The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-08-14

more strictly In our progres sive cities,
Machinery, the eleventh cause Of
accidental death, daughters two Aneri-
cans per hundred thousand per year.
"a rate gratifying1y low, considering
the rapldity with which labor-saving
3mechanisms have been adopted to res
place hand labor. And this rate will
probably show a still greater diminu-s
tion In the Immediate future as re-
suit OF the recently inauguarated ed
ucationa1 crusade OF the bureau OF La
Dor for the adoption Of safety devices
upon machinery, causing what are
popularity known as trade diseases.
How sunstroke Ranks.
The sun as q cause OF violent death
is a much less Significant factor than
we would suppose. especially at this
season OF the year, when we read all
this orb OF day. But, as a matter OF
fact, you are moro likely to be kill
ed by machinery and more than doub-
ly liable to die from poison or gas
than you are by sunstroko or hea tstroke.5
But, OF course, Old Sol gets In his
deadly work only for a scarit three
months OF tho year, and IL he were
allowed an uninterrupted twelve
month in which to operate upon each
section OF our land his victims would
reach such total as would rank him
fourth In the list OF causes OF violent,
death. But taking tho year as whole
1t shows q death list from heat and
sunstroke OF only one and fourefifths
persons per hundred thousand. The
chances OF our being suffocated or kill
ed by fracture OF the skull or other
bones are a trifie less than those OF
your dying suddenly from summer
heat.
Autoe Kill Comparatively Few
The automobiles showing Is the
greatest surprise OF the whole list. for
in the course OF year you are twice
as likely to be killed by sunstroke OF
}teatstroke. two and q half times as
liable to be shot to death and over four
times as liable to be poisoned to death
as to be Killed by an auto. compared
to which as an engine OF death the
trolley car Is over four times and the
horse vehicle nearly i've times as fatal.
But, OF course, this showing results
from tho fact that In vast area OF
the country the automobile is as yet
little used. save by the opulent classes.
Yet last year we turned out $4,000 new
automobiles. and the rate Of produce
~
Winters cold causes hardly more
4 than q third ms many violent deaths
lamong us as summers heat. only one
person In each 100000 OF us being an
Inually frozen to death or suddenly kill
| ed by exposure to the blasts Of the
trigid season. But here we run into
the same qualifying factor met with
in the case OF sun and heat stroke. II
winters dangers threatened the year
round, like those Of firearms, poisons,
cars, etc, violent deaths from freez-
ing would be more than double as
frequent as those from automobile
accidents, considerably more numer-
| Gus than those from fractures or suf-
location and equal to those caused by
machinery.
Lightnins and Starvation Our Least
DanEers.
S Lightning was found to be the chief
bugaboo OF large number OF indiyid-
l;uals among whom tho noted psychol-
ogist g. Stanley Hall, made a. census
| of fears some time ago. Yet these
census figures show that you are more
likely to he frozen to death, are four
times as likely to be sutfocated. five
and half times as likely. to BIO shot
Ito death, over nine times as likely to
be fatally poisoned or killed by gas.
nearly eleven times as likely to be
killed by horse and carriage. ovor
twenty times as likely to be burned
or scalded to death and twenty-six
times as likely to be drowned as you
Iare to be slain by a nderbolt. But
were lightning in season the yea,
round 1t would rank with suffocation
and fracture. and would. as a cause
OF fatal violence, score nearly twice
as heavily as the automobile as q, cause
OF violent death.
Starvation and privation are the
least Of the enumerated causes of yio-
Ilent death, and this showing IS truly q
tribute to prosperous nation. especial
lily when we .ref1ect that only one OF
lus In a million annually dies from
this cause. Tho fact that five times