The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-21
THE CASH VALUE
OF A MANS LIFE
According to Railroad, Insurance and
Supreme Court Ideas.
COST TO RAILWAYS OF ACCIDENTS
Fully s3,OOO,OOO n Year Paid in
Settlement of Damage suits-- The
Dead Passenger Cheaper as IA Rule
Than the One Who Is Badly Mutt
Inf

The statement that every man has
his price Is badly behind the times,
in the opinion of the Washington Star.
1t Is in great need of remodeling, to
suit the ideas and customs of the pres
ent. it should read: Every man has
several prices" for he possesses, as
noted humorist has said, several, If
not more"
There is his own price, the price at
which he values himself; the price at
which others value him; the price in
surance companies put him on, and the
price of the Supreme court holds is
sufficient for any human being i'm gen.
eral, and the man in question in partic-
ular. The mans valuation of himself
is a variable quantity, which jumps up
and down in such erratic style that il
must needs be left out. The valuation
CT railroads is the poorest. Next to a
general who has an important battle
to win the railroads of the country
sacrifice lives at the smallest possible
cost yet this cost has Driven several
roads into bankruptcy. Coal mining
is considered by many to be exceedingly
dangerous to human life, yet the ag-
gregate Of human beings killed on the
railroads far exceeds those lost under
ground.
Several of the eastern and western
states have on their statute books
law which once prevailed in Pennsyl-
vania, rating human life as worth at
the outside $1,000. Railroad companies
coming under their jurisdiction cannot
be compelled to pay more than that
sum for any life through the careless
ness and negligence of their manage
ment. The person killed may be the
father Cf a large family, and his in
dustry and ability may earn for the
SUPPORT of that family twice or trice
S5,OG0 yearly, yet if that man is killed
through the culpable mismanagement
Of railroad. the company is quits by
a single $1,000 payment and the or
Ihaned little ones must look elsewhere
for the support and substiuence thus
withdrawn.
DEATH IS CHEAPER.
If the passenger is mutilated, but
not quite killed, the railroad company
on whose road he was injured may be
compelled to pay any sum not obvious
ly unreasonable that n jury may assess.
1t often happens that in case of acci-
dent Il is for the interest of the railroad
CIHnpdly tHut llle injured passengers
die, thereby limiting the company's LA
bility to $1,000 in each case, rather than
that they should recover sufficiently
to sue for damages and be awarded
perhaps a much larger sum.
The bigger roads have sinking funds
for just such emergencies, but the
smaller roads generally have such a
struggle to meet fixed charges that a
reserve fund is not to be thought of.
The amount of money paid in settle
ment of damage suits by American
railroads cannot be computed with any
positiveness, because it varies consid-
erably from year to year. When roads
are in good condition, accidents inVolv-
ing loss Of life or serious bodily injury
are rare: when roads are in poor con-
dition, such accidents are frequent. The
large systems of the country spend on
an average in the settlement of damage
suits about $150,000 each, and the small
er railway companies bring up. probab-
ly, the total amount paid TO about
So, 10000 in all.
Although the American railrcaGs car
ry collectively in year SOC, 900, 900 pass
engers, the number of fatal accidents
average about 300, aid of injuries to
passengers about 3,OOO or one killed for
every 100000 carried, and one injured
for every 100000.