Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-12-17

/ IhEs WouStoI, IL u0 10 aOi0 10 Interpret
statistics, will here see that the u. s
leads all the nations Of the earth In the
humber of employees killed and injured
lper number employed.
| Approaching the problem from IN.
other angle, Robert Hunter the econo.
mist shows that the six most dangerous
trades In tie country are: 1-RR brake.
man, 2-Gloucester fisherman, 3-gun.
powder manufacturer. 4-RR switchman
and fagman, 5-RR fireman, err On.
Igineer. The ratios OF killed, per 1000,
are az follows: Is s; Is 8; 1916; 72; 72;
and 6.S. The ratio of soldiers killed In
wartime Is only g., and OF naval sailors
killed in wartime, 40. Thus, four prin.
oipal kinds of RI VIC rk are. In America,
far more dangerous than being y soldier
or sailor, in wartime. All under our
blessed system of privately owned rail-
WAYS!
In Great Britain, for the year ending
Dec. 81, 1910, only % passengers and 0
employees were killed In train accidents
World Almanac, 1912. Only I'LL pas.
sengers and l13 employees were injured.
On page 303 of the World Almanac We
read: "The yearly tables show for the
year ending June 30, 1911, tho total num-
Der Of RR casualties in the US were
l60, O0O,. l0,3s6 killed and 150,159 In
jured."
The condition is so notoriously bad In
this country as to have called forth a..
most universal protest. Charles Edward
Russell, the best informed man In the
country, says:
Oh ;vx hfc
becoming so frequent that the most OF
them receive hardly mention in the
daily papers. 1t is like killing men In
the Pittsburg steel mills, or the diurnal
change Of day and night. Why record
what Is of normal and usual occurrence?
ION one western railway system, at the
end OF July and the beginning of August,
there we're fifteen wrecks in fifteen days.
The right of way was lined with the
smashed cars and locomotives. On
Southern system in the same time,
seven trains went into the ditch.
"Whenever 1t 10 thought worth while to
investigate one of these wrecks, the
cause usually ascribed is spreading
rails" This is equivalent to the "act OF
God" and lets the company out In a
neat and graceful manner. spreading
rails" can't be foreseen or prevented.
1.-THE last time one Of the famous and
dapciful express trains went to smash,
some of the surviving passengers thought
they would look around for another
cause. They found the ties so rotten
they could be picked to pieces with the
fingers.
means. Rotten ties. 1t also means that
the company is so heavily loaded with
watered stock and bogus bonds that It 10
unable to keep its ties and track 10 pas
sable condition. But what care We? 1t
is sweet to die for j. Pierpont Morgan
and the Standard Oil gents.
"If you have been smashed mp In rail.
road accident or lost relative In one,
think of this and be comforted."
Incidentally, wrecks are so rare In Eu-
rope, especially on the government lines,
az to be matters OF tremendous wonder,
as perhaps an earthquake might be,
here. II the readers Of this paper want
to know about ned lines,
l can tell them, for have ridden many
hundreds OF miles on those same, and
they beat our private lines all hollow.
This thing of private ownership 10
wrong, all through. Tho American
railroads are pure and simple money.
making concerns, and they kill and
MAIN with no more consideration than
as though human beings were flies.
The Grand Bunk, for example ought
to havs-and in Europe would be made
to have, a flagmsn or gate at every
grade crossing. hope to see bill In
troduced into the legislature, this winter
to that effect. We need 1t badly. The
terrible lesson of this falls accident At
Hicks Crossing must not be forgotten.
GEORGE ALLAN ENGLAND.
SOUTH PARIS, MAINE, Nov. 28, 1912.