Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-14

In another letter and thus help to undo
the wrong you have DONE"
Mr.. Dalton is evidently not familiar with
the act of Congress. approved March 3.
1901, requiring common carriers to make
reports of accidents to the interstate COM
merce commission. This act requires rail-
roads to report only such accident as
may occur to its passengers or en-
ployes,' and does not require them to re-
port accidents to trespassers. If Mr.. Dali
ton will obtain copy of the circular Of
instructions issued by the interstate COM
merce commission for the guidance of rail-
way officials in reporting accidents he Will
also discover that they are requested to
report accidents to trespaSserS as well as
to passengers and employees. and most OF
the railways do so voluntarily, but the re-
ports are not included In the monthly bull
letins.
The circular of instructions defines as
killed" passengers or employees who die
within twenty-four hours after the acct
dent. If they survive twenty-four hours
the accident is enumerated as an injury.
Therefore. the number of passengers and
employees killed is actually considerably
larger than the totals given in the bulle-
tin of the Interstate commerce commission
from which took my figures.
Injuries Not Included In Reports.
Under the official Instructions no pas
senger is reported as injured unless he
requires surgical attendance or is SO dis
abled as to require assistance. No en-
ploye is reported as injured unless he is
incapacitated for duty for three days dur
ing the ten days following the accident. If
he is unable to do his work for one day or
for two days and returns to duty on the
third day the case is not reported.
If a passenger is knocked senseless. but
| RECEIVERS consciousness without the aid OF
a physician; If he suffers a sprain or q
bruise which does not require surgical
attention. or If he continues on his
the injury is not reported. The railway
officials throughout the country under
stand all these requirements and make
their reports accordingly. so that the
statistics Of the interstate commerce COM
mission are conservative and underesti-
mate. rather than overestfmate the
number of deaths and injuries caused by
railway accidents in this country.
Railway Accident Statistics.
The number of passengers killed out
right during the fiscal year ending June
30. 1908, was 4O6. and the number Of pas
| sengers injured as explained above. was
12645. This does not include tramps or
trespassers or any other persons except
actual passengers holding tickets on
board trains. and 1t includes only such
as died within twenty four hours after the
accident or were injured so seriously that
they required medical attention or were
unable to take care Of themselves.
The number of trespassers who were
killed and injured and accidents which
occurred at railway crossings and to all
persons who were not actual passengers
or employees OF railways forf the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1908, has not yet
been compiled. but the report for 1907
shows that 8.695 such persons were killed
and 10. 331 were injured during that year.
During the year 1906 the number Of such
persons killed was $3.50 and the number
injured was 1O.241. This is in addition
to 1863 actual passengers killed and TO- 746
injured, and 1929 emploes killed and
e. 701 injured.
In order to make 1t still more clear, the
recent report Of the Interstate commerce
commission says: "Of the persons killed.
1929 were employees, $50 passengers and
$3.50 persons other than employees and
passengers, showing an increase OF 58S in
the number Of employees killed, and de-
crease of 178 in the number Of passengers
killed and increase of 525 in the number
Of other persons killed. OF the persons
injured, rs, 701 were employees, 10. 764 were
passengers, and 1924 persons other than
employees and passengers, being increases
of 9,S68 employees, 3O7 passengers and
1925 other persons injured
This Is a quotation from page 100 OF the
report of the interstate commerce COM
mission which has just come from the
press, and beginning with page 10 may
be found a series of tables giving the de-
tails of the accidents.