Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1910-06-03
SAFETY ON THE RAILS.
Cheering Record of American
Transportation Companies
in 10000.
From the annual report OF the Bureau oil
Railway News and Statistics,

From the annual report OF the Bureau OF
Railway News and Statistics
Never before in the history of rail-
ways has such a record for comparative
safety been made as that recorded of
American railways during the year end
ed June 80, 1909. Of the 1868 companies
reporting to this bureau no less than
| BAT, operating 159, 657 miles of line and
carrying 570,617, 563 passengers, went
through the year without single IA
tally to passenger in train accident.
Of the remaining twenty-one COM
panies no less than ten, operating 81
681 miles and carrying 1856, 447, 507 pas
sengers, only missed such perfect i'm
munity by single fatality each in ac-
cidents to trains. This leaves eleven
roads whose misfortune it was to bear
the burden of fatal accidents to passen-
gers during the year.
The roll of immunity includes roads in
every section of the Union, from Maine
to California, several great systems OPP
Grating over 1000 miles of line each, as
well as little branch lines of below ten
miles of single track; lines operated
with all the safety appliances known to
twentieth century progress and lines
operated under as primitive conditions
as prevailed on this continent more than
half century ago.
The record of complete immunity
stretching over 159, 657 miles of operat-
ed line represents a mileage nearly
seven times that of all British roads,
and equals the aggregate of all Europe,
excluding Russia but including the Brit
ish Isles.
What immunity to fatalities to pas
sengers over such vast mileage means
may be partly realized from the fact
that only twice in halt century has it
occurred on the %, 600 miles of British
railways, and never, to the writer S
knowledge, so far as statistics reveal,
on the railways of any of the great di-
visions of Europe. Certainly it has
never occurred, on the aggregate rail-
ways of Europe. 1t would take seven
consecutive years of immunity from
fatalities to passengers in train acct
dents on British railways to equal this
phenomenal record of American roads.
In presenting similar returns for 1908
it was said that considering the myriad
units of risk involved, the record for
immunity from fatal accidents to pas
sengers is without parallel in the history
of railway operation. How that rec
ord has been not only equalled but sur
passed is shown in the following state
ment for the last two wears:
1909 1905
Number of COM
panies BAT 3lt
Mileage 159, 657 124, 05C
Passengers carried
one mile Is, 953, OPS, 600 14,776, 36S, DOC
This means that the passenger ira
vel was equivalent to carrying 1858.
OPS, 900 passengers one mile.
Passengers killed
in train accidents None None
Passengers injured
in train accidents 2,5S5 2,695
The figures given above as to passen-
gers injured in train accidents are
equally illuminating as to the safety OF
American railways, for they demon
strate that with the multiplication Of
risks in 1909 the number of injured was
less by four per cent. The fact that ne
passenger is killed in train accidents is
more or less adventurous, but a reduc
: ton in the number injured testifies to {
, reduction in the opportunities for fal
talities.
During the last ten years the average
I of passengers injured in train accident.
on British railroads has been $50, which
tllC III bilC uillIo "
risk is 100 per cent. higher than tit
above record for 159, 657 miles of Amer
f lean railway in 1909. The following
2 table, which includes no less than sil
great systems of over 1000 miles each
presents similar data in respect to thu
ten roads whose record for safety t.
passengers in train accidents is marreC
5 by single fatality:
2 Number of companies i
A, Mileage q, 6S
Passengers carried mile SITS, 62l ,00
Passengers killed in train
I accidents II
l Passengers injured in
train accidents n
, These figures show a mileage of 4, As
miles greater than all the railways o
the United Kingdom, approximately
[ one-half the passenger mileage and owe
three times the ton mileage, with only
ten passengers killed in train accidents
to an average of twenty on British rail
! ways during the last ten years. Fur
Their analysis of the returns to the bu
t reau since data along this line have beer
compiled affords the following statemen
of the number of roads and their mi
$ leage that have records of entire immu
= nifty from fatalities to passengers il
train accidents of from one up to siy
years:
Number of Miles O
Companies. Line.
Six years, l904-09 II 9,64
D Five years, 10000 95 Al, so
, Four years, 1906-09 1T 81, 80
Three years, 19O7-O9 228 SO, II
Two years, l908-09 2S7 l0S, III
One year, 1909 BAT 159, 65
1 Gratifying and remarkable as was tn,
: immunity from fatalities of the class un
p der consideration in 1909, the fact thai
fora period of five years ninety-iv'
American roads, with mileage practi
t cally double that of all British railways
- have carried hundreds of millions o.
passengers without a fatality to one o.