The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-03-26
Railway Ruined by Accidents,

| movement.
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Railway Ruined by Accidents.
Ono of the most popular Of th,
suburban railroads carrying pas
sengcrs out of Now York durins
the summer season went into tho
hands of u receiver a few days
ago because there were pending
against it damage suits to tho
amount of 81 10000 arising from
an accident on Labor day-an &C.
cident in which q number Of peo.
plo were killed. Not one Of the
suits has yet come to trial, but
such is the closeness with which
railroad earnings and expenses are
computed that the net earnings for
many years to come would ho
hopelessly cngulfed if only part
of tho suits came to trial and if
only q fraction of the damages
claimed was recovered in court.
Whom ono reads Of a 'torrlblo
railroad accident'on some railroad
llnc, an accident ontailing loss Of
lifo and perhaps serious injury to
many, the circumstances is lost
sight Of that ,aftcr tho doctors and
nurses have begun their work of
skill or philanthropy, tho"o come
tho lawyers whose clients arc to he
settled with either cash compro-
misc OF as the result OF a iury's de-
clsjon, and juriHs, it IS well known,
are hardly ever partial to railroad
companies when private lndlvld-
uals are SUNG for injuries SUSTAIN
ed or for the loss of immediate
relatives. 1t is for this reason that
q very serious accident sometimes
means tho wrcckagc OF the finnn-
ccs Ct Il railroad company. A fow
minutes neglect, rcck lcssnGss or
imprHdcnco may cost, in subsc-
Qucnt financial damage, years Of
| labor.
Among railroad men tho case of
| tho Toledo, Peoria and Western is
a familiar one. In August, 1887,
there was an accident at Chats
worth, ILL.,, on the line, in which
100 persons were killed, and the
litigation resulting thercfrom has
kept the company in tke courts
ever since. The Monon road, run
ming from Chicago to Louisville, is
another suffer in its finances from
an accident along tho line, and tho
Ashtabula,acc along the Lake
Shore railroad some years ago in
volvcd that railroad in many
thousand dollars of loss. Rail
roads have no reserve fund tt
meet the losses sustained through
damage suits from accidents. /
contrary opinion prevails, ospe
cially among htigants and jurors
who soem to act on the genera
proposition that railroad corpora
tons keep on hand large sun
for such contingencies as an occn
sional accident costing anywher
from $4,000 to $5O0,OO0.
Tho amount Of money paid i
settlement of damage suits b
American railroads cannot be con
puted with any positlveness be
cause it varies considerably frol
ycar to year, while the conditio
accidents involving loss Of life {
serious bodily injury arc rarC
when roads arc in poor condition
such accidents ar0 frequent. IN
large systems of the country, sue
as the Now York Central, tho Oh
cago, Milmaukeo and ST. Paul, tt
Illinois Central and tho Southol
Pacilic,spe on an average in tt
! settlement of damage suits abo
Q $15O,OO0 each, and tho small
o railway companies bring up pro
ably, the total amount paid
about 100000 in all.
j. Although the American railroa
70 carry collectively in Il year 6O(
Z 100000 passengers, tho number
w. fatal accidents averages but abo
- 5000, and of injuries to passenge
- about 5000, or one killed for eve
II 1000, 900 carried, and ono lniur
for evory 100000. Ono of t
amendments to tho present Nc
York State Constitution adopt
q, in 1894 (soction IS of article
% did with the statuary power of I
- Legislature to limit verdict
20 damages for injuries resulting
ia death" to $5,OOO.-New York Su
n. -------- - 20
The poriSinn witS ara roviv;