The Washington herald., 1915-08-28
WASHINGTON HERALDs WASHINGTON IN 1919 EDITION.

lses-lsos and 1e1o-1s14. The increase
in the freight tramc handled in tina
latter As compared with the former
period was almost - per cent, and
the Increase in the passenger trafnc
handled almost Is per cent. Meantime.
the number OF employees killed de-
creased from 1889 to 1850. or I per
cent: tho number Of passengers kilt
ed decreased from 2.112 to 1,7o4. or
1913 per cent, and the number Of per-
sons Of all classes killed, including
trespassers. increased less than one
half Of 1 per cent. In other words. y
hbstantial increase in the amount Of
public service rendered was accom-
panied by substantial reductions In the
fatalities to passengers and employees
and by only Q relatively small increase
in fatalities to other classes Of per-
sons.
THE Improvement in the results IL
obvious and very marked. How has It
been achievedf One means which has
! been used very effectively to increase
safety is now being widely attacked
| by the uninformed as an element Of
danger. This Is the increase In the
length Of feright trains. The longer
are the trains run the fewer OF them
is 1t necessary to run in order to
the principal factors affecting safety
is tho number of trains run. Other
things being equal. the more trains
there are run the more accidents Of
all kinds there will be. Therefore, the
increase in the length Of trains. be-
cause It has restricted the increase in
the number Of them. has been one Of
the main things that have enabled the
railways to handle a largely increased
traffic without a proportionate increase
in accidents.
"on tho whole. however. there has
been an actual increase in the total
number Of trains, and especially in
the number of passenger trains. Since
the number of accidents has not in
creased proportionately, 1t is evident
that strong influences have been at
work to control the tendency of an in
| crease in trains to cause an increase
in accidents. What have these in
fiuences been? Among them has been
the great camapign for safety first
which the arrangements of the rail-
ways have carried on among their en-
ployes. There have also been great
| improvements in the physical plants.
Between 1890 and 1914 the number of
locomotives and cars equipped with
train brakes increased from 1874 per
cent to 1886 per cent and the num-
Der equipped with automatic couplers
increased from s.s per cent to $3.50
per cent. These improvements were
required by a Federal law. but they
were rather FASTENED than caused by
regulation. for the railways were in
Producing them before the legislation
was passed.
Another improvement which has
been introduced on many railways is
stallation is voluntary as to most
railways. as it has been required in
only a very few States. Tho total
mileage now protected by tho block
system exceeds $1,000 miles. Of which
5000 miles is non-automatic and ao.-
900 miles automatic.
Another important and expensive
Improvement which the railways have
compulsion of regulation is the pas
serger car OF steel construction. The
number of cars in the country having
steel underframes has increased since
1909 from 673 to 800. or 747 per cent.
The number of all-steel cars has
grown in the same period from s2s
to 1890. or 1851 per cent. The per-
centage of wooden passenger cars
built to the total number built has
decreased from 51.4 per cent in 1909
to As per cent in 1914.
These are some of the main de-
velopments to which are attributed
the great improvement which has oc-
CURED in the safety Of railway opera
ton in the United States; and they
show conclusively that there Is no
lack Of zeal on the part Of the man.
agements of the railways for the de-
velopment and introduction Of de-
vices and methods which will safe
guard property and human life.