Semi-weekly herald., 1908-11-30
SLAUGHTER ON RAIL
GREATER IN AMERICA

GREATER IN AMERICA
NEW YORK, Nov. 2S.-The report
sion concerning railway accidents in
the United States shows that during
the year ending June 30, 1908, there
were 1864 persons killed and 69,9S9 in
jured. rn
OF these 406 killed and 12,645 in
jured were passengers; employees. g.,
35S killed and 56,344 injured. There
was gratifying decrease from the
previous year, when 647 passengers
and 1853 employees were killed and 49,
579 passengers and 62,6S9 employees
were injured. making total of 5000
killed and 76,2SO injured.
These figures are appalling, espe-
cially when they are compared with
similar reports from foreign countries
The total number of passengers killed
in England last year was only 1870,
and 1866 were injured, while the
number of railway employees killed was
454 and the number of injured 5,577
The annual average for the last ten
years in England has been 1,160 killed
and 6,765 injured This was an av
erage Of one passenger killed out of
70,O0O.0OO travelling. and one for every
100000 was injured The annual
average of accidents in the United
Kingdom for the last thirty years has
been one passenger killed for every
100000 travelling; so that the risk
is very much less than formerly, and
is diminishing every year. In 1906
there was very bad record in Eng
land. because of two terrible accidents
one of them to a steamship train
loaded with Americans-an the total
for that year was fifty-eight passengers
killed and 631 injured. -..-
The total number of passengers
killed by accidents to trains in Great
Britain last year was only eighteen
and the number injured was 554
while in the United States 165 pas
sengers were killed in train accidents
and 7,T45 were injured
The greatest slaughter was in col
lisions which seldom occur In Eng.
land. Last year In the United States
Ala persons we're killed and 1912 were
injured in collisions, while in the
United Kingdom the total was 81 kill.
ed and 904 injuries. The number Kill.
ed in accidents due to derailments was
314, and the number injured 5.122 in
the United States, while in Eng1anl
there were only 10 deaths lue TO de
railments and 256 injuries. This means
that the railway tracks In Great Brit
ain are much safer than In the United
States; and are much more carefully
guarded. But 1t should also be said that
the trains over there are very much
lighter than ours, and the number
of employees is SO much greater that
the tracks can be more carefully
watched and promptly repaired rhe
track-walkers on British railways are
scarcely ever out of sight of each
other and the distance allotted to
section gangs is very much shorter
than in the United States.
AS rule the trains in Great Britain
run faster than those in the United
States, and they carry more passen,
gers. There are many trains which
make an average of fifty miles an hour
and do not stop between the termi.
nals-London, Bristol, Holyhead. f.iv.
erpool, Manchester, Edinburgh and
other cities. There are fifty.seven
trains running daily between London
and Manchester distance of over
200 miles, and five of them each way
make no stops whatever between the
two cities. I was told that there had |
never been an accident TO one of these |
fast trains, and they are usually crowd |
ed with passengers.
We have some tracks in this coun.
try that are Just as good as those in
England, but our great trunk lines
could not afford to build such solid
road beds as they have over there. |
The earnings Of the roads would never
pay dividends on the cost s-