Milford chronicle., 1905-10-06
SAFETY ON RAILWAYS.
The United states Much BETTER on
Than People Think.

INC" states Much BETTER on
Than People Think.
There is a somewhat prevalent idea
tnat America is an unsafe country in
which TO travel as compared wirh En-
rope The perfection of the English
railways in particular is frequently
held up as an example. and it is said
over and over again that the traveller
VINO gets on train in the British
Isles Is absolutely sure to be landed
safely at his destination. while quite
he contrary conditions exist here.
Examination of the relative statistics
Tor the United States and Great Brit
am brings out the fact. however. that
the proportion of passengers who lose
their lives on trains in the former
country is less than that in the latter
The official figures show that whereas
one person has been killed in England
Tor 6l923000 transported a mile in
the United States there has been the
loss of one life in every Go, 16S.1 143 car
ried the same distance. this in spite
OF the many difficulties in construction
and In climatic conditions which orr
railways have to meet.
An equally favorable showing for
American management and operation
as compared with the British is made
from other points Of reckoning. The {
number Of passengers carried on this !
side Of the water is 2O.915, ,7G3. .SS1 and 1
on the other side 9.6600OO.OOO In ac- i
tual fatalities only 16j more can be q
charged up to American railways than /
70 British, while the mileage repre- Z
sented is nearly ten times as great. fl
What is shown by these comparisons fl
with the British railways seems to be
borne out to a great extent when the Il
transportation systems of continental Ii
Europe are considered. The total rail-, p'
way mileage Of Europe is 177.3G3-or m
was year or two ago. when the Off di
cial statistics were collected. That Of Ri
the United States at the same tine k1
was zOL977. The number of passen- li7
gers killed abroad was 53G; the num- ma
Der who lost their lives in this coun- tai
try 32l In Europe 2.259 EMPLOYEES pu
were killed and in the United States gu
1888, but when this is considered on Del
he basis of the tons of freight carried uls
me mile it appears that about thirty INT
Employees are sacrificed abroad for he'
very billion tons transported that dis ACT
ance, whereas in America the number wa
! less than nineteen. knC
That undue prominence is freouent- Inc
given by sensationalists to railway il .ll'
ccidents appears from examination Hie
the following table Of accidents re- ana
lifting from causes to which all men slol
e exposed without regard to their SEQ
nployment." taken from the Casual "nu
company's compilations: In 1895 of - II
accidents 24.14 per cent were TO coll
destrians in city streets or on coun- Ioi
highways 1880 per cent occurred ~ II
1oors, a somewhat smaller propor- is'9'
N was attributed to horses and ve-
les and nearly 1G per cent occurred
tside Of the victims house or some l II
Ter building. Even recreation was oo'li
ponsible for 6.15 per cent. while rail pIou
ID travel was charged with but AT IN. ~ ~
cent. OF these latter accidents uepei (,
Y one In ten was to passengers. Uil Il
other words. accidents incident TO tioIi
Yelling on the railways average less l, I''liie
n one-siXth Of the number which pose0
pen to people who are passing to sucI
fro through the streets about their So soou
y occupations. -