The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-11
CareIeSSness Claims Many Vic-
 timS Every Day
FIFTY IS THE DAILY TALLY
Physical Tests May Be Required of Employees Upon Whom Public
 Depends for Safety.
 Elevator Operators.
BY NORMAN WALKER.

1 BY NORMAN WALKER,
 New York, August 10.-F'ully fifty per sons are injured or killed each day in New York, 1t is estimated, as the result of carelessness on the part of employers in choosing their workmen. Reckless driving in the street, bad management of cars, disregard of precautions by chafu-- 1 feurs and ignorance in handling eleva- tors are responsible for the majority of these accidents, though blasting, unpro- tected street openings, and crossing cleo tric wires also claim their share of ann bulance calls.
 Of late, elevator accidents have had a high percentage in the City of Skyscrap- CTS, and the public is beginning to real ize that the man who runs elevator in a twenty or thirty story building dur 1 ing the rush hours must be physically fit. In one skyscraper alone nearly 5000 per sons are carried in the elevators on an ay- craze day.
 One of the coroners who investigated a number of elevator tumbles, gave as his verdict that they were due for the most part to the ignorance of the elevator op- orators, who, in time of emergency, couldn't think quickly and when they did think, didn't know what to do This i coroner mas dlnOunCtu llldl He VIII try to get passed a state law which shall pro- l hibit any one from running an elevator | until he has passed examination and secured a state license as elevator opera tor. which testifies to his mental and physical qualifications for being trusted with the safety of car load of persons.
 Car Operators.
 Other people are beginning to demand that the handling of trolley cars, driving of horses and the use of high explosives shall be limited to men who are intelli- gent enough and have good enough eye sight to carry on their work without dan ger to the people on the streets. The matter of high explosives is particular ly important In Manhattan, with it's rocky backbone out of which foundation space for the tall buildings has to be blasted with dynamite.
 The most recent movement for protec- ton of the public through the examina- ton into the fitness of employees Is that among owners of automobiles and those who operate schools for training chaut- feurs The large number of automobile accidents has started car owners think ing, as in many instances such accidents have proved to be very costly, even if the owner escaped the remorse of having maimed or killed fellow human being. Investigation of many of these accidents establisnu,. that they were attributable
  shortcoming such as short -sightednes or other eye defect on the part of the man at the steering wheel
 As result many of the wealthier car l owners are convinced that, 1t Is extremely hazardous to employ a chauffeur whose eyesight Is not perfect. and who in addi- tion, is not in such good physical con- dition that he is fin no danger of collaps- ing suddenly from heart failure in time of emergency. g IA
 Test for Drivers.
 The idea of a physical test for a driver at least as far as eyesight is concerned is gaining hearty support from automo- piles who are returning from tours in Germany. In that country, many of the leaders of the medical profession and number of prominent government officers are advocating the requirement. of a thorough eye test as a preliminary to the issuance of a chauffeur's license by the government They point out that such an examination Is required of railway oper- atives, and that while the chauffeur may not need to read colored signals, accuracy of eyesight is just as important to pilot car through a crowded street, among pedestrians as 1t Is to run train lover a fixed track which is not promenade
 No official action as to the chauffeurs has yet been discussed in America, but many individual owners, for their own
 
 clans pass upon applicants. As conse- ouenoe chautfeurs are beginning to real ize that a physical certificate, as well as one testifyng to mechanical skill, Is valuable asset.
 In order to meet this demand of own CTS, the largest school in the world for the instruction of chauffeurs and motor ists conducted by the West Side Young Mems Christian association of this city, has made arrangements to give a com plete physical examination as to sight, hearing, lungs and heart, to its students, beginning with the fall term, which opens on September f. The school will issue, to those who pass the test, certificate. signed by the physical director reading as follows
 The Certificate.
 This is to certify that ---------------- has passed satisfactory test for sight, hearing and other senses; that he is sound physically and Is free from any per Vous disorder that would unfit him Tor the office of a chauffeur"
 While no student who objects need take the physical examination, and this will have no direct connection with the proper work of the school, it is believed that the men who can show their physical certif- cates will be most in demand. As the Y M. C. A. automobile school hR Sl7 students last year, 1t will be interesting to see how many of the men will take the tests and what proportion will pass Many owners contend that in issuing this certificate as a result of optional eXami- | nation. the school is but anticipating, by n few years, a condition which will be re- | ouired by the employers of chauffeurs and possibly by the state, for all motor car operators.