Las Vegas optic., 1913-01-20
IRESP PASSERS ON
Rail Lines
SUFFER
MANY ARE KILLED OR MANNED
EVERY YEAR BY ATTEMPT
ING TO STEAL RIDES.


Trespassing on railroad property i
shown BY reports Of the Interstat
Commerce commission to be a decid
edly dangerous pastime. over 50 pc
cent Of all the people killed on tn
railroads Of this country last yea
we're trespassers-men. women an,
children who had no business o
right on railroad property.
Every day last year IA trespasseri
were killed-over 5000 during tn,
year-an appalling truth. Contrary
to common suspicion, only 10 Pc
cent Of this number were aramps O.
hoboes; 70 per cent were reputabl,
people who used railroad property az
thoroughfare, and in spite of warn
ings given them not to do so, and q
per cent were children under Il
years Of age.
Commenting on this. N. L. Howard
superintendent Of the C. B. & Q. rail
road at Burlington, Iowa, recently
published an open letter to parents,
in which he said:
To-day, somewhere in this country,
two or three little children have been
killed playing around tracks and
cars. So it was yesterday, SO it will
be tomorrow, and so it averages, day
in the day out, through all the year.
The railroads and their employees
are not callous to the sorrow caused
in this way; on the contrary, they
are doing all they can to avoid these
the saddest of all accidents. There
is not a trainman or a switchman in
our yards who has not time and
again adrhonished children against
the danger of Tipping cars, not
one who does not dread the ever
present possibility of having to lift
some broken body from under the car
wheels. All that we railroad men can
do about it, however, is very little;
children continue to come every day
to our yards to play on the tracks, to
hop on the cars, too often to meet
with disaster, because it is impos-
sible for us to keep an eye on every
one of them or keep them all away.
It is bad enough to run over grown
up trespassers, but cannot something
be done to stop killing children?
1T seems to me something can be
done. l feel that the parents of this
country should be frankly told about
the situation and their interest ap-
pealed to in the matter Of keeping
children away from railroad grounds,
except when they are legitimately
called there.
4 regret that now and then some
people get an erroneous understand
ing that children are driven away
rom the tracks because they might
pick up few chunks of scattered
coal or few bits of kindling; but I
10 not think that idea is general. We
want to save our coal, but much more
10 we want to save the boys and |
iris from mutiliation and death and |
0 save the parents from sorrow. For
his purpose l hope we may obtain
he cooperation Of parents every
Vhere. Unless we get this, and es-
ecially unless parents do their duty |
a this important matter, other boys
nd girls viii pay the price Of their
arents' neglect.
"This is not an appeal on the mere
let that the laws should be enforced.
is true that the law against tres
assing should be upheld, but there
mould be public sentiment against
by children stronger than
ly law. Are the legs and arms, and
ven the lives of little children too
Ugh a price to be paid ror what fun
lere may be in playing on the tracks
: jumping on and off moving cars?
others and fathers, if you think so
lat law will be enough; for the rem
iy is in your hands, and you alone
IN prevent the manning and killing 4
these little ones-by forbidding Y
Iem from coming on the railroad
acks and especially from jumping
! and off cars, and then see that
icy obey you"
-
ONE MORE JUDGE.