The Washington herald., 1913-10-12
Movement for Safeguarding
Of Human Life Is Spreading

poets Is humane. In other yays ~ 4.
z wholesale destroyer. The rnauufa ct,,r-
ing industries MAIN and kill on a Iarao
scale.
Most dangerous of all mechanical oc-
cupauons' apparently, is that Of worker,
in iron and steel. The chemical Indns
tries come next-particularly the manu-
facture of nitrate and sulphuric acids
which are liable to explode. NaturaIIv
the making Of explosives. such as gun.
powder and dynamite, Is attended with
exceptional perils. And the same is true
OF matches. apart entirely from the mai
ady. so common among matchmaker
known as ''phossy jaw
Peril in Electricity,
Electrical Industries, as eyervho5v
hLo"ns' have made extraordinary rrog.
Ttss In the last few years. They an1-
pioS IN this country great many thou
Sahus OF people, most Of whom are mora
or less constantly exposed to electric
shock- This. in fact, is a new kind ~
UShser IN factories and workshops where
eIectricity at high voltage Is ennIoy,o5
The use OF electricity IN mines cbiats,,
Iof operating coal-cutting macbiner,y
ausments the death rate appreciabIv
hachlnery claims more victims
hualIy than fell in any battle of the oj,-i,
war. one IN every four carr,enters 4.
hurt each year. Buzz saws do go
GeaI OF damage to carpenters; tools chr
onTaL tirIDers ran upon them; stagings
'uS Oeheath them, and they are
subject to other kinds Of acci5o...
Farmers have about the same acc;Jas.
rate as carpenters. They operate -
chlnery, and much OF their yorL, js a..
with horses 10 uOhe
Horses are dangerous animals Tbsv
cause nearly 5000 deaths per aDr,,r, -
tiis country. Twelve per cent of AN 10
taI or disabling accidents are attributa-
oie 10 them. or deaths incurred in
Hl.eS IIuetdiiS 10 transportation, the horse js
responsible for 40 per cent. In 100 mis-
maps where horses are concerned , s
son VIII be pitched out of vehicles fortv-
TWO times. kicked nineteen tir,cs
knocked down twelve times. bitten tbres
tunes damaged in getting in or ont ~
vehicIes eight times. stepped on eirbt
times. and thrown three times.
~ might be supposed that a gentleman
u leisure would be a first-class accident
lsN' Hhashuch as he Is not exposed to
many OF the mishaps encountered bv ror1
sons who are obliged to worl, for t.
iNing- such, however. is verv far I'm,
'eing the fact. A man so situated y.i,h
Ho'hlhS 10 do but amUse himself pearIy,
4i"aEs goes In for sports more or los
'Ports nave their own peTiIs. The chances
are that he owns one or more borsas,
ana sooner or later they get him intn
FouoIe. One reason why a doctor is
ohsluered a poor risk is that he uses a
morse tunless an automobile is sIbsti-
he dark. eai III
Whatever the motoring enthusiast may
lrGe in behalf Of autonobiIos 81 iiias @
hardly claim that they are very safe T.,
ms country, on an average. tbev kin
our persons every day in the wear
tiidFkabiy ii large percentage Of these
,lIhngs tas the daily newspspers viii
now Is due to the practice OF irving IN
TOSS railroad tracks ahead Of apnros,.b-
hg trains, or without taking the troubIs
U make sure that the line is clear. some
TO-" II would seem as if the habit Of
IlSihs an automobile tended to engender.
ecklessness.
Fatalities on Railroads.
sixty thousand people are killed or in
VI u eu on the railroads of the I-rita5
tates every year. Wellington ~
aterico. and Meade the battle of CT
,Sours' with losses of BIS and y 06o
= sSpecIFely. The total losses on both
80 , at shiloh in two days murderous
ss.i5ii ulu not reach 2400O. But. as AL
rffo- =, iO' the passengers who
-her' relatively speaking. And the
orst victims are the railway mail .,o-I.r
" OF whom are killed or wounded eacb
eaI-that Is TO say. about ( Der cent ~
ie persohhel. They are exposed NOT oDIv
e orulhary mishaps o ftraveL bur
d'tachs by robbers, against whom, they
re expected to defend the mail viii
heir lives WIN
,nn,rt: nn,rty-hye hundred people in this
'untrF perish by drowning every wear,
ne. ntns OF them men and bows
ou' =, -'-'o Ole OF burns and scaIds, and
these two-thirds are females Si~
: GU persons are smothered to death
gas or other means. and about the
lme number are killed nv sr,,str,I.N
ore than twice as many women die or
Irslcal operations as men.
suicide is the chief cause of y,ioIo,.
saths. IL fills more graves than m
conotlVe- In each 10000 of DoDuIa-
on thirteen are killed annually nv +b.
while eighteen take their ou-D
'es-that Is to say, a total of over
~" persons per annum Poison Is tba
Vorlte means OF self-destruction. esDa-
ally with women. Shooting comes sec
ID Ohough rarely employed by persons
the sentler sex). and hanging. gas. the
me ana drowning follow in the order
-~''As ENeA utstIlN t.UaJ persons N
e United States are victims of homi-
1e.
Among the occupations deemed safest
the accident insurance corupanies are
ose of school-teacher. stenograph.r
pist editor, accountant. sculptor or
inter. and ticket seller. But none oy
ese Is safer than the employment of
commercial traveller. Although n.
rs ABOUT so much, he is a person Of
en- intelligence. and he knows how 10
Se care of himself. His JOURNEYS ara
'de IN Pullman cars. which are nob
en- badly smashed in a railway acct
IT. IL Is twice as risky to be a clergy
m as to be drummer
ne older man is the safer he ia
IN accidents. Between the ages Of
cen and twenty-four his perils are
,atest. because of his relative activity
lack OF cautiousness. He is least in
lser between forty and fifty years of
:. When he has reached sixty-five tho
npanies will not accept him as risk.
bones by this time have become
tile. If he falls downstairs he is
'tty sure to break something, and.
ing to diminished vitality. his re-
cry from any kind of injury is slow.
RENE BACHE.