The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1905-03-17
RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.
Great Britain Results Compared With
the Record in America.

1.-THE most-talked-of fact in connec
ton with the railroad accident rec
ords of the last few years, writes the
Railroad Gazette, lis that the rail
roads of Great Britain and Ireland
were worked for fifteen months lend
ing with March, 1902, without caus-
ing the death of a passenger in
collision or derailment. This is a re-
markable record, indicating sound
structures, C ct methods, efficient
men and good discipline. Comparing
it with the record in America, we
cannot avoid self-reproach. But it
must be borne in mind that this one
item is not the whole thing. The
Vandalia Line Indianapolis to ST
Louis, 242 miles,, has killed only one
passenger in a train accident in 50
years; and that accident did not be-
long to the class that causes our pres
ent reproach-collisions it w&s ade-
railment, due to a broken rail, Thls
fact was stated recently by an OIL
Ger of the Vandalia before the 50.
Louis Railway club. At the same time
the Vandalia has had collisions, like
other single-track roads. The EngIlsh
lines had some train accidents in their
fifteen months record referred 10, ana
have killed passengers since then.
I'VE shall not in this place take the
readers time to elaborate the reason
ing from these facts; many OF the con
illusions are obvious. The question OF
safety in railroad travel is not to De
settled by a newspaper article or two.
This Vandalia record, and that OF the
Albany and Susquehanna, referred %
recently, bring out another phase OF
the subject; the difference III the'dan-
ger on single-track roads with light or
moderate traffic as compared Win
doublt-track lines with heavy or
crowded traffic. In the statement con-
corning the Albany and SuSquehanna
attention was called to the fact that
a comparison of passengers killed IN
proportion to the number carried
would show that that roads record to
be much better than the English rec
ord BY taking a sufficiently long term
of years a short road in the thlnly
settled parts of New York state can
be compared with single year on
the thousands of miles of roads In the
densest parts of England. state
ment of similar import has been pup
lished in Chicago concerning the ac-
cident record on the Southern Paclhc
for a recent period. Finding that the
average deaths and injuries per tram
mile equal only one-half the average
per train mile in the whole United
states, and assuming that this differ
ence is due to the good discipline or
the Southern Pacific, the conclusion
is offered that if the rest OF the roads
of the country would adopt Southern
Pacific discipline the casualties every
where would be reduced one-half!
Here, again, we leave the reader to
draw his own conclusions. Just how
much a passenger gains in safety on
a line where there is only one train
day, as compared with four-track
line that is constantly crowded, no
one can calculate; but that the differ
ence is enough to completely VlIldte
such comparisons as this which comes
from Chicago is too patent to need
stating. 1t is not to be supposed that
| the management of the Southern Pa
cific fathers these comparisons; but
some railroad men do seem to mag
inc that comfort can be got out OF that
kind of arithmetic, hence this notice
of the matter All these various So
phistries make no difference with the
central facts: That large numbers of
deaths are caused on American rail-
roads by collisions, and that the COLI
sions, occurring by the hundreds eV-
cry year, are due to causes which III
very large measure can be quickly
done away with, and at moderate
cost"