The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-09-06
RAILROADS IN U. S.
KILL 81 AND INJURE
500 PERSONS EACH DAY
Figures For First Quarter OF
Year Are Given Out in
Washington
2,4s1 LIVES SNUFFED OUT
More Casualties During This
Period Than Have Occurred
Since 1907
2,4s1 LIVES sNUFFED OUT

WASHINGTON, Sept. Can aver
age of 32 persons were killed and 5OC
injured daily during the months oil
January, February and March by the
railroads OF this country. All the re
bellions and revolutions south OF the
Rio Grande combined we're not 30 in.
furious 10 life a nd lamb as the com
mon carriers by rail.
The killed numbered 2,4S1 and the
injured 43,475. according to the bull
letin issued by the Interstate Com
merce commission. The killed In
Guided only those who died within "a
hours Of the time of the accident. A
conservative estimate IL that 10 per
cent OF those whose death Is caused
by railway accidents linger for more
than that length of time. Therefore
the revised number of killed should
be 1853, or an average greater than
the 81.
Assuming the annual earning power
of each person killed or injured to be
gbOO. SO as to allow for the women and
children included tie daily loss In
lives snuffed out, capitalizing the
earning power on A five per cent
basis, was $S20,00l Assuming that
the injured were ncapacitated for 10
DAYS. the Temporary destruction OF
capital amounted to S5,000,000 day.
The loss in wage OF those Injured, on
4 the $500 a year basis, amounted to
4 E9,665.
The number killed In train acct
dents numbeed only 2,348 and the
injured 20.49g The word only Is used
because the lotal when the whole sac
rifice Is cointed, Is the much larger
figures beDre given.
The vale of the engines and cars,
ties and ails smashed was $3,36S, 125.
Unless tie property damages amount
ed To more than $3.50 no report was
made. Unless the railroad employe
was ircapacitated for more than three
days he was not listed among the In
jurd. Persons other than railroad
employees who were incapacitated for
a whole day were listed among the
njured.
II was the worst quarter since that
ending Sept. 30. 1907. During that
period there were 1880 accidents, OF
which 1,674 were collisions, 2,229 de-
railments, 81 miscellaneous, including
boiler explosions, and 243 accidents
not causing derailments.
The accident insurance offer to pay
double Indemnity TO the person killed
while a passenger on the train OF a
common carrier Is still good business.
That is, there are more chances for
a man to be killed while walking
along the street than If he Is a pas
.senger In a railway coach. Only 80
passengers were killed in train acci-
dents and the total OF all passengers
killed was only II.
The big passenger train wrecks that
occurred early in the summer, obvious
ly, cannot be included in a bulletin
covering the first quarter OF the year.
The number OF passengers injured was
3,774; employees killed, 1,049; injured,
1889; other persons, trespassers and
non-passengers, killed, 1851; Injured,
2,162.
These figures are all exclusive OF
the casualties on interstate trolley
roads. They, during the three months
under consideration, had 81 accidents
to train In which they killed eight
passengers, injured GOA, and produced
a total OF SO killed and 1929 injured.
Railroad managers who have been
growing at the commission because
Il has allowed comparatively few gen.
eral advances In rates. though many
specific advances between what might
be called local points have been al
lowed to go into effect. have suggest
ed that this stringent policy has COM
PEELED them to forego repairs to track
and equipment which they would have
made had they been permitted to In
crease their income.
The report appears to afford them
ground for their complaints, because
during the quarter derailments due to
defective roadway and equipment in
creased 57h per. cent, while the in
crease in the number Of train men
killed while on duty amounted to
nearly 100 per cent.