The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1915-11-05
RAILROAD CASUALTIES
ARE NOW DIMINISHING
Three QUO of Four Due to TreSpaSSing
on Tracks, Which Should Be
Prohibited by Law


a law making it an offense to walk on
railroad tracks, the argument was used
that the railroad companies were trying
to force people to ride on their trains.
Statistics show that a very large per-
centage of the fatalities on railroads are
due to trespassing. A trespasser can
not recover damages from railroad.
At the very bottom of the railroad de-
mand for law to make walking on the
track a punishable offense are the en-
gineers and fremen who are so often
horriied by running down human be-
ings, and cannot avoid that which
shocks them beyond power of descrip-
tion. The writer has heard engnemen
tell with a shudder their experience in
running over some man who had been
walking down the track ahead Of their
train. The following from a recent
number OF the Everett Herald tells the
story of railroad accidents due to the
criminal negligence of trespassing:
A little pamphlet, the Employees
Safety First Magazine" of the Great
Northern railway, for November, issued
by the roads department Of safety, Of
which ]. ]. Bowling, formerly of Ever
EFT, took charge, has an interesting
collection Of statistics showing how the
number of accidents on the Great
Northern, fatal and otherwise, have ma
terially decreased since this safety
first" work was undertaken. But per
haps the most interesting part, from the
point of view of the general public, are
the figures that show the number Of
trespassers killed by the railroads. For
instance in August there were three
employees Of the company killed and
thirteen trespassers. Thruout the entire
United States there were over ten thou
sand casualties to trespaSsers on the
railroads last year. This is an evil that
should be abated.
Walking on a railroad track is regard
ed as one of the inherent rights of
American citizenship. That view is
due to the fact that in many sections
of the country railroads have been and
still are the only passable roads thru
forests and across rivers. But that day
is passing. Railroads, even in the
newer parts of the country, are being
paralleled by good roads. Where the
latter condition exists there is no ex
cuse for using the railroad as a high
way. Paying no attention to the rail
roads view Of it, it obviously results in
a big loss of life that could be prevent
ed. Trespassers are not tolerated on
European railroads or in Canada. The
result is that whereas over one hundred
thousand trespassers were killed or in
jured in the United States in the ten
years from 1901 to 1910, the total
killed and injured on the railroads Of
Great Britain during the same period
to less than six thousand.
Such a law would work not entirely
for the benefit OF the railroad. The
free and independent citizen who re-
CARDS railroad property as his own also
might be benefited.
An endeavor made to pass railroad
trespass law in this state failed, 1t was
held up as an attempt to prevent people
on railroad tracks that they
might be compelled to pay fares. But
obviously there's something wrong with
that prejudiced view. Where there
are roads that can be used there's no
excuse for the track pedestrian; his
would remove the biggest
single factor from the railroad casualty
list.