Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-14

| The great increase in electrical lines and
| the desire for higher rate of speed on the
| part of the railroads, believe, are RESPONSE
| BILE for this condition. Fifteen years agi-
| tation, supplemented In late years by leg
| islative action, can be put down as the direct
| cause of the lessening of the accident rate
| among employees.
| 1.-The reports that have come under my
| eyes recently from several of the eastern
| and western states are what base my state
| ments on. Take, for instance one of the
| largest states of the east the report from
| which Classics the killed and injured under
| three heads, as follows: Passengers EN-
ployes,' and other persons By other per-
| sens are meant trespassers suicides and
| persons killed at railway crossings. For the
| year 1898, so far reported, in that state alone
| l,:S3 persons were killed on the railroads, of
which only AT were employees and 20 were
| passengers. The disastrous record of 1898
| when 1902 unfortunates coming under the
| lead of other persons were killed. is
eclipsed this year. as 1,lO7 is the number of
fatalities reported in that class
Safety of Employees.
''The year 1893 will go down into history
| as terribly disastrous one for railroad en-
| pioyes but the almost general adoption of
| patent couplers, hand-rails and air brakes
has lessened the chances of death, and but
| AT were killed during 1895 in the state under
|
| Ter OF $50 were ushered into eternity, most
| favorable showing. all things considered
Nearly 5000 were injured in that year, while
| the number dropped to, few over 5000 in
| The great disparity between the num-
Der of passengers and employees killed and
| the number injured is not found to exist
oet"eeh the number OF other persons kill
| ed and the number injured. In the former
| case the proportion of Killed to injured is
ABOUT one to fifteen. while in the latter
It is is about one to two. This disparity is
| difficult to account for unless a solution
| is found In the, fatal grade crossing and in
| the iact that many persons seeking suicide
| adopt this method. A t ain going at the ra tie
OF Sixty or seventy miles an hour seldom
| fails to do effective work even when con-
| 1lohted by the finest or toughest specimens
| of humanity.
Last year, 1894, in the entire United
| states, 400 persons were killed, and $500
| injured, all of whom had nothing to do
| with railroads This year look for an ap-
| paifing Increase, the majority of victims
being furnished by. the deadly grade cross
| ing.
1.-THE report from the state of New Jersey
has not come in yet, but when it does it
will, 10 doubt furnish an interesting study.
Hardly week goes by without the papers
| telling of Embarrassing accident in that
state. And they are all fatal over there
| If you notice closely, as the trains are run
ming at the highest rate of speed when the
| catastrophe occurs.
Duc 10 hecklesSneSs.
'"Then, again. trolley cars have taken on
a fashion entirely their own of running
well until railroad tracks have to be cross
ed and then becoming stubborn. Imagine the
feelings of the passengers in that car that
recently became balky in front of an ex-
press train near Trenton, N. ]. The car
had plenty of time to go on about it's bust
ness, as the express was fully mile away
put when 1t became cranky and refused to
move the seconds became a minute in the
shortest of short order. A nervy engineer
and perfect train appliances were all that
saved a dozen lives
From advices received at headquarters
from different points, it appears that there
Is not as much good feeling existing as
there should be between the lookouts or
| watchmen at the railroad crossings and the
| motormen and gripmen of the city lines.
The rules are stringent, and in effect
that the signals of the Waterman must be
obeyed under all circumstances. This is
done to prevent collisions.
Some of the motor or gripmen at times
imagine that they are detained longer than
| they should be, that undue preference is
given to some of the other roads, and growl
and grumble, sound their gongs viciously
and vigorously, andseven cast imprecations
on the watchmen in charge. This causes
i'll feeling. 1t is reported that some of the
motormen actually take the bit in their
| mouths, so to speak, and move across the
tracks against the orders of the watchmen.
cause of Accidents.
''To my mind, a majority of the so-callad
| accidents on our railroads in the last six
months have not been caused by the fail
ure of rolling stock, bridges roadbed or
general equipment to stand the strain put
upon them, but to the terrible careless
ness of employees in places of great
sponsibility. The accident in Jersey City
recently reported to us was caused by the
reckless disobedience of plain orders on
he off in sh.rp Of no
train.
Apparently these officers readily took
the risk of continuing at the usual high
rate of speed where they had been directed
to stop, knowing that at any time they
| might strike trolley car at every street
crossing. 1t will be noted that they were
able to escape injury themselves by jump
ing off just before the accident that fol-
lowed occurred, when nearly a dozen persons
were killed. Had they been chained to their
positions it is a safe wager, that the accident
would not have occurred,
THE accident few days later out near
Pittsburg between a limited express and
trolley car could NOT have taken place if
those in charge Of the train had exercised
ordinary care and observed the funda-
mental rules of the service. These are
the latest additions to an appalling list of
blunders and instances OF reckless disobe-
dience which have caused great loss of life
since the beginning of last summer, and
the later collisions appear to be the worst
of all.
some Omeiai E1SureS.
From the returns made to the interstate
commerce commission, 1t appears that for
the year ending June 80. 1888 there was
one passenger killed for nearly two million
carried and for the year ending June so,
1894, one passenger was killed for only
about million and a half carried. There
were for each passenger injured nearly
two hundred thousand carried. Among the
employees during the year ending June 80,
1923, there was one killed to 800 employed
and for the year ending June 80 1894 one
killed to 42s employed From reports so
Tar received for 1895, indications point to
the most favorable results of improved
train equipment the average of en-
plcyes killed will be about one in 600
The significant fact connected with the
figures l have given is that the course of
the general business depression prevailing
at the close of 1894 and beginning of 1895
is well and clearly defined in the number
of accidents. 1t may be said that one of
the few good things which come from hard
times is found in the reduced number of
accidents among passengers and railway