Evening star., 1915-03-21

"erce commission issues statements
concerning the
Trespassing Upon number of per-
Ro;Irood r;.. sons killed by the
railroads of the
fort is made to show that by far the
greater number of fatalities are due
to trespassing and not to railroad acci-
dents. But it seems that the commits
sion has not been able to impress this
fact very much upon the public mind.
There is said to be tendency to think
only of passengers killed and to inti-
mate that the railroads are very care
less of human life.
Now that the safety first idea has
impressed itself upon the great rail-
roads of the country and they have
been looking more closely into the IA
talities, they themselves have discover
ed what tremendous problem the kill
ing of trespassers is and have been ap-
pealing to the various state legisla-
lures for more drastic laws against
trespassing and for more rigid en-
forcement OF the laws already on the
statute books.
The railroads have found that in the
last ten years more than $4,000 persons
have been killed while trespassing on
the rights of way and the same
life. No European country has
such record for human slaughter,
and the reason given by the railroads
in their appea1to the state legislatures
is that in Europe the law is strictly
enforced, while in this country, even
magistrate to impose a penalty, on the
idea that citizens should be allowed to
do about as they please.
The difference between the enforce
ment of the law in other countries and
the reinforcement in the United
States Is shown rather graphically in a
report recently made by the Wabash
railroad. This railroad operates part
Of its mileage through Canada. In
1s14 l!,1,a, ninety,four trespasssrs were
system. OF this number but three were
killed and three injured in Canada In
commenting about this Edward B.
Pryor. receiver of the Wabash, said: ::
forced. The result is that we are not
burdened with the trespassing evil in
Canada" Interstate Commerce COM
missioner c. c. McChord contradicts the
prevailing notion that all trespassers
are hoboes:
"They include little children and
wage -earners living in the vicinity,
whose death or disability leaves fam
lilies destitute" says Commissioner Nc
Chord. "Of 1000 Investigated cases,
59s were self-supporting. 312 were la
borers. and the list also included
actors. bakers. BARRIERS. bartenders,
chauffeurs, chemists, cigarmakers,
clergymen. engineers, farmhands, fish
ermen. horse dealers, lumbermen, mer-
chants. miners, musicians, sailors,
statesmen, schoolteachers, shoemakers,
soldiers and students. OF the 1000, 273
are known to have left wives or chill
dren, 376 were single. and the family
connection of the rest was unknown"
How to prevent expensive damage to
the pipes and cables of water, gas and
telephone companies
Fighting Against by rowing electric
Electrolysis. rai,wavs 10 ' ~ nron ,e'
lem toward the solution of which the
federal government has made impor-
tant strides recently. The problem
arises from the tendency of negative
return currents from street railways of
overhead trolley construction to leave
the rails and find their way back to the
power house over such available metal
pathways as underground pipes. Where
the currents leave the pipes and jump
back to a direct conductor to the pow
er house they set up what is known IN