The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-05-23
Emergency Association to BE
Formed By the Union Pacific.
Plants to Include Employees in
the Membership.
REDUCES DEATH RATE.
Members Will Be Given Free In
structiOn.
RumOr of PennsyIvania-Santa
Fe Deal Not Believed.

The Union Pacific Emergency asso-
citation is the name of a new organiza-
ton which is being perfected by the
officials of the Union Pacific. The pur-
pose of the association is to perfect
a system of giving first aid to the in
jured in cases of railroad wrecks and
accidents.
The subject is one that has attracted
the attention Of nearly every railway
system in the world, and the value of
prompt and scientific aid to the injured
has again and again been dwelt upon
at large by surgeons and physicians.
Statistics show that on railway systems
where good arrangements have been
made for giving the injured proper at
tention before the arrival of surgeons
the death rate from accidents has been
reduced by more than 50 per cent. The
Union Pacific has issued a. circular Civ
ing the details of its plan Any en-
ploye is eligible to membership and free
instruction viii be given Glasses will
be formed at convenient points on the
line for practical instruction by COM
petent surgeons. the company furnish
ing materials free A course upon
en- Urgency work will be given to con
Sist of five lectures and transport and
ambulance corps will be organized COM
posed of members who have passed sat
isfactory examinations S to their abil-
ity.
The members will also be instructed
in the use of what is known as emery
ency surgical boxes, with which nearly
every passenger and freight train on the
system is provided and which are also
placed at convenient stations along the
lines These boxes are provided with
chests of bandages. tOurnequetS and
antiseptic preparations and hereafter
the box equipment will be much more
elaborate. 1t was found in the past
that the emergency chests did little
good because there was never anyone
on the train who knew how TO use in
diligently the materials provided The
association is to remove that difficulty.
Recently inquiry was made of 200 rail
road systems regarding the use of
emergency surgical boxes. and forty re-
plies were given. All of the forty roads
answering stated that they used the
en- Urgency boxes either on trains or at
stations or both. Some of them stated
that lectures were given to employees
regarding the use of the surgical ma
terials, others that lectures We're going
to be given, and some that the equip
ment was more complete on passenger
than on freight trains. Few roads,
however. have gone into the matter as
systematically and thoroughly as the
Union Pacific and results will be closely
watched. Outside of the humanitarian
side of the question the precautions
that many of the roads have taken re-
suit in a material saving in the way of
damage suits and expenses in taking
care of the injured. The pioneer in pro-
viding emergency boxes was the Den
the system in 1871 The Lake Shore
came next in 1887 but not until in the
nineties was there any considerable at
tentiOn paid to the matter and only
in the last two years has much i'm
provement been made.