The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-07-20
Nearly Half Of Pittsburg's
Mortality Due to Accident
LIFE PRICE OF INDUSTRY
Official Records Of the Coroner of Ale
gheny County SHOW Awful Toll Elk
acted by Mill, Mine and Furnace.
Railroads Add to Slaughter.

Only those who study the statistics
OF coroners' Offices have any concep-
ton Of the terrible price in flesh and
blood this country has been for years
paying and is still paying to gain lin
iustrial supremacy" And even such
statistics do not furnish a complete
record for the reason that many casu-
alties IN large manufacturing estab-
lishments are flushed up and never
reach the notice of the civil authorities.
But the information obtainable from
reliable sources is sufficient to stag
ger the sensibilities OF all who hold
human life as one of the earth's most
valuable possessions, writes Joseph r.
Buchanan in the New York Journal.
When the story Is heard one Ii prone
to ask II, after all, progress, which
costs so much, is a good investment
for the human race,
Under the laws of Pennsylvania the
various coroners IN the state are re-
quested to compile records Of the
deaths occurring from accidents in
their respective jurisdictions, setting
forth the details in each case. A cor
respondent has Just been looking over
the records ia the Office Of the coroner
Of Allegheny county, which he says
should bear the inscription, Human
lives sacrificed upon the altar Of in
dustry" This record Is a volume
which mutely proelaims what 1t costs
besides money for Pittsburg and ita
district to maintain the title Of work,
shop OF the world"
1t shows that nearly 50 per cent OF
the deaths in Allegheny county are
violent and are the result, directly
and indirectly. OF the rush and grind
Of the manufactures OF the district
The deaths resulting from accidents
in the mills, mines and railroads OF
Pittsburg in 1906 reported by the cor
oner were 919.
Some OF the victims were burned by
molten metal. blast furnace burst OF
huge ladle was upset IN the steel
mills; others were caught in the rollers
In a plate mill and some crushed In the
machinery Of the rail- mills.
Many were killed in mines by falling
slate, some by gas explosions and
others by falls from derricks, scaffolds
1 and like structures. Not a few met
their death while working about the
numerous electric cranes-those huge
mechanical arms that with almost hui
man precision pick up massive pieces
of structural steel about the plants
and place them wherever may be indi
Gated at the simple moving Of lever.
/ Tor the first 1--WE months Of the pres
ent year there were 1895 deaths, 344
Of which may be classed as "sacri
fees" For the same period in the pre-
ceding year there we're 1915 deaths, Of
which $50 may be put In the same
category.
/ Comparing the loss Of life by the &c.
cidents with the tonnage and produc'
ton Of the Pittsburg district. one life
has paid for every $4,000 tons of coal
1 shipped, and the annual shipment Il
about 100000 tons. For every $500
cars that carry freight out Of or into
Pittsburg a life is lost This Is exclu-
sIve OF cars that are carrying freight
/ through to other points. Every 1900
tons OF the 100000 tons annual pro.
duction Of iron and steel has been put
out at the cost OF the life Of one Of the
manipulators somewhere in fits manu-.
facture, and Of the 100000 tons annual
output Of steel rails every $50 tons has
been put upon the market only after
some one OF its producers has been
/ killed
II the statistics were obtainahle II
/ might be shown that Pittsburg does
not exact higher comparative sacri.
i fee Of life IN the mad rush than many
other Industrial centers.
The packing district of Chicago. the
sugar refiuerics of Brooklyn and the
building industry Of New York and
other cities Of skyseraping structures
could flrnish a record that would rival
the workshop Of the world" in the
race for industrial and commercial SUI
1 premacy.