The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-02-02
THE AFTERMATH OF
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS
"a The Struggle to Make Both Ends
Meeet.-(2) Children Taken Out
of SchOOL-(3) Family In
comes Reduced.
Exclusive Service The Survey Press
Bureau.)

Exclusive Service The Survey Press
Bureau.)
It has often been shown that q
grave injustice exists in the distribu-
ton of the loss from industrial acct
dents. But it is more important to
know just what actual hardship this
unfairness brings to those who suffer
it. The public's concern lies not only
with abstract injustice but with eco
nomic welfare.
In the cases of fifty fatal accidents
which occurred in different cities in
formation about which was gathered
by Sherman G. Kingsley, Superinten-
dent Of the United Charities of Chi
fatality was $668.47. Twenty-four
occupations were represented. II am
inclined to think" says Mr.. Kings
ley, 'That the average income is a
little high and that the soclelles ar
rived at the annual II.cone by null
Der of weeks in a year, consequently
not allowing for sickness, shut downs
or holidays. The present average IN
come, after a period OF a little more
than a year since the accidents-the
wife and children going to work. taxi
ing boarders, renting rooms, etc.--was
$23S.S0, a decrease of 62.4 per cent.
The average number in the family
was five-wife and four children. The
average age Of the children was eight
years and two months" 'sIn fifty 9TH
err accidents where the man was
wholly or partially permanently dis
abled the average income before the
accident was 500. After the acct
dent it was s256-a Reduction of IS
per cent"
In Pittsburg Miss Crystal Eastman
studied the effects of the Industrial
fatalities Of year upon the home.
The economic responsibilities of 46I
persons KILLED were studied. Of
these 297 were the sole or chief sup
porters of families and ninety more
were regular contributors which
leaves only eight whose death did not
affect the welfare of others. The
most appalling feature, says Miss
Eastman, sis that the Industrial IA
talities fall exclusively upon workers.
bread winners. Among those killed
there were no aged, helpless persons,
no idle merry-makers, no unrespon-
sible children. The people who per-
ished were those upon whom the
world leans"
In SO per cent of the industrial ia
talities that occurred in Pittsburg, the
widow and children were left by the
employer to bear the entire income
loss and in II per cent. Of the re-
manning cases since the recoveries
were for less than $500 this was
paid to those dependent upon single
men was very little. In 65 per cent.
of the cases there was no cOmpensa-
ton whatever. The economic burden
Of accidents falls even more upon the
families of the men injured but not
killed.
Forty-four Of the funerals had to be
paid for by charity and the expenses
of twenty-six more were met in other
ways by those outside the imme diate
family.
1t was very hard to trace the after
effects of the accidents for the Deepen
dents of 149 Of those killed were in
Europe and the families Of nineteen
went back to the old country soon af-
ter the funeral. That is 43 per cent.
of the fatal accidents in the Pitts
burg District leaves a poverty prob
lem, not in America. but in Europe.
OF the fate of these families, nothing
is known at first hand-on1y here
and there a friends statement based
on letter that ''the widow begs and
the children are in rags that the
woman works in the fields or "has
gone out to service or that they
have all gone back to the grandpa
rents who are old and have moth
ing"
Some of the families of the 1872
married men killed at the end of
eighteen months felt no deprivation
These were the few cases of men
whose wages were large and who left
insurance or whose widows received
liberal death allowance awards or
where there were grown unmarried
sons living at home. The majority
of workmen in dangerous trades have
no opportunity to insure adequately
against their special risks. Often
where the family seems to have been
able to adjust itself easily to the
loss of income one can see that the
greatest hardship is to come. 1t
must not be expected that grown sons
will always remain at home to take
the fathers place, or If they do so,
that this in itself is not hardship.
Some widows meet the problem of
loss of income by taking another hus-
band. Out of 25S widows left by