The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-04-16
TREspAssERs ON A RAILROAD.
Large Number of Persons Killed or Died
From Injuries During the Past Year.

gathered from the fact that the
completed records, pow compiled
show that 500 men were killed or
died from Injuries received while
in the act of trespassing on the
line Of the Pennsylvania Railroad
System during the year 1907.
These cases of trespass are
not only a source of expense to
the railroad, but 1t IS felt that
com mon humanity should prompt
the most thorough measures to
eliminate this evil and danger as
rapidly as possible. If these
mel infest the Company's tracks
and yards in such mum bers, they
are certain to be killed or Injured,
no matter how careful the tram.
men may be. Yet they have no
business either as passengers or
employees, which requires them
to be In the way of trains.
So important has this matter
become that the New York and
Chicago General Managers AS.
socjations have taken it up. OF.
ficers of these associations Nesti.
mate that more than half the ten
thousand people killed last year
on American railroads were tres.
passers. Some of the State
Railroad Commissions are also
agitating this subject, and it is
stated that the topic will be one
of the important matters of dis
cusion before the next annual
meeting of all the state railway
com missions. The Indiana Com.
mission has Just published an
Accident Bulletin" in the
course of which these comments
are made on trespassing:
"As to these persons killed on
the railroads while using these
dangerous ways for footwalks
and sidewalks, we can only
reiterate our firm conviction that
drastic Legislation will be nee.
essary to keep trespassers off the
railway trs cks 1t Is only fair
and just to the carriers that they
should be allowed to use their
property exclusively for railroad
purposes. 1t is especially un-
fair to the enginemen, who on
limited trans are under the
severest pressure to perform
their manifold work, that they
should be disturbed by persons
on the track, who often appear
unconcerned and needless of the
signals and desperate dangers to
which they subject themselves"
1t is the contention of the rail.
roads that they constitute the |
backbone of vagrancy. Tramps
cannot pursue their occupation
unless they steal rides on freight |
trans. If they are arrested, |
they are ei'her put into the lock
up for two or three days or told |
TO ''move on" This means that
every town merely shifts it's bur-
den to another, and in reJurn re-
ceives the yagrants unloaded by
a third community. Thus the
total number Is never decreased.
In many cases, local authorities
refuse to make arrests at all, and
If a tramp is put off a freight
train, all he has to do is to wait
for the next one.
To abate these nnisances, and
to stop the many accidents re-
sulting therefrom, railroads are
seeking to enlist the support of
all state and county authorities.
Ii 1T becomes nolsed abroad that
railroad trespasser will usually
get heavy fine or the maximum
term Of imprisonment, this class
will swiftly decrease IN number.
How extensive this evil IS at
the present time will also appear
n the fact that 4, 1856 arrests for
Srespassing and illegal train rid ;
ng were made on the right of
way Of the Pennsylvania Railroad
asst year. During the same,per.
cd, 466 men were arrested for
arceny. Larceny, of course, is
N extreme form of trespass, and T I
he trespasser very frequently
develops into a thief. What the
'ennsylvania Railroad suifared (
rom larceny In 1907 is 10 beseen
n the fact that the Company paid
ut during the year S4S6, COG in I