The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-06-13
Has Caused Deaths of More
than SO, 600 People in the
y. S. in II Years.
WANT LAW ENFORCEMENT
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD WILL
REDoueLE IT'S EFFORTS TO RE-
DUcE NUMBER OF FATALITIES
ON ITS LINES.

Pittsburg, June 13.-Trespassing on
railroad property In violation Of the
law has caused the deaths OF more
than $4,000 people in the United
States in the last eleven years. In
this same period more than $4,000
trespassers have been injured.
With a view to reducing to a mini
mum the practice OF trespassing on its
property. the Pennsylvania railroad
has determined to redouble its efforts
to secure on its lines that rigid en-
forcement of the law against trespass-
ing which in foreign countries has
done so much to decrease the number
OF fatalities resulting from trespass-
ing.
In 1907 the Pennsylvania inaugural
ed a vigorous campaign against tres.
passing, 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 first. 1910. ex-
actly 1872 people who were on the
Pennsylvania railroads right of way
in wilful violation Of the law. In spite
OF thousands of warning signs along
the railroad. were killed. 1t il thus
seen that in the eleven years an aver
age of two trespassers a day have
been killed on Pennsylvania railroad
property. This long death roll is ev-
cry year charged up to the railroad
even though these people are killed
az a result of their violating the law,
and under conditions over which the
company has no control.
It is not only tramps who are kill
ed and injured while trespassing,
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 rail-
road tracks as thoroughfares. are kill
ed by the hundreds. That the practice
Of walking on railroad tracks is pre-
valent in industrial districts gives add
ed Significance to the fatalities on the
Pennsylvania system as result Of
trespassing. The tracks OF the Penn
sylvania are lined with factories. as
they run through the densest indus
trial section, through territory which
holds more than half of the population
of the United States. Over 10000
trespassers were arrested in the year
1909
In 1898, 4.063 trespassers lost their
lives on American railroads: five
years later the number was 5000 and
in 1907 the number killed was 5,612
more than Is a day. These figures
are taken from the annual reports Of
the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Figures compiled by the Pennsylvania
railroad alone show that 465 trespass-
crs lost their lives on that system's
lines in 1899: ISL were killed in 1904:
while in 1907 the number reached 915
IAN average 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 tres
passing are respected. BY redoubling
its efforts the company is endeavor-
ing to reduce the number of tres
passers who are killed and injured by
an even greater number than it has
done in the past three years.
The cooperation Of city and county
authorities has been solicited in this
campaign. Heretofore the actual pun
ishment of persons violating the laws
forbidding trespassing on a railroad g
private property has been infrequent.
The cost of imprisonment has deterr-
cd the local courts from holding those
arrested while trespassing on railroad
property.