Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-01-07
The Accident List Of 1907.

The Accident List Of 1907.
The New York Tribune is following
the example of it's Chicago contem-
porary of the same name in the matter
of collecting statistics and gives US
some interesting, though rather horri-
flying, tables showing the number Of
people killed and wounded in the civil
lized world in 1907 from purely acct
dental causes. The tables cover over a
score of different causes, and the
aggregate of accidents resulting in
death totals 1852, while those result
ing in serious injury numbered, all
told, 22,307, bringing the entire list of
killed and injured up to the enormous
total Of 57,o1s. Very few Of the great
battles of history present such a total
of casualties as this.
The railroads are not at the head Of
the list among the agencies responsible
for this immense mortality and main-
ing. The record against them is a
gruesome one, aggregating Sill killed
and $3.50 crippled during the past year.
But to earthquakes and landslideS are
set down 2l,512 deaths and 1902
cripplings, to storms and floods 4,209
deaths and 1863 serious injuries. Ex-
plosions and mine disasters killed out
right 3,0S6 people and injured 2,721
others There were 1877 deaths and
1891 maimings from firearms; much
more than half of these firearm casual
ties being accredited to single day
the Fourth of July. During July of
last year there were 1928 accidents
from firearms, whereas only 80 Of such
accidents are set down to the month
Of June and only 10 to the month Of
August The inference is unavoidable
that our Fourth of July is very costly
bit Of glorification.
Some surprise will be occasioned by
the showing that so large proportion
of last years accidents were fatal.
This, it is reasonably explained, is
chiefly because of the fact that fully 60
per cent. of the accidents were from
earthquakes, landslides and tidal
waves, which universally kill instead
of MAIN The mining disasters,
generally. have also killed outright
more than We're wounded through their
occurrence The railroads killed out
right less than one-fourth the victims
OF train wrecks-fewer than lost their
lives from the wrecking of shipping.
the figures being 811 deaths set down
TO railroad wreckage and 2,o69 to vessel
wrecks.
The automobile is accredited with
229 deaths and 7o4 cripplngs
Proportionately to the number OF
automobiles in use, the havoc wrought
by these powerful and noiseless
machines is appalling. The figures
demonstrate that the gasoline car IS
far more dangerous to life than the
steamboat or the railway train. AS
against the automobile casualty record
the IS deaths and the lG0 injuries set
down to runaway horses looks IN
significant Certainly insignificant
when il is considered that there
are 100 horse drawn vehicles in the
country for every automobile. Only
- people in this country were
killed last year in street-car
collisions. though 1902 are re-
ported rs injured. Many OF these
injuries were probably slight. and. con-
sidering the vast numbers which go up
and down daily over the city passenger
systems of the various American cities,
the record is far less depressing one
than that of the steam railroads in the
,p,ttar of killing and manning,