The Cairo bulletin., 1906-09-29
ROADS ARE WORTH
SIX BILLION
DOLLARS
INTERESTING REPORT or com.
MERGE COMMISSION, IS A
MAZE OF FIGURES.
DEATH RATE INCREAS ING
9,7o3 Killed and 86,oo8 Injured in
Various Manners in he Year of
1905--Numher of Cars, En-.
gnes, Tracks, Ea

Washington, Sept. 2S Every mem
Der of congress, every agent Of {
casualty company, every shipper
every stakeholder, every banker al
politicians, and William Jennings
Bryan, should read fest the abstract
jof he statistical report Of the Inter
state Commerce Commission for 1906
and then the full report, The abstract
i. just ont and your CORES spondent re
turns thanks to the commission which
sent messenger hotfooted to his
office to bear the glad intelligence.
without knowing who compiled It,
. testimony should BE- borne to the fact
I thar Ii is ole of the most comprehen-
~iye interesting and lucid and import.
anr abstracts that ever found its way
/ from a government bureau to this
/ office and is wen worth anyboiy's
! reading. Examination leads to the
conclusion that there is something
about the ia Iroads that needs the
attention of congress and prompt and
harsh action. and that Is The slaughter
Of the public We are apt to be so
dazzled by the multitude Of statistics
a to the army Of employees. the divi
dends, invested capital locomotives,
miles of track and freight carried, as
to overlook the frightful loss of life
attending the rapid movement Of pas
sengers and freight. Az first glance il
seems this loss Of life is compare
lively Insignificant
There We're 40,713 passener cars in
service in 1905 Imagine all these
cars in one gigantic train 500 miles
in length with thirty-four passengers
ia each cav Let that train proceed
from one place to another. it matters
little where, and. according to the
comm ssion's statistics one person
out of the 1,375,S5G will get killed
while one out Of every 70G55 will get
injured The chances of being killed |
on a train are therefore infinitesima I
while the chance of being injured is
less really than while walking about |
the streets. This explains how casual !
ty companies can afford to double |
your insurance if you are injured on |
a train. But imagine, if you please. a /
train sufficiently long TO accommodate /
the 7@S,S3lGG7 pas engers carried in /
the fiscal year of 1905 This train
would travel 32 miles, for the total
passenger mileage was 23So0.l 1896 /
miles While it was travelling 32 miles
ill passengers would be Killed and /
31ll injured OF these 3i1 woul be
killed and Gp53 injured because OF
collisions and De ailments. This
monster tram would be manned by
iiSl7 engineers 1892 Gremen ll0G1 !
and lll.405 other train.
men OF these. while this train was
progressing 32 miles 1890 would be
,illed and POSSE injured. Along It's
'oute would be stationed IS 532 /
Gro sing tenders and
vat hWea. In its progress the train
would kH 13G and manele $50 OF
lth"r employees II would slaughter
225. OF the trainmon id7 would get
.iliad falling off cars or engines while
n motion. ll9 while jumping on ar off
rains and $40 in collisions or derai G
norris. I'm coupling cars 2g0 would
osc their live on the whole. this %
rain would leave along its track a
rand total of 9703 dead and SG.OoS =
Iiured in other word enough people y
go Killed or injured eyD year 10y
b. railroad 10 populate q town & H
10000 inhabitants Tmagin the hor D
Ir Of every per- l1 in town of tha i'
.ze meeting violent death or q
arious injury within year fnI as I'd
.ost OF thu-. killed ur injured in rail. p
pad accidents arc adult males -he b
latter rs even mu-a seli .1s from fhe '
andpDnt of population. ht f3e ratio h
1905 one ont Of every an enrlogo-
ciud.ng those in offices and on con.
.ructian work. can expect 10 be-
Died during the year IT be g.
amman d. has one chance out o. a
.3 TO be killed out of every 21 em- o.
oyas of an kinds. one will met with F
D accident. while one out OF every 81
ainmen ran rea onably expect 10 h'
p injured.
The casualties TO passengers in -'
eases at n alarming rate. Dr. 1908 '
is4s42 pa se1--rs were carried f0r 'e
.erv one billed ami 2l3G5l for each
be- injured In 1898 the percentags
ID shunE o. that che pas niger
-s killed for every 1G22za7 carried
.d one waa injured Geo of every
.5Z3 ln 1898 we find n i.r ia
riuFase so that one was killed for
1856 and l-e injured for each 90. H'
3 carried ln other words wrere
e passenger aas injured and three .-
.ad eleven sEl-s zz1. tfr wI.
.Da