Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-07-28
An Unclaimed Factor Of Econon-

r.
ing the comparative utility and econ
omy ~ the coming automobiles and
ordinary horse vehicles. While they
all .grce, after careful Investigation,
that either electricity, gasoline or
compressed air, il Il more reliable and
efficient road motive power than the
muscular power ri horses or other
beasts I'll burden, they all, strangely
enough seem to have LETT unmentioned
one important factor in the discussion,
namely, the relative personal safety of
the two systems OF highway locomo-
ton.
\ statistician has come 10 the con-
clusion, from calculations based upon
actually recorded events, that in any
gwen area OF country or i'll any given
number Of towns and cities, the casual
ties resulting from the running away
of frightened horses is about equal to
the fatal accidents caused by Fourth
OF July celebrations. Or, stated in
other words, there are as many people
killed or disabled for life, say, in q
dozen cities, by horse runaways, in
three hundred and sixty-fiye days, as
there are during one celebration Of the
Fourth of July in those twelve cities
taken together. Now this is terri
BILE record, to put it in the mildest
terms; and that it makes no more
lasting impression OH our minds is
probably due to the fact that such
casualties having always occurred,
while they continue to occur We have
accustomed ourselves to regard them
simply as a matter of common course
in life's events. Every reader of news
papers knows that each recurring
Fourth OF July celebration brings its
undiminished score of fatalities. And
although these things happen only
once year, it is a curious fact that
by some strange conceit of the human
mind, we read them with more inter
est than we do the fatal accidents re-
sulting from the common everyday,
and, we might say domestic, runaway.
But as already intimated, this all-im-
portant consideration is wholly ig.
nored by those who are so holly dis
cussing the pro and con sides of the
automobile innovation.
An eminent physician has declared
that the horrible details of the death
of one human being from hydrophobia
would justify the determination of all
the dogs in the country, and in like
manner, it would seem to be strictly
logical conclusion that single death.
dealing runaway should forever settle
the question as to the comparative
merits of the two systems Of vehicle
locomotion under consideration.
To say that there is no such thing
4 as explosion about electrical motive
power tells the whole story. Once the
thought of mischief resulting from
such cause as fright is eliminated
the motorman has infinitely more per.
feet control over his machine than an
experienced coachman has over the
gentlest horses. The debts and
credits, SO far considered by the max
ers and owners OF automobiles and the
owners of horses and carriages, have
all along been represented by dollars
and cents in their dealings with the
first cost, and resultant wear, tear
maintaining, repairing, etc., as apper.
tanning to the two respective systems
But the damage wrought by fright
ened horse can only be truly and ade'
quately assessed by the loss OF human
life, tho breaking of bones and ire
parable destruction of valuable prop
erty.
| 1t is foregone conclusion, then
that the automobile is coming to stay
with us, while the horse, noble animal
and friend of man as he has beer
since the world begun, is to be speed
lily relegated to an extremely narrow
field of usefulness.