Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-12
Responsibility for Accidents.

coroner HOFFMAN, of Cook county. Chi
cago. in his annual report for last year.
comments upon the enormous number of
people Killed I'm shops, factories, elevators
and while employed in other yocations
III That city, and says that the victims
generally come from the class of Young
ana industrious workers who are making
their way in life. Their families are
large, and they usually leave a helpless
wIfe and several children. Coroner
Hoffmann recommends that an inquiry be
MADE concerning the conditions of the
families who are thus left unprotected
and also concerning the causes of and
responsibility for accidents which result
in death and serious injury He also sue-
gests Legislation to protect employees par
ticularly and the public generally. such
as will make life safer and employment
more secure"
1 brought this admirable report of Cor
oner HOFFMAN, to the attention of Josiah
Strong. president of the New Museum of
Security. at New York. and he said:
with your permission l will hand this
clipping TO the coroner of New York and
see If we can induce him to follow Cor
oner Hoffmann's good example l am
glad he magnifies his office and proposes
not only to pass upon the causes of
death. but to do something to remove
those causes.
You know the enormous number of
accidents which are reported monthly by
the interstate commerce commission and
by the public utilities commission of New
York. which are at the rate of between
five and Six thousand a month. and from
the data we have collected i estimate the
number of industrial accidents in the
United States. in the factories and ma
chine shops, at $4,000 annually, which is
not only appalling and unnecessary, but
country i'm the world. We are trying to
reduce this total, and If we save only a
single life 1t is worth the effort. We are
trying to encourage and promote the in
vention OF and adoption of safety APP
plianceS on the railroads, in the factC rieS
and machine shops, and in various other
places wherever the workmen or the pub
lie are exposed TO injury or death We
are beginning in a small way because
OF a lack of funds, and are trying TO in
terest the public in the workwe are doing
This is not new idea. There are
similar museums in European countries.
The Berlin Museum of Security is gov
eminent institution. established in 1903
at an expense of $4,000 from the public
treasury. Similar museums were estab-
lshed i'll Amsterdam in 1893, at Munich
IN 1900 and at Paris in 1905. and all of
them have proven of the greatest value
IN promoting legiSla zion for the protection
Of the toiling masses. Nowhere is such
a movement needed as much as in the
United States. because the lives and safe
~ of the public are more exposed in this
country than in any other.
More Fatal Than War.
VERY few people realize. and it would
be difficult to convince them. that $1,000
more persons have been killed by acci-
dents in the United States during the last
four years than fell IN battle died of
wounds during the four .'ears OF our civil
war. We are killing in this country every
year more people than persisted during
the three years o. the Crimean war. On
cur railways alone theecasualties were
greater last year and the year before than
the entire losses of the British and the