The Washington times., 1915-04-22

It Is rapidly getting safer to ride
on railroads In this country. and 1t
never was nearly so unsafe as highly
seasoned alarmist statistics made 1t ap-
pear.
Fewer people are being killed or in
iured in railroad travel. despite the
fact that more people ride every year.
The reduction In accidents has not
been so great In the last two years as
perhaps would have been anticipated,
because these have been years Of hard
times for the railroads. which have been
unable In all cases to maintain their
plants at normal condition and erfi-
cheney.
! Statistics can be made to prove any
thlnE. For instance:
In tho 1914 fiscal year, for which fig
uIes have come to hand, 202 964 people
were killed or injured in railroad acci-
dents. That is frightful showing;
everybody will agree.
But let II be put in another way.
In the 1914 fiscal year, 265 passengers
is 80 per cent less than the number kill
ed in the preceding year.
Or, in still another way. In 1914
there we're 3.259 employees killed, which
was 45s fewer than in the preceding
year.
| Strict supervision by railroad officials.
plus rigid insistence on safety reguia-
| ton BY the Government. have had
decided effect. American railways are
yet long way from being so safe as
those OF European countries But II the
| industrial accidents and other casu-
| alties which have nothing whatever to
| do with safety of travellers be eliminated.
| Il is found that American roads make a
very excellent showing In the compari-
| son.
Crossings At Grade.
| American railroads generally have
crossings at grade. They are not ef-
fciently policed against trespassing.
These two conditions are responsible
for just about two-thirds OF the fatali-
ties on the railroads.
| To be specific, in the year under con-
| sideration 1920 people were killed by
the railroads" But 1t turns out tnat
tw o-thirds OF these were neither en-
ployes nor passengers. In other words,
they were people stating rides, people
people walking on railroad tracks
turning them into highways for pc
Gestr!ans.
H. most f Iropean countries this two
| thirds OF the loss OF life would have
been approximately impossible. In Eng
land there are no grade crossings. and
| therefore, no grade crossing accidents
Tracks are guarded against trespassine
as carefully dS Dnl1k NaultS are
guarded aninst burglars. The tramp
riGng on the bumpers has as much
Glance in England as a submarine
| would have trying to fiy through the
air under the impression that it was ar
Iaeroplane.
TO eliminate grade crossings in Am.
erica. say within i've years. would
cause a financial crisis. 1T would cost
some billions OF dollars. and there IL
no railroad revenue In sight TO pay fol
OF to finance such an enterprise il the
railroads were required to eliminate
grade crossings at this time It imposes
e burden that they could not possibly
carry: and the legislative supervisory
authorities realize this fact. Indeed. tEt
progress that has been made in this di
reCtion 10 generally regarded as distinct
" satisfactory.
Ask Longer Crossovcrs.
| As matter OF fact, the railroad
would he glad TO have the co-operatio,
OF legislative authority in prcventin,
trespassing on their rights OF way. Th
difficulty is that throughout a erea
part OF the country the habit Of usin,
the railroad tracks for highways is g.
E firmly esta blished that IL would brinl
1 both the railroads and the law-enfcr
cling authorities into exceeding disre
. pute with a great BODY OF the publ