The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-09-02

2.124 OTHERS ARE KILLED
AND 18, 4s0 MORE MANNED
Total Killed and Injured Toll 3
q, ,928- Awful Cost Of Rail
reading.

It is an awful story of human
slaughter that is revealed by report
Of the Interstate Commerce commits
sion just published in its Accident
Bulletin No. 80. and containing tabs
sulation Of the accidents occurring on
American railroads during the
months Of January. February aad.
March of this yeaar.
The total death toll is 2,370. while
1855 were injured, making a total
Of 21.928. It costs PA human lives
day to run the American railroa ds,
or 10 lives every hour of the day..
In no country in the world is the life.
cost Of running railroads so heavy.
Inexcusable Slaughter.
i Most OF this human slaughter Is
.inexcusab1e. Most of the casualties
on railroads. are preventabie. Eng
gand. Germany and other European.
countries longsago discovered how to-
diminish &c nfs I,el.ath Or Injury
to- s. trespasser there - unheard sof,.
The lives OF travellers are per6ectly
secureSWhile employees find their oc-s
cupations reasonably safe. ~
This, OF course: cogts money. It.
means the adoption Of. every known
means Of safety. It requires the COM
plete fencing off Of railroad right Or
ways. Street crossings are avoided,
and the railroads run either above;
or below the street grades.
The road bed Is perfect. while,
nothing but the very best steel 10
permitted for rails. Steel ties are In
common use, but II there SHOULD be
wooden ties they are taken up and
changed the very moment they begin
to decay, No chances are taken with
danger. x IS
This and this alone is responsible,
for low number OF accidents on
European railroads. But this. % We
have pointed out, costs money. and
money is the one thing that Amer
ican railroad owners love, and hate
to let 90 Of ss 3Ss
.5 .. Where Responsible Lies
II the money that Is now robbed.
from the American people to nv.
dividends on watered railroad stocks.
alone was appropriated. as # e In
other countries, to make railroads.
safe, there would be less danger To-
human life on our railroads.
The system of financing railroads.
which is tolerated by our govern
ment, is responsible Tor the great loss.
OF life and limb which is annually.
occurring. How long win the public.
stand for it? .5s.5
Facts Shown By Bulletfn.
J. The following is from the Bulletin
referred to in this story:
81 81 '.The number Of persons killed In
train accidents during the months Of
January. February and March l9l1.s
as shown In reports made by the
railroad companies to the Interstate
Commerce. commission, under the sac
cident law Of May 8. 1 To-. was 14s.
and Of injured 1928. Accidents of
other kinds, including those sus-
tained by employees while at work. by
I'm getting on or OF cars.
by trayellers at highway ,crossin8s.s
by persons doing business at sta.
tions. etc, by tfespassers and Qthers.
bring up the total number OF casual-
ties. excluding industrial accidents. IS
TO Is, ,654 l2124. killed and 1890 in-ss
jured Accidents to. employees re-..
sulting in slight injuries. which did
not prevent the employe injured from
performing his accustomed service
for more than three days In the ag-
5gregate during the ten days irnInedi.
ately following the accid idents. m
not reported.
The figures above refer only tos
accidents on steam roads. IN ad-S
adition 81 were killed and sse injured
on electric railways during tho
months OF January. February and
March. s