The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-11-18
NOTES AND COMMENT.
SOME IDEA OF THE MAGNITUDE OF
RAILROAD OPERATIONS.

The Cost in Human Lives Is Also Great,
The Splendid New Trains of the Central
Hudson Road-A Remarkable Murderer
Lieut.. Peary's EsquimauS.
The party of Esquimaux which Lieut.
Peary brought here from their Arctic
homes, have all been taken i'll and the
doctors have had hard work to save
them from pneumonia. SO long as they
were permitted to occupy the damp
cold basement of the Museum of Nat
ural History in New York, and to lie
ON the cold stones about the door way
they found life endurable But when
the steam heat was turned on, and the
place was made comfortable for ordf.
nary mortals, their troubles began, and
in few days they were all sent to
hospital to receive the most skillful
treatment possible.
1t is evident that the transportation
question IS to play a very important
part in the future legislation of the
country. The railroads are complain
ing of the extremely low rate at which
they are compelled to transport freight,
Jut stactition has figured out that we
gay the different transportation lines
$500, 100000 a year, which, he says
means that out of an average annual
income of $500 year, every head of a
family pay $50 for freight alone. But
perhaps some one will observe that
the American people do not, by any
means, pay the freight earnings of the
country. There is an enormous ship
Inent 10 foreign coutries of products
which have been freighted thousands
10 lN,,4
freight charges are ultimately paid by
the consumers in those foreign coun-
tries, and thus some millions of dol
lars comes here to furnish employment
for our' people. The number of men
employed by the railroads alone is S26
620, which is an army larger than any
but o very few generals every COM
manded. The capital invested exceeds
ten billions and the fonded Indebted
ness Is more than half that amount
Five hudred and twelve millions of
passengers have been carried on tho
railroads during the past year and
nearly 100000 of tons of freight.
The 81. lie of the story is found in
che fac t to operate the roads no
less than 1861 employees were killed
and 29,969 were injured. These figures
indicate an alarming increase in the
number of of persons killed and injur-
ed, and call for an immediate remedy
to be applied. The number of persons
other than employees and passengers
killed was 4,406 and the number injur-
ed 5,Si5. These include trespassers, of
whom 3,SI1 were killed and 4,46S were
injured. The number of passengers
carried for one passenger killed was p
S27 ,474 and the number of passengers
injured was 17S,1S2. For every 444 mer
employed on railways one was killed
and for every 2S men employed one was
injured. Of trainmen one out Of each
152 was killed and one out of each ten
was injured.
All these and other interesting sta
tistics have been furnished by the inter
state commission and they throw
food of light upon the great transpor.
tation problem.
Speaking of the railroads reminds us
of the new Lake Shore limited train
of the Central-Hudson road which has
just been put on, and which is un-
doubtedly the finest train in the world
1t is composed of seven Wagner
cars and is complete in every de-
tail supposed to insure comfort to trav-
elers. The furnishings are magnif-
cent, and the train in its entirity is the
handsomest running in the world to-
day. The Ameer, buffet smoking car
is composed OF main smoking room
and private smoking room; also buffet
for serving cigars and wines; barber
shop; bath room and baggage compart.
ment. The main smoking room is fin
ished in Crcassian walnut. richly
carved, having bookcase at one end.
The private smoking room is entirely
Of mahogany. The ceilings are finish
ed in Pierre Cartan. The barber shop
and bath room are entirely Of mahog-