The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1908-10-24
Crossing Broadway Is Three
Times as Dangerous as
Crossing the Atlantic.
THE FIGURES PROVE 1T.
Statistician Quackenbush Has
Collected Many Other
Startling Facts.

An average OF ninety-three persons
are injured In New York City daily by
the operation OF the elevated. subway
and surface car lines. This, appalling
as II may seem. is q condition that has
existed for years, despite improved
methods of transportation and extra
precautions for the projection Of citi-
Zens.
The danger of losing your life In cross
ing any of the large centres Of traffic
is three times greater than II you were
to cross the Atlantic Ocean You may
imagine all sorts Of horrors of an ocean
voyage. but there isn't one-third as
much excuse for them as any you might
ccnjure up before tripping across Broad
way at Forty-second street.
A tall. square-shou,dered young man.
with piercing eyes and convincing man
ner, who directs an office force OF
score or more at No. 80 William street,
| has for three years found delight In dig
ging into Just this kind OF data. He'll
tell you he'd rather prowl around
police station or stand in the centre OF
| BROOKLYN Bridge crush watching the ac-
tons of the crowd than go to the best
show on the White Way or toast his
| feet on a cold winters night by cheer
full, homelike fireside That man is
Edwin B. Quackenbush.. executive agent
| of the Ocean Accident and Guarantee
Corporation.
Has urucsome Figures,
Mr.. Quackenbush has been saying
some things to make people sit up and
take notice For instance. he has col
lected statistics showing that the annual
| los. Of life in railroad accidents. mines
and manufacturing concerns in the
| United States in one month Is larger
Than the casualty list of the Spanish
American war. including deaths caused
| by disease. Then. too. he'll prove TO you
| by statistics that a manufacturer VINO
makes an inspection of his plant only
once or twice a month Is In as much
| danger OF losing hts life as Is the super
,ntendent who Is right OH the job day
| in and day out.
This young statistical wizard-he is
about thirty-five years old-has even
taken the trouble 10 find out what per-
centage OF women riding on street cars
get OF backward.
Il stationed one Of my men,. says hir.
| ouackenbush, lat Broadway and Twen-
ty-thtrd street one day and he made
note of each case that came under his
observation for twelve hours. He found
that four out Of eleven women get on
cars backward. while one out OF nine
men do the same trick.
| II Mr.. Quackenbush's information
stopped there 1t would not be OF particu-
| lar account, because some policemen
along Broadway and other centres OF
| traffic have been unkind enough to re-
mark that every woman who rides on
street car alights backward.
Why Thefts Are Easy.
But Mr.. Quackenbush goes deep into
other subjects. He thinks that the
methods employed by burglars and
thieves are worth looking into. so that
is why he says he didn't get to bed this
morning until 5 O'Clock. No STREE!
| Never let 1t be said that Mr.. Quacken-
bush will let sleep ehterfere with him
when lie wants to find out something to
! add to his already large store OF stalls
tics.
Now. It may seem strange TO you"
Mr., Quackenbush says. looking you
sauarely In the eyes and pointing one
Anger 10 emphasize his subject; but
lts an honest fact that 70 per cent. OF
| the robberies committed In New YORK
might be frustrated were 1t not for the
careIessness Of the victims themselves.
Why, Just to illustrate. OF go houses
inspected my men found That more than
100 OF them were equipped with beyelled
locks. It's the easiest thing IN the world
for a burglar to work these. All he has
10 do Is to use q pocketknife and the
trick is done
According to Mr., Quackenbush. 5,l64
persons disappear in this country an
nually who are never afterward heard
| Of
Has Many Agents.
Now, Just how Mr.. Quackenbush COL
lects all these data he'd rather not go
into detail. Fact Ia. however. he has
some 500 agents about the Greater city
who are always on the lookout for him.
There are thousands OF agents through
out the United States who help him COL
lect the statistics.
81 have. perhaps. heard Of more pc
culiar accidents than most men," con-
tinues MIR. Quackenbush. but there was
one out In Elyria. Ohio. several months
ago that has EN- III skinned. Eight
persons we're injured In a trolley car
crash and each lost both legs"
Mr.. Quackenbush comes OF family Of
statisticians. He has one brother whose
hobby Is 10 gather information about
the nre departments In the large cities;
another IL In the army. and finds great
delight In collecting figures on army
lie. =,
Mr.. QuAckepbush remarks. that should
be Of especial interest TO women who
would have their husbands quit smOk-
Ing. II Is the fact that there is three
times more danger OF a man losing his
life by riding in smoking cal which
has a baggage department. than In any
other car OF train. The moral: Per-
saaae your HI bands to give up sm0k-
hore than II, 900 900 accidents are said
10 occur In the United States annually,