The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-24
RAILROAD NEWS.
One American Road Has Never
Killed Passenger.
haty System Makes a Remark
able Record.
TO GOOD MANAGEMENT
Some Facts and Figures About
This Road.
Other Items of Interest in Rail-
way Circles.
TO GOOD MANAGEMENT

A)Ao yOQ huOW there was railroad
in the United States of considerable
mileage and Importance. on which a
passenger had never been killed? s.
u Dunn mentions such road in an
article on Eliminating Railway Acct
dents in the Technical World Maya
zine for November. And it is a west
ern road; the Missouri, Kansas G.
Texas. The Katy as it is common
ly called. has 5000 miles of track,
much of which has been in use for
many years, and. while there may be
otner roads with as good a record,
they are certainly rare. The writer
is OF the opinion that the secret of
this roads good record may be.
summed up in the two words: Good
management" In the first place, the
cars are substantially built, which is
an important factor when accidents
occur, as they do, even on the Katy"
And this road is particular about see
In that Its employees in the train SER
vice are efficient men, for this is real
ly the most important preventive of
railroad accidents. The best plant in
the world is dangerous if recklessly
operated. But, while it is generally
believed that American railroads are
worse In the matter of accidents than
they should be, they are not as bad
as one would infer from merely read
ing the bare statistics that last year
1889 persons were killed on Ameri-
can railroads, and 111.016 injured. 1t
happens that only per cent of these
killed were passengers Four thou
sand five hundred and thirty-four en-
ployeS were killed. which is too great
total, but that number is exceeded
by the number of trespasses killed.
This matter of trespassing on rail-
railroads. and affords an excellent OPP
portunity for US the people, to cut
down the great total. One should not
walk on railroad tracks, and every
discourage the tramps, who really
amount to but little. and who swell
the railway casualty list immensely
And plenty of tramps, most of them,
in fact, would amount to something
If only tramping were more disagree
able, and more of crime. The grade
crossing is another menace to life,
which kills more people than the to-
tai number of passengers killed in
wrecks. Some states are doing some
thing toward eliminating these death
traps, and so are most of the Cities
and some of the railroads, sometimes
voluntarily, and sometimes because
compelled to by city ordinances. The
Pennsylvania. for instance, did away
with more than 700 grade crossings
last year. That the number of rail-
way casualties has increased from
year to year, may lead some to be-
lieve that the railway magnates are a
heartless lot, who cheerfully MAIN
and slaughter for dividends. But, of
course, that is not true: they are men
with mans realization of the value of
human life. And if they were not
they would try to cut down the cas-
ualty list as a business proposition,
for this killing comes high They are
trying. all right, and some of the best
brains in the railway world are con-
cerned with this one particular OBJ
ject. Hundreds of millions of dollars
have been spent by the roads to make
travel safer within the last decade.
and they have not been spent in vain,
for all the increasing list of killed
and injured. 1t must be remembered
have increased enormously, and this
makes accidents more likely, and
worse when they occur. The same
cause forces down the standard of la
Dor; the railroads must have men; if
not the best, the best they can get.
Some of the big things that have been
done for both passengers and en-
ployes are the installation of auto
matte couplers, and train brakes,
which better enable the engineer to
control his train. Block systems have
been installed on many lines, and
more are being added. Steel under
beams have been placed on many
number of roads and the Pullman
company are putting out all steel cars.
Much double track has been laid, and, |
in some instances, the third and
fourth track has been added, and the
tracks are better drained and ballas-
ted, and laid of better steel. All of
these things help, and new improve
ments are being constantly added, look
ing in the same direction. Travel |
now is not so very dangerous, as is |