Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1907-02-14
ON ENGLISH LINES.
LOSS OF LIFE BY ACCIDENT HAS
BEEN BELITTLED.
Recently Published Statistics Prove
That Claim to Greater Safety
There Is Not Supported
by Facts.

More people were killed on English
railways last year than at any period
during the last 16 years. This start
ling fact-just brought to light in a
government opportunities no refer
ence to the terrible Salisbury accident
which happened on July 2, this year;
and added another monumental holo-
caust to the category OF English rail
way fatalities. England has always
made point of emphasizing and ad-
vertising the reckless disregard Of
human life" exhibited by American
railway management. Since the awful
Salisbury disaster. however. in which
80 many Americans lost their lives,
there has been significant silence; and
now that the board of trade report is
published, it reveals another case of
stone-throwing from glass houses.
AS matter of fact, during the past
three years, there have been so many
serious disasters on English railways,
the conclusion is justified that, TAX
ing the total mileage of the two coun.
tries, England has no reason whatever
to boast of its immunity from acct.
dent. Considering that America has
more miles of railway than all the
other nations OF the earth put to-
gether, the statistics of fatal accidents
compare very favorably with those OF
other countries. When it is borne in
mind that. England only has 3S.431
miles of track. and that the greater
portion OF this is double" and often
"four-track" system-greatly reducing
the element of natural danger-and
considering that, even with this
double and four-track system, some OF
the accidents in England are quite as
terrible as those on the worst Ameri.
can single-track lines, the United
States has cause almost for gratula.
ton rather than otherwise.
When, again, inquiry is made into
the cause of accidents on English rail
ways, the fact is revealed that many
mishaps are due to the Grass negli.
gence of underpaid, overworked of.
ficials; or else TO defects in the con.
struction of the much-bragged-abo
English roadbed," costing $500, 900 q
mile. 1t will be remembered that the
cause of the disaster at Salisbury was
the sharpness of the curve at the sta.
ion-a clear case of miscalculation
on the part of the engineers respons.
ible for the construction of this sec.
ton. Without accusing government
ofiicials-who are certainly above
such practices-of deliberately jug.
Cling with accident statistics, it must
be pointed out that the figures in the
board of trade report exhibit certain
peculiarities which, to say the least,
do not set forth the full facts For
instance, it is pointed out that while,
In 1905. 1899 persons were killed and
6,459 injured by accidents due to the
running of trains, or the movement
OF railway vehicles, strong emphasis
is given to the fact that only SO pas.
sengers were killed. 1t is almost i'm
piled by the report that the other l..
066 deaths didn't count"
At the same time, 1T must be re.
membered that many of these "other
deaths" not included in the fatal 80,
were caused directly by peculiarities
of English railways. Certain of these
accidents could not possibly have hap
pened on American trains. For in.
stance, 33 deaths were due to persons
falling out o; carriages during the run
ming of trains, while 46 persons were
injured from the same cause. These
fatalities are directly attributable to