The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-12-22
RAILROADS AND RAILWAYS
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE
 RAILROAD COMMISSION,

Total Capital Stock of Companies-NIiles of TraCk-Earnings-E -Expenses-Taxes Paid the state-Number of Ties and Tons ofTrack Laid-Number of Employees.
 Hartford, Con-, Dec. 20, 1896 The Railroad Commissioners have submit ted to Gov. Coffin the forty-fourth an- nual report of that Board, being for the year 1896, with the reports of the steam railroads for the year ending June 30th, and of the street railways for the year ending September 30, 1896
 Of the accidents during the year end ing June 30th, the report says:
 So far as passengers are concerned the accident record for the ye4r is very nearly as satisfactory as the phenom- enal record of two years ago. Only two passengers received any injury, and that not great, except through their own fault, the two who were killed in get ting on Cor off) moving trains, and ten out of the twelve not fatally injured suffered through their own negligence.
 There was also a slight falling off in the number of employees injured; the total number having been 254, or six per cent less than the preceding year, but the injuries received resulted fla tally in 37 cases, an increase of 23.3 per cent The injured were classified as fol- lows: trainmen, 173; switchmen, gate men, and flagmen,22; and in the other various employments, 59. The number of trainmen killed was IS, with switchmen and 16 others. Of the trainmen 73 received their injuries while coupling or uncoupling engines or cars, of which died of their dnju- ries; A fell from trains, of them, or 1918 per cent, being killed; Il were fn- struck by overhead structures, of them being killed; il were Injured in collisions, one of them fatally; one was hurt in a derailment; In other train accidents; and "A in various other ways, of them fatally Of the P switchmen injured IA received their in- juries while coupling or uncoupling, being killed; fell from engines; one was struck by an overhead structure; and were otherwise injured, of them fatally Of the 59 other employees in- jured 2 fell from trains and 57 were in- jured in a variety of ways; the injuries to 16 of them resulted in death. Of the injuries to employees, 34.25 per cent. were incurred in coupling or uncoup- ling, the per cent so injured being practically the same as the preceding year. Another year will show whether the act of congress, in regard to coup lers and bars, will secure the hoped-for exemption from injuries of this character.
 We have before referred to the fact that the number of trespassers injured seems to be somewhat in proportion to the number of unemployed; that num- Der was greater the past year than the year immediately preceding, and the number of trespassers injured in creased from 15O to 1855, while the pro- portion killed, always large, was even greater than usual, amounting to 95, or 57.57 per cent.
 Of those injured, not chased either as passengers employees or trespassers, the number injured was 21, which was IA less than the previous year. Of this numDer ID lOSt unelE lives.
 At the highway crossings in the state there were injured 27 persons, or four less than the preceding year. Of the whole number, Il died from their in juries. It is fact. the satisfactory ex- plantation of which is not quite appa- rent, that, notwithstanding the elimi- nation of so many of the more danger ous crossings and the protection provi- ded at so many others, the injuries at these grade crossings are not material 1y less than ten years ago, and many more than those reported twenty years since The average for the last ten years has been 291, of which 147 proved fatal, while during the ten years previous the average was 124, and during the first half of that period only S2 Twenty years ago there were 1907 crossings of highways reported in the state, of which 1,105 were at grade, only 63 of them being protected by gates, f1agmen or signals. The last re- port gives total of HAS crossings of highways, or an increase of Al. It is, however, probable that this apparent increase is in part due to more accurate returns The number of grade cross 1ngS mas, however, ueCredSeu 70, amounting to 1,O30, of which ITO are protected either by gates, flagmen or signal bells. There are also 219 cross ings under the tracks, and 199 which are carried over. With the lessened number of grade crossings and the in- creased number of the more dangerous ones protected, it does not seem that the increase in population and travel on the highways sufficiently accounts for the large number of accidents at the grade crossings. We believe that the rush and hurry of the times has be- gotten greater carelessness, especially on the part of those most frequently using the crossings.
 The following is a summary of the financial statement of the report:
 Total capital stock of com
 panies reporting ........ $1O0, 726. .263. .3S Total funded debt..... 43, 660 100000 Total current liabilities. 12,600, ,63773 Total miles of single track,
 including sidings and
 trackage rights. 4,23O47 Total miles of single track,
 excluding sidings and
 trackage rights. 3,076,15 Total miles of road opera
 ted 2,34O.75 Gross earnings. ......... 36. 746, 531 21