The Topeka state journal., 1919-09-27
Railroads VIII Have National
"NO Accident Period.
Dates Set Are From October Is
to November 1.
PUBLIC IS ASKED TO AID
Many Accidents Are Not Fault
of Railroad Men.
Hines Approves Plan for Big
Safety First Drive.

The No-Accident Week campaign
held by the railroads during the week
of June %. in the central western
region, comprising $1,000 miles of
track and $4,000 employees, shows the
following surprising .and gratifying
results. Out of the sixty-seven rail-
roads in this region. forty-seven, or
20 per cent, had a 100 per cent clear
accident record
Walker u. Hines, director general,
and w. T. Tyler, director division of
operation. United States Railroad ad-
ministratiOn, have designated the two
weeks beginning October IS as a
period in which a National Accident
Prevention Drive will be held on
every American railroad under federal
control.
In a letter to the manager of the
Safety Section, Tyler has stated:
The Safety Section and the men,
both officers and employees who are
cooperating with the section all over
tho country are engaged in a splendid
work. the results of which will endure
for all time, for 1 am satisfied that
| this is something which will not be
given up with the passing into history
OF the railroad administration, but per
contra, something upon which the
railroads will continue to build pro-
gressively in the years to come.
CongrntulntOn To Men.
Il personally congratulate you, your
associates in the section and every
man on every railroad of the entire
country upon the opportunity which
this movement offers for doing work
tof genuinely constructive nature;
something which not alone concerns
! the railroads and their employees but
which reaches back into the family
and society at large and has already
I a. doA ,, =
being thru the preservation of price
less lives and limbs"
In a letter addressed to federal man.
ayers, Hale Holden. regional director,
says: This has my hearty approval
and shall be glad to have you Off
with this advance notice there is
plenty of time in which to formulate
plans and perfect arrangements
| whereby you will be expected to enlist
and receive the hearty support of all
officers and employees in your respec-
/ tive jurisdictions"
/ Many Crossing Accidents.
This drive ought to be of the great
| est interest to the general public, and
! at least during this period of two
| weeks 1t would seem an appropriate
time for us all to give serious thought
to the wholly unnecessary and avoid
able toll of lives and limbs being col
lected every day outside of railroad
circles and join with railroad men in
an effort to not only safeguard our
selves but our neighbor. Along thii
line of thought, there never have been
| so many automobiles struck at public
highway crossings of railroads as dur
ing the summer just ending. A re-
cent check was made by one certain
large railroad involving 223 separate
cases Of automobiles wrecked at such
crossings; of this number thirty had
i CROSSINGS. L aLtRmDteG
to cross directly in front of and were
struck by trains; So ran into sides OF
engines or trains; l slkidded into train
19 ran into and broke down crossing
gates lowered to protect them from
passing trains; ran down and in
Jured crossing flagmen doing his duty
by trying to warn autoists of theiI
danger. In considering these causes
1t Is we'll to remember that most o.
them resulted in loss of life, in GER
tain instances several lives.
Public Should Help.
So while railroad men are going Il
try. during the two weeks October
1sth-S1st inclusive, to safeguard them
selves In every possible way, WHY
should not the churches, our cham
bers of commerce, the societies of ont
sort or another, also take up this hu
manitarian and praiseworthy work fol
the common good?
! AS indicating the possibilities from
cooperation, whether in a greate
safety endeavor or anything else, it l.
worthy OF mention that during tn
first six months of 1918 as compared
to the same six months last year. Their
was, on federal controlled roads, a ne
decrease of e5S employees killed, ne
decrease of 8,454 employees injured
!. and total net decreases. including al
: cases, employees and others, of 1903
: killed and 20,299 injured.