The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-07-22
A5ZRucTuRAL LeoN WoR6ER5


An enterprising genius with fondness
for figures has estimated that the average
man or woman living In a big city escapes
death 1000 times during the revolution
of the clocks metal hands once around
tho dial. Viewed from his standpoint,
the unfortunate individual under the
thread suspended sword of Damocles
had a tenure of existence, the certainty
Of which compared to that of the twenti-
eth century citizen is as frail rs the dell
cate mesh of a spiders web opposed to
the strength of a 10-inch cable.
The average man in going to and from
his work, II has been figured out. has 20
chances lof being run over by team,
13 chances of being run into by an auto
mobile. takes 90 chapces Of being In
trolley wreck, has something like 20
chances Of being hit by falling brick or
overhead sign, has three chances In 10
Of being caught In falling building. has
one-half a chance of being burned to
death, has about Q chances Of being
shocked to death by a fallen electric
wire. escapes falling into cellar-hole
on an average of once IN a block and has
b. opportunities to stumble on de-
fective sidewalk In every mile. In add
ton to this there are the possibilities
Of being assaulted by some desperate char
acter. OF being bitten by mad dog. of
being blown up by an exploding man.
hole, OF being caught by sewer cavein,
of being stung by some poisonous In
sect, Of being overcome by heat or cold,
or Of being stabbed by mistake with a
hatpin in the hands of An enraged female,
ms was a man In Chicago recently. Blood
poisoning set in and he died 10 days
later.
Heroes there are In the daily walks of
life, who go unsung to an unmarked
grave. The driver OF Ere truck in New
York city who swung his horses against
a telegraph pole and killed himself to
save his team from running over little
child Is not one whit drawer than the
little newsboy who went without eating
for three days In order that his sister
might have food. The fireman who climbs
a ladder amid smoke and flame and car
ries a weeping woman to safety on the
ground Is not one bit more n hero than
the girl who feeds your cuffs to the
mangling and ironing machine at the
common steam laundry around the corner.
Hardly a day passes but that one of
these machines somewhere does not
squeeze" the hand of some poor opera
tor and make a cripple for life. There is
applause for the soldier who goes march
ing behind music to the scene of battle,
but none for the army of grimy toilers
who, some thousand strong, march every
day into the big steel plants of the coun-
try. One Of these big plants, year In
and year out, 1t has been estimated, kills
a man day and Injuries so many that
the list is never given to the public. In
q certain Ave years OF American history
our railroads killed over 10000 of their
men md wounded 100000. Compared with
that record the list OF casualties Of the
Spanish American war fade Into mere
nothingness. Substantial contributions, OF
course, would be made TO these figures
II the list Of killed and injured by trolley
and other vehicles were added.
One of the peculiarities OF the indus
trial situation is the fact that men seem
TO ask no more for their services be-
cause OF the danger attendant upon their
work. The man who takes death for a
companion every time he dons his work
Ing clothes gets no more than the man
whose occupation appears much safer.
The $1,000 per day paid the man who
takes the dip OF death at the circus
the pay envelope comes around. Death
Is ever with us, and the dangers of our
daily tell but give the grim reaper an
additional chance 10 cut down the num-
Der OF our allotted days.
The average citizen, used to the sur
roundings In which he moves, pays so lit
lie attention TO the possibilities OF a
violent death that TO suggest to him that
he Is In danger would cause q smile.
Every soldier realizes that an uuex-
pected bullet may lay him In an OBJ
scure grave at any moment; the sailor
Is at the mercy OF the tempest and rock
bound coast the policeman frequently
gives battle to the foes of society, and
the fireman takes ais life In his hands
on every run that he makes. These are
the recognized heroes OF society. Thou
snnds-yes, millons-of laborers there
nre who face foes far more subtle than
that which beset the soldier and the
sailor. rhese heroes battle for their
daily bread and for the daily bread of
others. They battle that out OF the
bowels of the earth may come the coal to
keep alive shivering thousands In the
months OF winter; they battle that the
world may have light and heat and CON-
fort: they battle that their children may
not starve and that the children OF the
rich may have iuxuries. They expose
themselves to the deadly fumes Of aw-