Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1897-05-05
ANNUAL r.. r.. SLAUGHTER.
More Than 1900 Persons Killed
and wounded In New Jersey
Last Year.

The railroads of New Jersey are SO
numerous, so active and SO compact
that there goes down under the wheels a
great number of people each year. Many
go to quick death, others survive as
ply ysical wrecks.
The official figures reported by the
railroads and just tabulated by the
State Comptroller are now available.
The report shows that there were killed
and injured 1869 persons, or more peO-
pie than live now in the village of
Tenafiy, in Bergen county, and the last
census gives that place 1882 souls. The
injured, placed in one locality, would
make greater population than is now
in Midland Park, which has 1854 resi-
dents, while the dead is a greater number
of people than those who live in Holly
Beach, which is accredited in the census
report with 80.
New Jersey has 130 railroads, with
1851 miles of trackage. Some of these
are important roads, having their ter
mini in the State. There is more track
age and railroad property in this State
to the area covered than in any other.
There are more killed and injured to
the population, and the report just sub
mitted shows the largest number yet
recorded. 1t is CHASTITY record of 323
killed outright and 1916 injured in
variour ways, making q total of 1869
killed and injured. 1t is even worse than
this, because not all the accidents are
reported. The law compels the roans -
report accidents, but there is no penai'S
for not doing SO. oncrtz-
Some railroads classify tt9e,r rsPo, =,
showing how the accidents occurred
The coupler continues to be as deadly as
ever, as 342 were injured and "a killed
while in the act of coupling cars. The
railroads point out that many OF the
injured were not using the coupling stick
at the time of the accident, 1T being
generally believed that when the coupling
stick is used that the dangers is les
sened.
There were 242 people killed while
walking or crossing the track, while All
were injured in this way. The greater
part of this large number are employees.
The report of 1896 is heavier because
of the frightful accident last summer at
the Atlantic City meadows, when 30
many were killed and injured.
In the way of comparison, in 1891
there were 27S killed and 1440 injured,
making total of 171S. In 1896 the kill
ed were 295 and the injured liza.
The Pennsylvania Railroad has four
tracks from Jersey City to Philadelphia.
1t is the favorate route for tramps and
the unfortunates who journey from
place to place, searching for work.
Hundreds ride each day on the freight
trains and the number killed on the
tracks is large. Last year there were
sixty-seven killed and forty-five injured
on the Pennsylvania while walking on
the track, seven killed and fiftE-eiphtt' :
injured getting on and off the trains,
nine killed coupling cars, and $50 in
jured, thirteen killed and seventy-three
injured by other causes, making a total
of ninety-six killed and 326 injured.
The Delaware and Bound Brook Rail-
road, which is part of the Philadelphia
& Reading system between Jersey City
and Philadelphia, and which extends
from Bound Brook to the Delaware
Bridge, has only three killed and twenty
eight injured,
The Easton & Amboy Railroad, part
of the Lehigh Valley System, had eight
cen killed and fifty mine injured.
The Atlantic City Railroad, operated
by the Philadelphia & Reading between
Philadelphia and Atlantic City, is forced,
by reason of the terrible accident on the
Atlantic City meadows last summer, to
put out very startling report. The
number is forty-nine killed and 214 in
jured.
The Belvidere- Delaware Railroad re-
ports six killed and eleven injured,
The West Jersey and Seashore, which
participated in the collision on the At
lantic City meadows, and which reports
the same list killed and injured, reports,
twelve killed and six injured outside of
that accident.