Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1913-08-06
Tresnassing ON Railways.

|
ing statistics showing the number
of deaths and accidents as a result
of trespassing on the railways of the
country. The figures are appalling
The report should be studied careful
ly by every citizen who should CO.
| operate with the railroads in decreas-
ing the annual slaughter, says the
Dubuque Telegraph
| Here is a movement in which the
railroads deserve the support of law
makers and all citizens in their eff
forts to prevent death or injury.
Mr.. Richards, of the Northwestern,
who compiled the statistics, says in
his appeal to the public:
Your attention is called to the fol-
lowing statistics showing the number
of trespassers killed and injured on
the railroads of this country during
the last twenty years, which are TAX
en- from a paper read by Interstate
Commissioner McCord at the first
cooperative safety congress held at
Milwaukee in October, 1912:
Trespassers killed, S6,733.
Trespassers injured, "a, 646.
Total trespassers killed and injur-
ed on the railroads in this country,
1S1,379.
According to the reports made of
such cases to this company and the
New York Central lines, these cases
should be divided as follows:
Young people under Is years of
age, residing in the vicinity of ac-
cident, many of them under 10 years
of age, $4,000.
Tramnc and h0hOac "a o7e
Citizens of the locality in which
earners, 120,103.
When you stop to think that in
twenty years there were $4,000
young people killed and injured on
our railroads-enough to make a
mile post for every mile of travel in
a trip around the world, and that in
nearly every city, town and village
there is some child without an arm
or leg lost trespassing on the rail-
road, or little grave in the ceme-
| terry of some child (perhaps an only
child killed Tipping on the cars,
and that during the last few years of
the twenty year period referred to
fourteen trespassers were killed and
fourteen injured each day of the 365
days in the year; and that four-fifths
OF the killed and injured, or 145, 1O3
were not tramps, but young people
and children and respectable citizens
mostly wage earners of the vicin-
| ity in which the accident occurred,
| fourteen times as many trespassers
killed every day and every year as
| there are passengers killed. because
we are the only civilized country in
the world that either has no laws
penalizing trespassing on railroad
tracks, or, where we have such laws,
neglect to enforce them; and while
all kinds of laws have been enacted
and enforced to secure the safety and
protection of passengers, none have
been enacted and enforced to prevent
trespassing, although the lives and
| limbs of the 1851 trespassers
, (Which number is exclusive of the
tramps) are just as valuable to their
! families and to the state as are the
| lives and the limbs of passengers
You will, ! think, agree with me that
something should be done immedi-
ately to stop this unnecessary waste
of life and limb.
1t would actually cost the state
and municipalities less to enforce
trespass law than it does to pick up
and bury the dead and care for the
cripples, to say nothing of the saw
ing of human lives and limbs, the
most valuable possession we have in
the world, and at the same time pro-
tect the children-perhaps our own
children-who may be among the
number of those killed and injured
if nothing is done to stop the tres
passing.
Believing the school, public and
private is the place to commence to
teach that trespassing must be stop
ped, your attention is called to the
the matter in hopes that if you agree
with me, the proper instruction will
be given to the pupils in your school,
and that they are especially warned
CT the danger of:
Walking on railroad tracks and
bridges or cars.
Lettering about railroad stations
or cars.
Flipping on and off trains, cars or
engines.
Crawling under, between or over
cars.
Crossing tracks. without looking
and listening to see whether train
is coming.
Crawling under gates when they
are down. Yours truly.
i RALPH G.. RICHARDS