The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-24
oI traveling. They base their conclusions
Not Safe to Be Alive

would eliminate the ''hardly'' if he were ta revise this remark today. Experts in life and accident insurance will tell you that the automobile has made life in civ ilized communities a much more uncertain matter than it was before the horseless carriage came. Insurance statistics show that the automobile menace is the most serious one confronting civilization today. in it's relation to the personal safety of the individual who ventures away from home. Twenty-Five per cent of the aggre- gate sum paid on accident policies by one of the largest casualty companies in the 1 United States last year was for accidents due to automobiles. The St. Louis man. ager of this concern has a recent letter from headquarters in which it is stated that the automobile hazard is the great est with which insurance men have to deal and that it is cutting down the earn ings of the company so that it has be- come a serious problem from a business | standpoint.
 Comparisons between railroad and water travel as to. casualties make the water look inviting, despite the trepidation of l many timid folk who frequently ride on trains but are afraid to go aboard a boat. Figures recently published show that in l the 24 years ending October, 1912. the number of lives lost on railroads in the United States reached the tremendous | total of 1SS,oS7 In the same period 1,395, SIS persons were injured the railroads of the United States. This means that for every day during the A years 1s1 persons were killed or injured, nearly eight an hour, or every seven minutes, in railroad operation in this country.
 | On the other side of the ocean 1t is de- clared that the safest place In the world is seat in a railway train in England. They manage their railways better in England than we do in the United States With one-tenth our mileage, but with many times our density of passenger travel, England has a record of 15 months without losing a life in train accident Parliament compels the adoption of the block system everywhere. An official su- pervision is maintained in England which has no parallel here. British board of trade figures for 1912 show that there was but one fatality on British railways for each 6S.100,000 passengers carried during the year. If you must ride on trains and desire safety go to England.
 According to Fred A. Bishop, president of a company running steamboats be- tween New York and Cony Island, the safest place on earth IS the deck of a steamboat. His company has carried 60, 900 passengers in 30 years without the loss of a life During the fiscal year ending June 90 last 307, ,494 passengers | were carried on steam vessels in America that are required by law to report the
 
 lost was 264 For each fatality 1165,50 passengers were carried safely. Even the British railways must give the safety palm to Coney Island steamers, accord ing to MT. Bishops figures, and when all the statistics are put in comparison it is seen that water travel everywhere is fai safer than rail travel
 Last year in Greater New York the au- tomobile exceeded the trolley car in tho number Sf victims Figures published by the National Highways Protective society show that automobiles killed 221 persons trolleys 134 and wagons 230.
 Accidents at Home
 One of the big accident insurance com panies paid benefits last year as follows Accidents at home. 2.6S0 claims pedes- trians, 2,4S6; automobiles, 1895; sports and recreation, 1, ,473; travel, 1873; horses and vehicles. 953: bicycles and motor cycles, 251; elevators 37
 The reports of the accidents happening . at home are interesting as illustrss ns t how easy it is to get hurt, even in the s fancied security of one's own home. T 1 Some of the individual explanations o Y accidents for which benefits were paid ars n curious and amusing. Here follow fev > taken at random from the reports: q Crawled under a bed and needle lyini C on the floor ran into breastbo :. Ran against wife; hair cutter strucl I, eye.
 Sitting on rornh; struck by muzzle O if dog that was racing around house. II Undressing for bed; in removing unio S suit fractured second finger on left hand n Opening door, which was frozen; fel s back when it suddenly opened
 Yawning dislocated jaw.
 Washing hands; shook water off hand 2 and dislocated finger.
 Another bit his tongue badly while eat
 ing lunch and got paid for the bite One company paid benefits for the fol f lowing accidents:
 e Caught in door or window . A e Burns and scalds .................... IS s Fall from window ..................... Il Fall rom porch ......................... | Fall down cellar ................,..... '
 Fall down steps and stairs ...........1,O OF . Fall from chairs and furniture - 34 \ Falls and injuries in bedroom. . 31 | Miscellaneous injuries ..................1,05 ,05 | Fixing furnace or stove .............. 1S ' Taking off shoe ......................... 2 | Caught in folding furniture ........ 4 Striking against furniture ........... 58
 Furniture breaking .................... 8 II With carpets ...........,............ 9 II Shovel1ng coal ......................... 3 ' III yard ...,....................... 3S Getting out of bed ...................... 15 Lawn Mower ........................... ?
 Another company paid benefits on thes
 "at-home" claims:
 II Burned 10 death In burning house,.
 Scalded and burned while cooking. | &c., cleaning clothes, &c. ......... 14
 Injured while working around barn. ' shed, &c. ..................-...... E
 Falls on stairs .........,................ 37 | Cutting cornx, toe nails, finger nails.. II ondVlnB -..-...............,......
 Slipped in bath tub .....................
 Slipper oD rugs, floor, Sc. ........... 16
 Falls froN chairs, tables, sc. ........ 10
 Ran into beds, bureaus, doors &c.,. 12
 Cut on bottles. sharp instruments, &c. 2S
 Slips on lawn, Sc. .............t.... s
 Falls from lattefs s......................
 Foreign particles in eye ............... 4
 Hit by falling objects ............. : ' Getting in and out of bed .............. 4 | Poisoned or infected ................. IA
 Finger caught in door, &c. ....... 8
 Stepped on broken glass, sharp i'm
 strumentS, &c. .......................... 8 Cdr'ihs ...-...................... l Pet animal bites, &c. ................. 3
 Carrying children-finger in eye, &c. 1 Lifting and moving articles ...... g Food Supply on the Increase From Leslie's.
 In recent years we have been alarme'
 by the oft-repeated statement that popu | lation in this country Is increasing faste that, tho J%