepare n
tabulated statement, but an examination of
the various reports showed that the main
cause of injury and death on railroads have
been the coupler and the striking down OF
men Wllle 81 WOTk On Xxx lnSAc. AAOA
have been quite a number of accidents caused
by getting on and off trains while in motion,
and a notable increase in the number of
people injured and killed while driving
across tracks in front of trains.
KILLED
The reports show that there were injured
on the railroads LIS people, and of that
number 27S were killed. Two-thirds of these
were railroad employees. This is a notable
increase over the lumber injured and killed
during the twelve months previous, or, more
properly speaking. during the latter part OF
1899 and the first six months OF 1898, when
95S people were injured and 240 persons
killed.
The total number injured during the year
by the coupler was 500, and the number
killed II. This is a less number than was
reported as being injured and killed in the
same way for the previous year, when the
number injured was $40 and II killed. The
number injured walking on the track was 102
killed 46. The number at work on the trains
was 1877, killed 30. There were many others
In iured and killed from causes too numerous
for classification.
UNITED FATALITIES.
The United Railroad of New Jersey, which
has 5I3 miles Of railway in the State, killed
1Ol people and injured 461. On the New
York division there were 80 persons injured
walking on the tracks, 30 injured getting on
and of cars, 10 injured crossing tracks and
Is killed. On the entire division ~ were ia
iured coupling cars.
Nalking on the tracks causes considerable
loss of life on the New York division, owing
te the number of men that tramp between
New York and Philadelphia. Fifteen fatal
ties are reported from this cause alone.
There has been a notable increase in the
number injured and killed while stealing
rides. While the railroad employees have
been mere dilIgent in preventing unfortunate
men from secreting themselves in empty box
cars or riding between coal cars, they have
not succeeded in breaking the practice up.
The hard times increase the number who
steal rides SO per cent, and this naturally
has a tendency TO increase the accidents.
The Central Railroad of New Jersey has
156 miles of railroad track in the State, and
makes an unusual strong showing OF ACCT
dents and deaths. There were 345 people
killed. The deadly coupler did its work Tor
Is employees, but none of hem were fatally
injured. In crossing tracks Is were injured
and 6 killed; walking tracks, IL injured, Ii
killed; working on trains, 9 injured, one
killed getting on and off cars, Is injured;
falling off cars, principally by persons steal
ing rides, Is injured and 5 killed.
The Delaware and Bound Brook Railway,
which is the Philadelphia extension of the
New Jersey Central, injured ffty-two peo-
pie and killed ten, which is an unusually
heavy list for this road, because in the pre-
vious year the number of injured and killed
were very small. There were injured coup
ling cars, six; crossing tracks, two; walking
tracks, two injured, three killed: working
on trains, four; getting on and off trains,
two: falling off trains, six injured and one
killed.
The Morris & Essex Railroad on its 119
miles of track injured 125 and killed thirty
seven. This is three more injured u seven
more killed than in previous reports. The
largest number of accidents were caused to
employees while coupling cars, twenty-five
being injured and three killed: three were
injured crossing tracks; three injured and
three killed walking tracks; five injured
walking on trains; three injured and one
killed getting on and off trains; eighteen IN
jured and five killed falling off cars.
THIS RoAD LUCKY.
The New ey.Southern Railroad. which
goes through the New Jersey pines and ira
verses the State from sandy Hook to the
Delaware Bay, only had fifteen injured and
one killed. Five persons were injured coup
hing cars.
Branch Railroad shows tlnrty-seven injured
and seven killed; five injured coupling cars;
three injured and two killed crossing tracks;
one injured walking on tracks; three injured
and one killed working OIL trains: one in
jured and three killed getting on and off
trains.
The Paterson and Hudson River Railroad
COnDaQY Qdu Ill IuJuISu anu tNChtJTbWO
killed. The number injured by coupling cars
was quite large, being forty; crossing tracks,
nine injured and nine killed; working on
trains, seventeen injured.
The Camden and Atlantic Railroad had
only three killed ana t~wenty-seven injured.
Only one injured by coupling cars.
The Jersey City and Bergen Railroad had
43 injured and 5 killed. Most of the in
jured were from getting on and off cars.
Atlantic City Railway Company injured
80 and killed 4. The deadly coupler in
jured 20. II.
The Belvidere and Delaware Railroad
Company. which is a ranch of the Pennsyl
yania Railroad, injured 80 and killed 5. The
largest numbe of those injured were II
coupling cars. One was fatal.
The Bergen County Railroad injured 10
and killed 3. Six of those injured were by
having limbs squeezed between the coup
lers. Two OF those killed were track walk
ers.
The Paterson and Ramapo Railroad had
3s injured and - killed. Five were killed
on the track and l while coupling ears.
Seven were also injured by the coupler.
The West Jersey Railroad injured % and
killed IA. Only 3 were injured while coup-
ling cars.
On the West Shore Railroad 81 were kill
ed and l injured. Eleven were injured by
the car coupler.
FREIGHT FLOAT SUNK
NEW York, Aug. 4, 1s94.-A freight float
NJ. NouI- Nouu Havon and Hartford