The Arizona copper camp., 1916-09-22

minute of time.
The accident that too often follows
may come about in various ways. The
jumper may trip as he leaves the steps
or he may land awkwardly, or he may
rniscalculate speed or distance Again
one person may jump from the rear
steps of car at the same time thai
another one jumps from the front steps
of the next following car, and the two
may collide so that one of them will
be thrown against the moving train, OF
under it. Many accidents also occur
to jumpers from colliding with trucks
or piles of baggage or with the pillars
supporting train sheds of, the "umbrel-
Ia" type None of these hazards are
imaginary or theoretical" They are
very real and practical, and deaths and
serious injuries are occurring every
day in consequence Of them.
Another common and unwise habit,
especially marked among commuters
consists in walking through the cars
toward the front end of train as the
train approaches a station. The, OBJ
ject, of course, is to save time by get
ting as near as possible to the station
exits before the train stops When
the track is straight at the station
there is no great danger in this prac-
tice, but it often happens thata curve
is rounded just before the station is
entered, or that the train must be
switched across other tracks in order
to approach the platform properly. A
train swerves more sharply when TAX
ing switch or series of switches
than it usually does while on the open
right of way, and passengers going
from one car to another as the train
strikes a curve or a switch are ex-
posed to the danger of being hurled
from the platform. At best, the time
gained by crowding forward is less
than a minute, and this small gain is
often lost because of the greater
crowds in the forward cars, and the
consequent delay in alighting.
How One Man Met Death
Enginemen and station men must
keep sharp lookout for passengers
standing along the platform awaiting
of IN %ro a1ar
through carelessness or Indifference
habitually stand too close to the edge
of the platform and every year the
statistical records show a certain num-
ber of persons killed, and a greater
number injured, from being hit by To-
comotive or train approaching stations
Nor is the danger from this source
limited to persons who stand too neal
the track 1t extends to those who
while going from one section of the
platform to another, pass between the
moving train and post, baggage truck
which station attendant called out, as
usual, that the Pullman cars Of an ap-
preaching train were at the front end
and the day coaches at the rear. This
announcement caused two men to starr
walking in opposite directions, and
they met at point where a post sup.
ported the train shed. Other travellers
crowded the platform, and one Of the
men, to avoid them, swung quickly be.
tween the post and the train. His
travelling bag struck one of the steps
and the impact threw him between the
cars, where he was instantly killed.
Gray hairs are added to the average
station masters head by the man who
walks close to a moving train and al
the same time cranes his neck in al
effort to locate a friend-perhaps
standing on tiptoe to obtain a better
view. A man Of this type appears tt
be perfectly oblivious of the fact tha
he is within an inch or two of seriou.
danger
The railroad companies have but lit.
tie power to combat these various evils
effectively. The accidents described
are due to the carelessness of persons
who, for the moment, are more or less
irresponsible.