The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-06-21

of them due to collisions and derail-
ments. The total number Of employees
killed In 1911 was 1902 OF these 200
were killed while coupling and un-
coupling cars, In spite of the fact that
S9.a per cent of the locomotives and
cars in service have oeen at heavy
EXPENSE equipped with automatic
couplers. One thousand. four hundred
and Twenty-Five were killed by being
strrck or run ever By engines or cars,
which. Of course. we're being operated
by their fellow-employes 1t is impos.
s1b1e to see how anybody can attrih-
ute these fatalities to detective equip
ment; the best car or locomotive can
Kill an employe who gets in its way
quite as easily as the poorest. One
hundred and ninety-seven were killed
while getting on or off cars or engines
Three hundred and ninety-one were
Killed by falling from trains, locomo'
Hvea, or cars. Part o. these deaths
were due to defective equipment. al.
though probably most Of them were
not. seventy-eight employees were
Killed by coming in contact while rid.
Ing on cars with bridges; tunnels, sig.
nal apparatus. CIR soma other fixed
structures above Or at the side of the
track. Most of these deaths were due
to the fact that. owing to the Increased
size of equipment and to other causes,
overhead and lateral c'earances be.
tween cars and structures have become
too small. This is a defect in railway
plants for which the railway manage
ments are responsible and which they
alone can remedy. The deaths of 430
were due to industrial accidents" re.
sulting from handling of tools. ma.
ch1nery. supplies, ETC.. Getting On or
on locomotives or cars while at rest,
and from other causes not connected
with the movement of trains, and
therefore no more chargeable to haz.
ards OF transportation than an acct.
dent happe uing on a farm or In a mill
1t Is admitted that some of the rail.
ways Of tie United States have been
and are excessively capitalized: but
owing to the conservative policy that
has prevailed on most roads for many
years. Of making extensive improve
ments from earnings and to other
causes 1t may be said with more truth
that the railways of the United States
as whole, are undepcapitalized than
that they are overcapitalized 1t is
we'll known that within recent years
large increases have taken place in
the value Of their real estate. 1t is
also we'll known that many have made
extensive reductions of grades and
rectiffcatfons of curvature. have built
expensive stations and terminals. bal
lasted and tie-plated their tracks, laid
heavier rails and better ties. con
structed stronger and more durable
bridges. installed inte-locking and sig.
mailing systems, replaced wooden
structures by structures made OF
cement. masonry. and steel, ETC. Be-
sides all this, during the ten years
from 1899 to 1909 the number OF
freight cars per 1000 miles increased
PTS per cent, the number OF passen.
ger cars II per cent, and the number
Of locomotives "a per cent Further.
more. the equipment added and that
with which old equipment was re.
placed. was Of much greater capacity
and much more expensive than that
superseded. Meantime the mileage
of additional main tracks and sidings
per 100 miles increased SO per cent.
The density of passenger traffic per
mile increase 81 per cent. and the
density of freight traffic IS per cent.
The assessors evinced the belief that
there was a large increase in the
value Of railway property by advancing
taxes per mile from $245 to $401. or
Ga per cent. Yet between 1899 and
1909 the railway stocks and bonds out
standing in the bands OF the public in.
creased only from $47,43s to $59.259
per mile, or but Is per cent.-Railway
Age Gazette.