Hutchinson gazette., 1898-04-21
KILLED BY, RAILWAYS.
WRECKS AND ACCIDENTS ARE
NOT THE ONLY CAUSES.
John Davis Reviews President Rlpley's
Article on the Number of People
Killed by Wrecks and Accidents on
Railroads and reveals Overlooked ones.

| lect OF discussion is .'the sanguiuary
feature of the railroad operation" He
says he deplores :he loss of a single
human life, and then proceeds to mini
mize the number and Importance of
the casualties, and to excuse the acci-
dents as if they were unavoidable.
Millions and millions of people, he
says, are carried for every one that is
killed, and he finally concludes that
the very safest place that a man can
be is on railway train.
But the bloody average of nearly
forty Thousand persons annually kill
ed or wounded in the United States, as
compared with the much smaller aver
ages in other countries he does not
mention. He refers to the old but un-
proved saying of railway attorneys,
that more people are annually killed
by falling from the windows of houses
than through the operation of rail-
roads " OF course nobody knows any
thing about the truth of that state
ment, but it may be replied that vast
lily greater number of people have the
daily and hourly opportunity to fall
from windows, than they have to be
hurt on railroads. And yet, with the
far greater number of exposures, it is
absurd to suppose that the window
danger is equal to the railway carnage
Of the United States
To prove his position the writer
quotes from the Kansas City journal,
= paper friendly to his side of the ques-
tion. The Journal says that accident
insurance companies offer to pay twice
as much for accidents on railroad cars
as they do on accidents of other kinds
and, that lit is more necessary to buy
an accident policy when one gets off
the cars than when one gets on"
This statement is very much like, as
President Ripley says, talking for
public effect" But, taken as true, it
is an admission that exposures to rail
way accidents are half as dangerous
as exposures to all other accidents
combined. When one is on a railway
train he escapes exposure to most 9th
er casualties. He cannot then fall
from the windows of houses. He can
uot fall from trees, nor be kicked by
horses, nor gored by cattle, nor be
thrown from horse. He cannot fall
into wells, dashed from carriages or
wagons, nor run over by teams He is
merely exposed to the usual casualties
of railway travel, which, according to
the Kansas City Journal, are not quite
equal to all other dangers combined.
The question now arises as to why
railway travel is thuG partially free
from accidents? There can be but one
true answer 1t is because of the pre-
caltions provided to prevent them.
And it is plain and safe inference,
which President Ripley admits when
speaking of the English roads. that, If
the precautions were still further elab-
GRATED and perfected, railway acci-
dents might be almost entirely pre-
vented
But, what are the precautions neces-
essary for the prevention of railway
accidents?
First, The track should be as smooth,
level and straight as possible. The
road bed should be broad and solid;
and, we'll up so as to insure perfect
drainage; and, to shed the drifting
SHOWS to the utmost extent practica-
bic. The sides of the grades should
slope gently so as to avoid slides in
wet weather. The same rule should
be observed as to the banks of deep
cuts to avoid caving and land slides.
Curves of the road, and, especially
short curves, should be avoided wher-
ever it Is possible to do So They are
expensive and dangerous during the
whole life time of the road, though the
first cost may be less than the work
necessary to avoid them. Culverts and
idge should be first class, in keep
ing with the requirements of first
class road. No such costly perfection
as this can be attained on the average
wagon roads of the country over which
must pass the traYel and transporta-
ton, with teams, wagons, carts and
carriages.
Second. The rolling stock and gen.
eral equipments should be of the best
styles and materials, and built in the
most perfect manner; Far surprising
the class Of miscellaneous vehicles ever
attained on the average wagon roads
among the towns and villages, and
through the woods and prairies of the
country at large.
Third When the railway is com
9leted and ready for operation, 1t
should be thoroughly and fully man
led with competent track men, yard
men and train men; and, with compe-
;ent managers in the depots aud at all
1eceasarv points who thoroughlv nm