Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-01-07
Railway Casualties.

According to Consul John L. Grifiths
of Liverpool the two recent serious
railway casualties III the United King
dom have led to Il general demand for
greater caution i'll the operation Of
trains, the use of additional safe
, guards. and the imposition of severcr
Ienalties for carelessness and negli-
gcnce. He writes:
In view of the number of passengers
| carried, however, the railway casual
| tics in Great Britain are surprisingly
small. This is owing. in part. at least.
to the almost uniform absence of
grade crossings in cities, the better
protection Cf highway crossings in the
country, the use Of tunnels and bridges
at railway stations to reach the trains
and well-ballastea trac.s on the less
important rs well as on the great
| trunk lines. The board of trade sta
tistics for Great Britain for the year
1905 show that 1889 persons were kill
cd and CAS-? persons injured by acct
dents resulting from the operatfon of
TRAINS or the movement of railway We
hlcIcS. There is q decrease of 30 in the
number Of deaths, and of 49, in the
number OF accidents in comparison
with the average for the preceding
nine years. Four collisions ana Jerail-
ments caused all but one of the SO
deaths of passengers due 10 train ac-
ciden.S.
The number of passengers killed is
greater than in any year since 1889
while the number of those injured is
lar below the average for many years
past. Fewer passengers were killed
and more injured in 1905 than usual by
the movement of trains and railway
VcnlcleS. as distinguished from train
accidents These casualties, it is
CANNED, were due largely to the care
iessness OF passengers rather than to
ile negligence Of railway emplOyeS
IL Is gratifying to learn that there WAS
marked diminution in the number
Oh accidents to railway servants, caus-
ed py moving trains and railway yehi-
cies' being only one in 81 exposed to
uanser, as against an average of one
III ~ exposed TO danger for the preced-
ing nine years. The percentage OF ac-
cldents among employees due to misad
venture IS given as 81 per cent. while
the casualties attributed to want of
caution or misconduct amounted to %
per cent
The accidents occurring on r,ilvoy
premises bat no: in any way connect
ca With the operation ut railway trains
resulted IN 81 deaths and the injury az
lI'h' persons, as compared with an
average Of SG deaths ana HAS Injuries
1or the preceding nine wears T'hasa
casualties arose mainly from risad-
venture or pure accident, ara couId nat
PROBABLY have been anticipated or
IroEided against, and no remedy iv
suggested to prevent their racurrcpco
me average number of collisions AMI
deralimentS in Great Britain for tho
% years up to 1905 was PIT. The num-
Der fell in 1905 to 199 A collision ~
derailment occurred in the q vears ~
ferred to on the average for every
l,5oS52l train miles rum but in 1eo, i
only occurred for every 2.OIt6So train
miles run. showing a gain Of nearly !,
per cent. for last year. This imnrovya-
ment Is stated to be owing to the us.
OF continuous brakes and to nm
usual care and circumspection in tho
operation of trains. There was a no
ticeable reduction in the number or
railway servants killed and injured in
connection with the running Of trains
IN 1908 az compared with the averaqa
Tor the preceding 81 years. That AL
erage was IA employees killed ana 1ec
injured, as against six employees kilIoc
ana liz injured in 1905. although ther.