Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-02-01
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY I, 1907.
Tho Danger of Travel.

No greater change has taken place in
the conditions and vicissitudes of modern
life than the shifting of the preponder-
ance of danger in travel from the water
to the land. Under the old stage-coach
methods there was an occasional runaway
and smash-up, or an upset from bad driv-
ing, but there were few accidents and
the loss of life was small. After rail
reading came in, while the number of
accidents doubtless increased in proper
ton to the amount of travel, rates of
speed were low and bad accidents were
for long time comparatively rare. Du-
ring all this period there was an undis-
guised and universal dread of the dangers
of the deep. Any one about to cross the
ocean babe long and solemn fare well
to friends and kindred, who generally
asked that prayers be said for their safety
on the next Sunday at church. Now,
however, all is changed; people start on
a railroad journey wondering, as said by
Mr.. Hill, whether it will not be their last,
while long voyages are entered upon
without pang of apprehension. The
change of feeling, of course, results from
changed conditions Security at sea has
greatly increased, and In railroad travel
it has very greatly diminished. So
wonderful have become the ocean liners
in which the bulk of passengers at sea
are now carried, in the perfection of
their machinery, in the skill and disci-
pline with which they are handled, and
their numerous appliances securing
safety, that it is almost impossible to
imagine large loss of life taking place
on one, of them. The railroads, on the other
hand, have become vast instruments of
slaughter, the number killed and manned
on them in the last decade having
reached figures that are startling and
that must compel drastic remedial action
of some sort. While it is hard to see
altogether why there should have been
such change in the relative safety of
sea and land travel, some reasons for il
are easily apparent. One is that the men
who operate the steamship lines give to
the work all their talents and energy
while those at the heads of the great
railroads systems are using the resources
of their roads and their own time and
ability in performing great financial
feats, and carrying on big operations in
Wall street, instead of devoting them tc
improving their lines and perfecting tire
details Of running them, Another is the
high speed ct which trains are run on
poor tracks. And still another, incom.
petent and inadequate crews, who are
worked too many hours on a stretch
Wherever the human element enters in
mistakes will occur and accidents take
place, though the possibility of them can
be largely eliminated. Given a double
track, with heavy, well-lsid rails, and
solid road bed, sufficient number OF
sober, well-trained employees, never over,
worked. and a complete block system
accidents would be extremely rare. There
are sections now where they very seldom
occur
The country is awakening to the fact
that it is more important to travel safely
than to get somewhere an hour or two
sooner than was formerly possible, and is
in mood on the subject TOT insist or
greater security at any sacrifice. The
most effective way will be to so severely
punish carelessness and the lack of every