The Detroit times., 1913-12-05
Commissioners, Railway OFF,
Gals, Educational Authorities
and Others Consider Plans
to Guard Life
ROADS TAKE TERRIBLE
DEATH TOLL. IN STATE
Total for Year is 395 Killed and
: 2,813 Injured-Grade Sep
aratiOns Urged

The education Of the school chill
dren Of the state to better observe
the Safety First rule, Improvement
OF the block signal system. separation
OF grades at all dangerous railroad
crossings and adequate national and
state legislation to prohibit trespass-
Ing ON railroad and railway tracks
were some OF the suggestions made
in the Safety First" meeting held in
the Board of Commerce building.
Thursday morning and afternoon, un.
der the auspices OF the state railroad
commission.
| The object OF the meeting. as out
lined by LawtOn 7. HemAns, chair
man OF the commission, was to launch
statewide Safety First" campaign
and to secure the cooperation OF the
railway officials In this work. as well
as to educate the general public to
exercise all necessary precautions to
prevent accidents.
Invitations were extended by the
railway board to all railway officials
in the state, Michigan mayors, school
superintendents and others interested.
to attend the meeting and take part
In the general discussion. Evidently
the hour set for the opening Of the
meeting, $50 q. m, was too early for
the convenience of many that would
! have liked to attend, for there were
less than rs men present to hear Mr..
Hemans' talk. At the conclusion Of
the morning meeting, It was decided
to continue the discussion In the az
ternoon, to accommodate those who
arrived late.
Commissioner Hemans, In his talk,
called attention to the annual slaugh-
ter OF men, women and children by
steam and electric railway cars. He
gave statistics showing the yearly
toll of the tracks In Michigan as we'll
as in the country at large.
A 12-months' record Of the steam
and electric railway accidents in
80. 1918, shows the following: Rail-
road employees. 107 killed and LII
injured; passengers, 16 killed and
1.035 injured; trespassers. 40 killed
and 153 injured; others, 1873 killed and
asa injured. Totals: Killed, 1896; in
jured, asia.
1t L. exceedingly important that
the men who are charged with the
direct personal responsibility in the
discharge of the complicated duties
incident to railroad transportation
should be constantly urged to greater
watchfulnees and care" said Commits
sioner Hemans. But we believe that
In the reduction OF casualties and in
juries incident to transportation, there
Is work to be performed by the gen.
eral manager and men who control
the railway systems; by the heads
Of the great industrial enterprises; by
the public ofncials, and by the educa-
tional forces of the state.
Gould the combined casualties of
even the state of Michigan be grouped
In one days destruction, society
would stand appalled,, even as 1t did
at the destruction of the great steam
or Titanic.
Glance at the 10 years record OF
the railroad accidents In the state Of
Michigan, Two thousand, eight hun
dred and thirty-nine people have been
killed. and 1880 injured, and this Is
only the incomplete record as shown
by the reports of the commission"
ures prepared by Slayton Thompson.
In charge Of the national Bureau OF
Railway News and Statistics. showing
that 1882 deaths due to railroad
accidents, occurred In the % years
from 1890 to 1912. Inclusive. OF this
number, only 1902 were passengers
killed In accidents to trains, while the
number of trespassers killed num-
bered 103.566. In the year ending
June 80. 1911, the Interstate CON-
merce commission reported 1896
persons that were killed upon rail-
ways, and Of this number, 5,284 were
designated as trespassers.
IAN examination of the lesser vol
ume of records In the Michigan rail-
way commissions once would seem
to verify the statement that the tres.
passer in the larger percentage of in
stances II the mechanic hurrying
alon gthe railroad tracks to his home
or place Of employment; the child
playing or idling upon the tracks and
many other people who find travel on
the railway tracks q short cut from
home to business" said Commission
er Hemans.
During the years from 1901 to
1910, there were $4,000 children under
IA years Of age killed and injured
while trespassing upon railroads in
the United States, and during this
same period 10000 more between the
ages Of II and q. Their tombstones
would more than make mile posts
around the world-and yet Michigan
has no law making It an offense to
trespass upon q railroad right-of.way,
and the law prohibiting trespass upon
railway tracks is mild in penalty, and
but indiferently supported by public
opinion.
Does the state Of Michigan desire
that this slaughter continue?"
Commissioner Hemans urged the
enactment Of q strongslaw to prevent
trespassing, and he asked the support
Of those present In the meeting In
helping to secure and enforce such .
Ia win the interests Of humanity.
safety First" education should be
followed by adequate legislation, he
said.
Referring to the agitation for legis-
lation requiring railroads to put all
steel cars In service, Commissioners
Hemans declared that 1t would cost
the railroads almost three-Quarters OF
a billion dollars TO comply. He argued
that this amount Of money could be
used to q better purpose In safe
ruardins human life by expend1pg II
~ ~rade croaain9 PURPOSES, improve