Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-07-12
A SAVER OF LIVES.
Rock BaIlasied Railroads Drive Pedestrians
to the Highways.

| 1T has never appeared yet as an
item among those published in reports
of vital statistics relating to rail
| roads" said a railroad official, but i;
| is a fact that the stone ballasting OF
railroads has been a great life saver
| on roads that have adopted the use
of that kind of ballast. / don't mean
that it has lessened the dangers Of
travel to those who use railroad cars
in their journeyings about the country.
! but that it has taken in great meas
ure the perils of travel from those
who use the tracks, but not the cars,
| in getting from point to point In
| the days of gravel and cinder ballast
| the roadbeds had become smooth and
/ solid highways that We're pleasant and
easy fpr pedestrians. and the railroads
We're the popular routes not only for
the professional tramp in his wander
| inSs. but for mechanics who found the
railroad tracks convenient short cuts
between their working places and their
homes. and for farmers living near
towns, who chose the hard roadbeds.
not only as nearer routes. but much
more to their liking than the muddy.
rough or dusty wagon roads for their
trading trips, where the use of a wag-
on was not required.
mo matter how many of these pc
dostrians. whether tramps or others.
might be run down by rushing and
confusing railway trains, and such IA
talities We're alarmingly frequent. the
eVer-threateninS dangers of the track
We're as nothing compared with its
convenience and comfort, and pedes-
trianiSm of this kind not only was not
scared off. but it actually increased.
Stringent railroad orders against
walking on the roadbed. enforced by
strict police rules. could not affect this
practice in the least. and the cars
went on killing men, women and chill
dren with frightful regularity, but the
invention of the stone crusher. with
out having this purpose at all in view
has accomplished what constant men
ace to life and limb never could have
done. The dumping along the railroad
tracks of rough and ragged bits of
stone has changed them from smooth
highways to jagged paths that cut the
boots and hurt the feet and make the
course of the walker not only difficult
and slow. but exceedingly painful. 1t
will tire a person more to walk a mile
on a stone ballasted railroad bed than
it will to walk ten on even the poores.
turnpike or country highway, to say
nothing of the wear and tear of foot
gear. The professional tramp is never
50 well shod that he cares to risk his
feet to wounds his leather is power
less to prevent, and he hates extra ex-
ertion.
80. with many anathemas on the
economy that has covered the rail-
roads with bruising and wearying
stone, he shuns them. and grumblnG-
ly seeks the longer country roads.
Others. and reputable people, who hab-
itually use the tracks as pathways.
have been forced to leave them with
like regret, and they use hard Ian
guage against the railroad companies.
All reports say that tramps have
greatly increased in numbers along
certain country roads within the last
few years. and many theories are adj
Vanccd to explain it. But the right
theory seems to have been unthought
of. There are more tramps or these
rural highways because the railroads
running through those districts have
been ballasted with stone. Some peo-
pie may think these railroads are not
doing the tramp-infested country a IA
vor by their stone ballasting"