The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-04-02
$1,000 Die EACH
Year WALKING
ON R. R. TRACKS
Loss of Life Caused by Tres
passing Appeal Made to
Public to Stop Practice.

The following publicity matter re-
garding a campaign to prevent tres
passing is being distributed by the
Railroad administration:
Trespassing on American railroads
has reached such serious proportions
and the loss of life has been so great,
that the entire nation should be arous-
ed so that some means may be de-
vised to overcome the slaughter Of
our citizens.
Over 5000 funerals are held yearly
for the victims of the trespassing
evil and q still greater number in
addition are injured, most OF them
seriously, during the same period
These figures represent an average
of IA deaths daily and an equal mum.
Der of serious personal injuries.
Should the railroads of this country
kill and inture In train wrecks daily,
an equal number OF passengers, the
entire country would rise up and de-
mand that stop be put to the slaugh.
ter, while the fact that a trespasser
is killed or injured here and there
: every 81 minutes. receives no atten-
tion, except from a local standpoint.
= A great many people are under the
Impression that majority of unau-
thorized persons injured on the Amer
lean railroads are of that class known
as hoboes. Nothing Is farther from
the truth. More than rs per cent
OF all trespassers killed ard injured
are people living in the immediate
vicinity, tradesmen. artisans, laborers,
women and children, in fact, from al
most every walk of life. Imagine the
great economic loss, the suffering and
hardships unnecessarily forced on
dependents.
The graveyards of this country are
filled with thousands of little chill
dren because they used the railroad
tracks as a playground as a means
OF making short cut between two
points. and because they were per-
mitted to play around tracks and hop
cars. Are your children doing these
things? II so. do not be surprised II
some day kind friend endeavors to
break the news to you that your son
or your daughter, has been killed. We
recoil from the picture as we would
from the deadliest of danger, yet this
is exactly what will happen unless you
make sure that those little sunbeams
of your life are kept away from the
railroad tracks.
No doubt great number of people
who will read this article will say to
themselves that they are amply a BILE
TO take care Of themselves and that
nothing will ever happen to them
Nothing is farther from the truth.
Don't fool yourself. Do you suppose
the 10000 yearly victims of this habit
expected to be caught? Do you sup
pose they had any less concern for
their welfare and took any less pre-
cautions than you? OF course none
of them expected to be caught, but
they were, and so will you if you per-
Isist in the habit.
Most trespassing is due to a desire
on the part of the trespasser to save
time. The railroad offers a short cut,
and the roadbed offers a convenient
highway, easy to traverse. You can
never rest assured of safety until you
stop using the tracks. Stop 1t your
self and prevail upon others to do
likewise. The amount of time saved
is not worth the risk. If you have
sickness in your home, you call in
n physician, but in this case the cure
lies in your own hands, and your prac-
tice is far more fraught with danger
for yourself and loved ones than the
average illness in your family.
There has been no attempt to exag
gerate in this article. In fact. the ac-
tual situation is beyond description
in so short space. Reflect upon what
has been said. Give the matter seri-
Gus consideration. Look the situa-
ton over and ask yourself if your
chances are any better than that Of
the ones who have sacrificed their
lives and limbs. and if you do these
things you will never be a victim Of
this habit No one can save you ex-
cept yourself. You may trespass safe
ly thousand times, but sooner o rlat-
er if you persist in the action, you
are going to swell the casualty list.
Think it over. Is the risk worth the
cost?