The Washington bee., 1909-06-05


War slays is thousands and peace
it's ten thousands. For the year
1906 the Interstate Commerce Com
mission reported the number of rail
way accidents in the United States as
i08 324-a total greater than all the
casualties of the BoeT War, which
lasted three years. The records of
the Public Service Commission show
that 155 people were killed by street
cars, elevated, steam and subway
trains In New York City in the three
months ending November 30th, 1897.
and that 500 more were seriously Ia-
iured These figures have attracted
much attention but they do not prove
that the railroads are sinners above
ali the industrial agencies OF the
country; on the contrary. there are
many more accidents in factories aEi
in the building trades than on the
railroads, but their vast total is not
appreciated because 1t is the duty of
the statistician to record them accu-
rately. Only one State, New York
has made any serious attempt to
gather accurate figures relating to
the loss of life by industrial acci-
dents. On the basis Of a report of
the commissioner of labor, made a
number of years ago, It is computed
that the industrial accident rate n
tie factories of New York State
reaches the appalling figures of A
to 1000, and that more than 232,0OJ
factory employees are killed or injured
every year in the United States Min
ing and railway casualties bring the
total OF slaughter, mutilation, AMI
other injuries up % more than 524,-
900 cases annually record which
makes that of any twelYemontE 4
the history Of war pale into ins 9
nificance. The entire losses, in kill
ed and wounded In the RussO-Japan-
csc War were 33,786.
The country has been particularly
shocked Of late by the succession If
coal nine disasters-FOuT within a
period of few weeks-in WhIcl
about seven hundred lives were lost;
and the recent exactiOn of this dread
ful Lsath-tOll lends special in
terest to the report on coal-mins ac-
cidents which has just been issued by
the United States Geological Survey.
This states that In the year 1906
nearly seven thousand men were kill
ed or injured In the coal mines of
the United States, and that the num-
Der of mine explosions has been
steadily increasing. This increase
Is said to be due in part to the lack
of properly enfOrcible safety Tegula-
tions, which are insisted upon in Ed
r. pean countries. particularly in
france, where the accident death-rate
among coal-miners, Is less than one
to every thousand employed; the
American ratio is 1-2 to 1000, be-
ing three and One-half times that #
Belgium and higher than that of eth
er Prussia or Great Britain. One
of the devices employed in German
mines for the rescue of miners caught
In suffocating gases consists of an
air-tight mask fitting over eyes, nose
and mouth md connected by tubes
with reservoirs Of oxygen.
The ameliOration of the horrors Cl
peace should be regarded as equally
important with the amelioration OF
the horrors Of war Some foreign
philanthropists view it In this light,
and not only have they induced en-
ployers and the governments Of thelT
respective countries to take action
resulting in the installation of pro
tective devices of many sorts, bit
they have established several N H.
Gums in which the mos improved Gf
these devices are kept on exhibition
for the benefit Of employers anI
Uork people A similar work has
been undertaken Ia this country ny
the American Museum of Safety De
vices and Industrial Hygiene, which
maintains a permanent nee exhibit
ton at No 231 West ThiTty-ninJh
Street, New York, where the manage
ment is demonstrating to employers
the economy say nothing OF The
higher conslderations-of insuring
the safety OF their WOrk-peoDle