The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-04-29
THE FARMER: APRIL 29, 1915

for the railroads here that for some years now they have been urging the authorities in the States possessing such laws to cooperate with them in their efforts to reduce the number Of deaths by enforcing the penalties up- on all vioIators Only in this way, the railroads believe, can this ser1-. ous evil be reduced ana these lives saved to the community. The non enforcement of these laws and the remission of the penalty attached not only, they maintain, largely null1f1es such legislation, but encouorages the practice of making railroad tracks public highways.
 While some progress has been made in New England in securing co-opera- tion between the railroads and the To- cal authorities in this method or life saving, the increase in the number killed in March on the New Haven seems to indicate that much remains to be done in this direction if this summer is not again to witness a dreadful harvest.
 It is a rather striking commentary on modern civilization, in view of what this annual loss of life means to the community as we'll as to the families of the victims, that often times efforts made by the railroads to prevent people from needlessly jeopardizing their lives, instead of be- ing forwarded by those affected, are actually circumvented.
 In one town in Connecticut, where the New Haven's tracks were persis-s tentIy crossed at pumber of points as a short cut. the railroad erected standard wire fence in addition to putting up warning signs. This fence was torn down as fast as it was put up. Finally, unable for this req son to keep the fence in repair so that it might serve its purpose, the railroad attempted to erect other bar were rem owed in a 4 SiQli- lar manner, the last one being torn down the very next day after it was put up.
 Not long ago the New Haven put up 10000 additional signs warning people of the peril involved in using the railroad for street purposes.
 In many cases these signs have either been defaced or destroyed though their object, like that of the fence, was the conservation of hu- man life.
 The New Haven, like many other roads, has a large force of special agents who have ir recent months have been carrying on an active cam paign to stop trespassing- They have been seeking, for one thing, to get local ma gistrates to deal with of lenders more strictly, as is the GUS tom abroad, in order that such cases might serve Q saIutary purpose. As there is as yet no general law III Connecticut prohibiting railroad tres passing. but little can be accomplish ed in that State.
 | What makes the problem an espe- pecia1ly serious one for New Eng land is the very large contribution which industrial workers make an nua1ly to this death toll Probably no other railroad in proportion to it's length has so many industries located close to the railroad tracks the fNew Haven. In many eases the em- pIoyes of these estab1ishm ments elect to use the right of way as a highway to and from their homes in disre- gard of all warning signs. To abate this evil the railroad has taken the matter up directly with the heads of these concerns and has asked. for I their corporation. It has also ask ed school Superintendents to caution l their pupils of the danger of walk ing or playing on or near the railroad tracks.
 I Probably there is no class in the | community more anxious to see this lserious situation remedied than the
 men who drive the locomotives. Ii isE not generally known, but the eff feet of suddenly seeing a trespasser, | apparently unaware of the approach 1 of a train, is often to unnerve the engineer. It is not pleasant, if you are running a train at high speed, to see human being loom up ahead
 
 death or injury by Na quick jump tht Eshock to the man at the throttle is one not easily got rid Of.
 E In trying to cope with this prob Hem in the last few years the New Haven discovered that without 3 i strictly enforced law in each State
 many people will always regard rail road tracks and railroad property as Ipublic highways, in spite of all no | tices to the contrary. It is conse lquent1y impossible by any other means to exclude potential victims. It has
 been estimated that it would cost the
 States and towns less to enforce 2
 law against trespassing than it doe.
 to pick up and bury the dead and tt
 care for the cripples-
 Vim. H. Reed. instructor in geo1og,
 and paleontology at the University o
 wyoming. died at his home in Lara
 mic. Wyo.