The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-09-06
TROLLEY DEATHS.
A Medical View OF the Mortality From
Electric Lines and other Causes.

Electric Lines and Other Causes.
Chicago has been called the "most
blood guilty city on earth, y" because OF
the great number of lives annually lost
through railroad accidents. The Chi
cago commissioner of health reports, III
1894, 354 deaths from this cause, and
he blames the grade crossings" for the
mortality. In Philadelphia the num-
| Der of deaths from railroad accidents
recorded by the coroner in the year 1894
was 1885, in 1898 it was 216, and in
1899, 2O8. For the six months ending
July l, 1895, 100 cases are reported.
In Chicago nearly so additional fatal
railroad accidents were not recorded as
such, but were returned to the board of
health under the head of fracture of
the spine, =" surgical shock" etc.
Of the 354 fatal accidents occurring
in Chicago about 40 were from street
cars and the balance from steam rail
roads. Of the 1856 deaths in Philadel-
phia in 1894 81 were from street cars;
and for the six months of 1895 30
deaths on the coroner's books are
charged to the street railways, 1nclud-
ing the trolleys. Many Of the cases in
vestigated by the coroner occur among
the employees of the road and are in
cluded in these statistics. The city OF
Brooklyn has but 70 deaths from rail
road accidents recorded on its coroner S
books for the year 1894, and yet during
the late railroad strike in that city it's
surface trolley companies were accused
of great recklessness and gross disregard
for human life, and the coroner's clerk
in letter to us has limited his figures
| to the records in his Office.
Chicago has 5000 streets crossed at
grade by steam cars In Philadelphia
we have not quite so many grade cross
ings and yet several hundred more than
we ought to have. The trolleys have
added a considerable number of deaths
to the mortality list, but the grade
crossings continue to furnish the greater
number. While the trolley is deadly on
the one hand, it is on the other hand a
therapeutic agency Of no little value,
and must exercise beneficial influence
upon the life and health of the COM
munity. What was formerly only pos
sible to the wealthy-namely, a ride
into the country-can now be INDUCED
in by the poorest inhabitant. and what
can be more health giving, after the
hard work of hot day, than long ride
in an open Car out into the surrounding
country? The young people have trolley
excursions instead of dancing parties
The children of the poor districts are
taken ON an airing instead of sweltering
in hot rooms, and thousands are benefit
ed that never were before.
While we bemoan every unnecessary
death, and believe that every precau-
tion should be taken by the railroad
companies to prevent accidents, yet we
feel that the newspapers are more in
terested in the sensation created by
their records of trolley deaths than in
the real welfare of the people. If they
would as faithfully and as graphically
record each death from diphtheria, or
typhoid fever, or tuberculosis, deaths as
clearly preventable as trolley deaths,
and due largely to neglect on the part
of both the individual and the COM
munity, they would do a good that
would be wider reaching and that would
aid in materially lessening the mortal
ity rate of our city. Medical News