The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-08-25

without seeking to avoid just re-
sponsibility for what the officers or
employees of the railroad do or omit,
but recalling that a railroad employee
whose carelessness causes an acct
dent is, in the public interest, subject
to discipline which affects his liveli-
hood, it is probably fair to say that
a large proportion of these accidents
happened solely through the careless
ness of the drivers of automobiles,
or their lack Of experience in dealing
with vehicles at high speed. There
are among them also we'll authenticat-
ed cases of deliberate assumption Of
risk by the drivers of automobiles
from pure love of excitement and
speed, evidenced by racing with trains
and seeking the thrill of narrow es-
cape. Our enginemen report such &C.
currences daily. If fortunately they
are without fatal consequences in the
great majority of cases, they are al
ways paid for by a heavy strain on
the nerves of all concerned, particu-
larly those of the locomotive engineer,
who maintains speed from duty and
not for fun. 1t is not too much to
claim for the locomotive engineer a
larger equipment of experience and a
greater habit of precaution than the
average automobile driver. AS class
the locomotive engineers are sober,
steady and conservative men of long
experience in meeting and avoiding
risks, for theirs is a dangerous occu-
patton. Their every effort of charac-
Aaw - to- e
to avoid an accident. Most of the &C
cidents to automobiles at railway
grade crossings could be avoided if
there was the same restraint of ex-
perience and attention at the wheel
of the automobile as at the throttle
OF the locomotive.
Public vitality Interested
at does not suffice the public in
any moral sense that the fund made
up Of the revenues collected by the
railroad is usually made to respond
in damages for consequences of such
accidents. Suicide to collect life in
surance has never been deemed hon.
orable, while no one would deliberate
" sell the life Of q mother or wife,
son or brother for money; on the other
hand, the collection of damages out
of railroad revenues, as a punishment
for an avoidable accident, when there
can be no real compensation, is an
economic waste; it Furnishes the pub
lie more than it Furnishes the stock
holders. as it deprives the public by
exactly the amount of the damages
of the ability of the railroad to pro-
vide additional permanent facilities
for the use or convenience and safety
of the public. Given the progressive
policy of Southern Railway Company
to make such improvements to the
extent of its ability, it is of interest
to note that, in the last year a divi-
dend was paid by the Company, $50
cents of every dollar of revenue col
lected from the public went in pay
ment of damages of all kinds, prac-
tically the same amount, 1888 cents,
went to the stockholders, while only
thirteen-hundredths of one cent of
each dollar OF revenue could be ap-
piled on permanent improvements.
Such other improvements as were
made were necessarily charged to new
capital, thereby increasing the de-
mands on the fund in which the pub
lie has 50 vital an interest. 1t would
be the pleasure OF the management