The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-07-25
RAILROAD NEWS.
Campaign to Decrease Injuries
Among Rail Employees.
Santa Fe Makes Careful Inves-
tigatiOn of Causes.
CARELESS so PER CENT
One Employees Actions a Loss
to Another.
Other Items of General Interest
in Traffic World.
CARELESS so PER GENT

If there is one thing more than an
other which railway employees might
he considered to have an interest," III
furthering, it is the campaign WAlCh
is being conducted by a number OF the
leading companies for the purpose o.
bringing about a marked decrease IN
the number of railway accidents or all
kinds and more especially those IN
which the employees themselves are
the principal sufferers, says the Rali-
way Record. A thorough lnVestlSatloIl
has been made by the Santa Re lnlo
the proportion of the total number OF
accidents which occur which are avoid
able. with the result that it has been
demonstrated beyond the possibility OF
doubt that from as to so per cent OF the
whole were directly attributable =
gross caralessness on the part OF one or
other of the employees of the system.
of course it necessarily follows thaI
with due care every one or these HlSiiI
nave been prevented. Had they been
the company would have been saved
very large amounts in actual money.
while the employees themselves would
have saved the needless sacrifice OF
many human lives and no end OF un-
told suffering
Experienced railway operators say
that there is nothing which interteres
with efficiency so much as the occur
renee Of a disastrous accident. 1t ue-
5nOralizes everything, and the democrat =
ization is necessarily prolonged FOR an
indefinite period. There are few OF
such accidents in which some OF the
employees, if not killed outright, are
not seriously injured, so that they are
disabled for work for a long period.
This makes it necessary for the COM
pany to employ substitutes Tor the IN
iured men. As these substitutes are
likely to be less skilled and less ex-
perienced than the regular men whose
places they are filling, the efficiency Of
operation must necessarily be greatly
hindered. and the risk of further acct
dents will thereby be greatly increased.
Really it may be impossible to measure
the extent to which the risk of accident
Is increased from this very cause. That
It is enormous is such self evident
proposition that it does not require any
argument whatever to demonstrate 1t.
The wonder is that the men have no.
discovered the fact long ago for them
selves. and by the exercise of greater
care and caution made the occurrence
of accidents much less frequent than
they have been.
Il is not the amount of physical
suffering which has to be endured, or
the actual loss in time and money re
quilting from the occurrence of needless
accidents that the railway employees
should consider alone in connection
with these disasters. The actual money
loss resulting to the companies in the
course Oh every year IS SOlleInllE
enormous Every accident which DC
ours is in one sense needless and
wanton waste of the oompany's income
Such losses must be taken into c0nsid-
Grafton when other lines of needed ex-
penditures are under discussion The
money required to meet the company
Liabilities for losses incurred because OF
accidents could be spent to much bet
ter advantage in the increase of faeil-
tiles for handling traffic in the in
crease and general Improvement OF
equipment. in the physical improve
rnent of the roadbed. whereby it's safety
in operation would be greatly in
creased, in advances in wages of the
employees or indeed, in any other way
that it is possible to suggest or con-
ceive. It is not at all improbable thai
the refusal of q company to advance
wages to its employees has frequently
been occasioned because of the enor-
nous losses it has sustained through