The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-03-16
7. P. A. WORKING
FOR STEEL COACHES
Organization Has Men in
Washington Looking After
Proper Legislation.
CASUALTIES ARE SHOWN.
w. II. oUIGG OF THE LOCAL POST
HAS ISSUED STATISTICS SHOW
ING NEED OF STEEL PAssEN-
GER CARS.

ING NEED OF STEEL PAsSEN-
GER CARS.
Local members OF the r. p. A, are
enthusiastic over the efforts this or
ganization is to make in securing ma
tional legislation which will compel
all railroads in the United States to do
away with the wooden passenger
coaches. w. II. Quigg, chairman OF
the press committee, Of the local post,
has issued the following statement:
Frank w. Crandell, chairman of the
national railroad committee and John
S. Harwood, chairman of the national
legislative committee are in Washing
ton working for the passage Of bill
introduced in congress, which promises
to do away with wooden passenger
coaches.
Coaches Dangerous.
These gentlemen consider wooden
passenger coaches one of the greatest
menaces to travellers. and believe that
the Travellers Protective association
composed of $1,000 members in every
state in the union, whose vocation
makes imperative the continued use of
all means of transportation, is greatly
concerned in the enormous death rate
which the railroads of this country are
piling up year after year.
II. 900 persons have sacrificed their
lives on American railways during the
last five years; in 1903 the totals were
1854 dead and 1871 injured; in 1904
they numbered 3.7S, dead and 81, 343
injured; in 1905 the roads killed 3,79S
persons and wounded 81, 1876: in 1900
the death roll had grown to 1926 and
the injured numbered 6,707; in 1907
the list of deaths reached 5000 anC
that of the injured 1000.
Like Great Battle.
These figures read more like the
casualty list of some Of the great bat
ties for the worlds history, but ever
they do not tell the whole story. fol
The Interstate Commerce Commission
veports great difficulty in getting &C
curate statistics of casualties from
the railroads. In the nineteen year.
since the Interstate Commerce com
mission began it's collection Of fact!
about accidents, nearly COCO passen
gers and over $4,000 employees. be
sides nearly 10000 other persons hav
been killed on American railways; AM
nearly 100000 more have been Grip
pied. The present average per da.
is Is killed and 300 injured.
In 1905 it was twice as dangerou
to travel on a railway train or worl
for a railroad company in the Unite
States as it was in 1895. Twent
years ago the average KILLED was / il
So: today it is l in 10, The fact tina
a large number of railroad companie
to report over 200 accidents Re
ed by the filming recently of one of tn
largest railroad companies for failur
10 report over 200 accidents. Re
ports compiled by the Interstate Con
merce commission and the Public Uti
tties commission of New York, indicat
that there are between 5000 and 600
accidents each day in the year; and
Is estimated that we are killing i
this country in all kinds of accident.
more people each year than were kille
in the entire three years of the CIR
mean war.
It is estimated that the danger 10
man engaged in the active operation {
train at this time is so great as t
warrant the comparison made with
soldier in the regular army, who it
estimated, could serve the time niece:
eary TO secure his retirement on a pei
sion with less liability or death OF iii
ahliug accident than the train oper;
tor.
The compilation OF the cause OF tor;
noteworthy train accidents shows II;
in tweuty-one cases the disaster w
directly tTaceable 20 carelessness, {
rur OF Judgment. or negligence on II
part Of the railway employees. In
Surprisingly large number OF cases Il
men responsible for these lapses WEI
either new 10 their duties, or had bee
working for a continuous period unit
they were presumably. TOO eXhaustt
10 efficiently perform their work.
Need of Change.
The need for change In these co
ditions is so great as 10 be self-cyideu
and the fact that these changes mu
be far-reaching in their scope is eQua
" true. There IS great need at pre-
ent for uniform standard of roadbe
the abolishing of grade crossings; do
BILE tracking Of all roads which attain
certain volume of traffic; a unifor
and automatic system Of blocks whi'