Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28
MILLIONS TO SAVE LIFE.
Splendid Record Made BY lhe Union
Pacific During the Past Year.

1t is often charged that human
life, in the present age, is held of
little value Whenever there is
an accident in which lives are
lost: SenSationalistS generally
bring forth the argument that
great employers of labor do not
exercise the right care for the
protection of life The annual
report of the Union Pacific Rail
way, shows among other inter
esting things, how great has
been the effort made during the
past year to reduce to the mini
mum the possibilities of accident
and of the destruction to human
life and personal injury incident
to the operation of railways.
During the past year about 3d.
OOO,O 900 were expended in the in
stallation of safety appliances,
all for the purpose of reducing
to the lowest possible degree the
chance of accidents. That this
expenditure has not been in vain
is shown by the comparative re-
port of the loss of life and of per-
sonal injury on account of acct
dent. For the year ending June
80, 1907, the total number of en-
ployes killed on the Union Pacific
spstem was sc, and injured $50,
out of a total of 1000 employees,
and 95 per cent of the injuries
were very slight. During the
year 1906, SO employees were
killed. During the year ending
June 80, 1907, there were but 3
passengers killed and 1855 injur-
ed. In 1906 two passengers
were killed and 135 injured.
During 1907 those employed as
postal clerks, express messen-
gers, etc, one was killed and 80
injured. compared with 3 killed
and Is injured during 1906
Other persons who lost their
lives during the past year thro'
railroad accidents of the system
number 35, with injuries to As,
against 46 killed and 20 injured
in 1906. The total killed in all
accidents for the year 1907 was
1O5. The total injured 1,1O4,
against ia killed and 1888 injur-
ed in 1907
When it is taken into consider
alton that the increased business
handled by this company is indi-
Gated by increases of 2.66 per
cent in tons of freight carried
one mile and 1887 per cent in
the passenger carried one mile,
1915 per cent in the total train
mileage and 5.71 per cent in the
total car mileage, the decrease in
the loss of life is remarkable.
The principal train accidents
during the year. include a COLI
sion between a running wild
freight car and a freight train
near Cheyenne on August 20,
| 1906, in which one engineer was
killed one fireman and one brake
man>injured This accident was
due to failure to properly set
the s.brakes in the Cheyenne
yards.
On September 4, 1906, through
defective track near Red Buttes,
| Wyoming. a passenger train was
derailed. One trespasser beat
ing hiss way over the line was
killed and another trespasser
and ten passengers injured.
On October 9, 1906, passen-
ger train was derailed by brok-
en- rail- near Wamego, Kansas
hOne conductor and forty six pas
sengers were slightly injured
On October 10, 1906, freight
trains collided at Ridge, Wyo-
ming, owing to overlooked train
orders. Two engineers, one fire
man and one brakeman were
killed and two firemen injured.
On December 3, 'O6, one brake
man was killed in collision be-
tween freight trains near Point
of Rocks, Wyoming.
On January 2, 1907. at Brule,
Nebraska, two passenger trains
\ collided causing the death of one
passenger and injury to seven
passengers, four mail clerks and
four employees. The cause of
this accident was improper flag
ging and control of trains.
On March 25, 1907, through
failure to observe signals, two
freight trains collided at Gilmore