Smyrna times., 1910-06-22
RAILROADS TAKE URGENT
STEPS FOR TRESPASSING
MEAN TO BREAK UP WALKING
AND LOlTERING ON PROPERTY

The Many Thousands of Deaths Due
to Careless Trespassing Has Com
PEELED Railroads to Action.
Trespassing on railroad property
in violation of the law has caused
the deaths of more than so, 600 people
in the United States in the last
eleven years. Ir this same period
more than So, 900 trespassers have
been injured. With a view to re-
ducing to a minimum the practice of
trespassing on it's property, the
Pennsylvania Railroad has determined
to redouble its efforts to secure on its
lines that rigid enforcement of the
law against trespassing which in
foreign countries has done so much
to decrease the number of fatalities
resulting from trespassing.
In 1907 the Pennsylvania inaugu-
rated a vigorous campaign against
trespassing, and, due doubtless to
this, the number of trespassers killed
in 1908 was only 757. In 1909, 1872
lost their lives in this way In the
eleven years prior to January 1st,
1910, exactly 1872 people who were
on the Pennsylvania Railroad S right
of way in willful violation of the
law, in spite of thousands of warning
signs along the railroad, were killed.
1t is thus seen that in the eleven
years an average of two trespassers
a day have been killed on Pennsyl
vania Railroad property. This long
death roll is every year charged up
to the railroad even though these
people are killed as a result of
violating the law, and under condi-
tons over which the Company has no
control.
1t is not only tramps who are killed
and injured while trespassng, though
thousands of them lose their lives in
this way every year. Men of the
laboring class, factory workmen,
their wives and children, who use
railroad tracks as thoroughfares, are
killed by the hundreds. That the
practice of walking on railroad
tracks is prevalent in industrial dis
tricts gives added significance to the
fatalities on the Pennsylvania System
as result of trespassinG. The
tracks of the Pennsylvania are lined
with factories, as they run through
the densest industrial section, through
territory which holds more than half
of the population of the United
States. Over 1000 trespassers
were arrested in the ear 1909
In 1898, 4, O63 trespassers lost
their lives on American railroads; 4;
five years later the number was
5, 600 and in 1907 the number killed
was 5, 5,6l2-mOre than Is day. These
figures are taken from the annual re.
ports of che Interstate Commerce
Commission. Figures compiled by
the Pennsylvania Railroad alone show
that 465 trespassers lost their lives
on that Systems s lines in 1899; 781
were killed in 1904; while in 1907
the number reached 915-an avers ge
of almost three for every business
day in the year.
The Pennsylvania Railroad has now
posted its tracks and stationed watch
men to see that warnings against
trespassing are respected. By re-
doubling its efforts the Company is
endeavoring to reduce the number OF
trespassers who are killed and injured
by an even greater number than il
has done in the past three years.
The cooperation of City anC
County authorities has been solicited
in this campaign. Heretofore the
actual punishment of persons violat
ing the laws forbidding trespassinp
on railroads private property ha,
been infrequent. Tne cost Of i'm
prisonment has deferred the loca
courts from holding those arrested
while trespassing OH railroad proper
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