The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-08-16
MORE AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS
TWENTY-EIGHT DEATHS so FAR
this SUMMER.

Drivers o Common Cause Of Trouble
Police Suggestions Is 70 Remedies.
There has apparently been IN increase
in the number Of automobile accidents
this summer. In the last two months the
newspaper 70 have recorded accidents In
which altogether twenty-eight persons lost
their lives.
These are the big casualties. There
have been countless others in which oars
have come to grief in one way or another.
and In which the occupants have escaped
with bruises and hurts far from mortal.
BY long odds no other pastime has shown
such q succession Of fatalities, except
possibly football. which has counted it's
victims in high figures In two months OF
the autumn. Il IL always said In defence
Of football that the trained nan doesn't
get killed. but that the prep school boy
and the corner lots player does. The same
thing doesn't hold good In sutomobiltng.
because the expert and the inexpert meet
the same fate, ~
IL Is probable that the List OF twenty
eight deaths is not complete and that there
have been other deaths resulting from acci-
dents to automobiles in the period described.
The list Is as follows: ~
June is-Auto rum into North River; John
Coleman. Rosie Coleman. his wife. Adelaide
Berdon and Virginia knight drowned.
June 2l-Joeeph Z. Arosemena killed near
New Rochelle; his car run into by speeding
machine.
June a7-nydia Townsend and Arthur
Smith run down near Glen Head. L.. l.. by
railroad train. O.,
july lo-Mrs. Lydia II. Psckham killed in
France.
July Is-Daniel n. Leverani killed at
Jericho, L. l.. while his car was racing.
July i~s-Charles 8. King. his wife and
Josephine and Catherine King. their children.
Emma Bradshaw and Earl Timmins. chauffeur.
killed at railroad crossing near Warsaw. Ind.
July 24-Dr. Carleton p. Flint run down
by chauffeur at Seabright. N. j.
July 2s-AIfred Lauterbach killed when
car hit q bridge near Villa msbridge. O.
Winthrop Sands killed in France: car hit q
tree.
July so-Charies Humphrey and Samuel
Roop killed at railroad crossing near Phils-
delphIa; they ran through gate.
July ai-Louise Rhinehart killed at Green
vale, l.. l.; tires burst md car turned over.
August 2-Donald Holmes and James Shaw.
cha ufeur. killed by train near Haokensaok.
august 3-San Francisco. Brakes didn't
work on car driven by Miss Ethel Mccormick:
Mrs. Ira D.. 0'Brien. her two sons. Ira and
robert, Mrs. T. A. Mccormick and Clara
Mccormick killed when car tumbled over.
There have been as well casualties In
connection with automobile races. Cedrino
lost his life at Baltimore. Tho Dieppe
circuit race witnessed two deaths. and
Lane was killed only a few days ago.
while practising on the Brooklands track.
These racing accidents do not come %
c.ose home as the others because the victims
we're men VINO deliberately took chances
for-gain.
Most Of the accidents take plaoe at rail-
road crossings and Sunday 10 the day on
which most Of them occur. Accounts Of
slch accidents are likely to say $50 and SOS
car was hit at such and such 'oroasins
yesterday afternoon and the following
were fatally hurt or killed. Mr.. Blank. Q
survivor, says no bah rang and there was
no Waterman at tha crossing Or 10 may
be that the iagman says he waved HIS
flag in warning at the automobile and the
party paid no heed TO It.
What causes all these accidental VINO
is ~responsible2 The president Of . railroad
on which many automobiles have b een
killed says the persons in the car are re-
snonsible.
I'VE don't let o man run one Of our loco
motives until he has been aruund them for
five or six years. he Bays. when be- goes
out on the road he knows all about ths
machine he Ii handling. But any reckless
fool who has the price,oen drive IN auto
mobile. There seems 70 be NJ restriction
on that
There have to be grade crossings and
there will be for years. Also I am affaie
there will be reckless drivers Of automobiles
who will come to grief or woSe at tho
crossings.'
That Is ono point ofvisw. Thas n an
otaer. that held by the police. whose duty
n generally 10 to follow u these accidents
In IN effort 70 get at the rights Of things.
A couple Of eIperienoed policemen who
know the automobile game from al sides
were discussing the matter recently and
thsy agreed that never before had the
accidents oome % fast As in the last few
weeks. They distributed the blame In o
vsry general way. makingiit clear that they
did not think that In every case It was the
fault Of the man handling the machine
'Carelessness Is at the bottom Of Il afl.'
said n Either you have q driver who
takes chances or else you have q rail-
road company that t~akes6hancea.
The man who win dash along without
paying attention 10 the state Of the road
10 bound to come TO mischief. But he Ia
helped along by the railroad companies.
which have frequent, crossings along
roads travelled all the time In the summer
BY automobiiists.
Not all these crossings have gates.
and in some cases thets Isn't . hagman
there.
'when the road hasa hsgman stationed
at one Of these dangerous spots he In on
duty generally from I A. M. 10 2 p. NJ.
what I consider to be almost worthless
hours. The bulk Of fhe auto trafio In one
direction II In the afternoon, to be SURE.
but returning II Ii chiefly at night.
what the railroads. should do Ia TO have
the crossings on rosds where there are
night trains watched and Jagged from
II noon to ~ midnight. That would DO
Of some use and It Would save many lives
that otherwise mighx be lost.
Another thing that would cut down
these accidents Id proper policing. In
the greater city. where speeding 10 watched
with the greatest care. these accidents
are rare. They viii happen because q