East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1920-04-17
RAILROAD A !! ! ASKS X AUTO !.
| DRIVERS TO USE CARE

Now mat the auto lseaiscn "a ap
preaching and there has sbScns ali I'm
usually large increase in automobile
since last year and the year before
there will be heavy toll paid IL
deaths and injuries to auto drivers ant
other occupants at railroad grad,
crossings unless drivers exercise tn,
proper care and vigilence." said j. r.
Grodzki, General Safety Agent of the
Washington Railroad C Navi-
cation Company.
se"Following are some of the head :
lines which appeared In our papers
recently. chronicling results of coIlis-
sions between automobiles and trains:
1.-Two Killed In Auto Crash.
Auto Smashed. Man Injured.
Auto Hits Train. Two Killed, One
Injured.
Race to Crossing kills one; Injuries
Four.
Seven Killed Score Injured, When
Train Crashes Into Auto Party.
s"Accident bulletin issued by the In
terstate Commerce Commission for the
year 1913. (which Is the latest avail
able record for the entire country,
shows the following crossing accident,
results for the year:
Number persons killed ........ 1879
Number, persons injured ....... 1894
Total kHled and injured ....... 516g
Killed and injured daily .....,. 14iI
EN- addition to the horrible deaths
and manning OF the unhappy ones,
how much sorrow and remorse. how
many saddened homes and bereaved
Taiatives and friends. are the result
ofsthese corssing accidents every year.
Shall we have more OF them in 1920?
lf so. who will II be? Who will be |
next TO meet with such a horrifying |
death-dealing accident? .Think 1t
over. Drive safely always.
i Carelessness of the driver caused
nearly al lof these casualties In
many instances the driver was killed.
In some instances he was only Grip
pled but saw the occupants of his car,
his wife. his children. or his friends.
Killed. In some instances an entire
family was hurled into eternity.
The railroad crossing sign must be
heeded IL the driver desires 10 cross in
safety The crossing should be ap-
proached slowly on second speed and
when near the crossing the driven
should stop and look to satisfy himself
beyond doubt that.he viii make il. IIe
must be master of his car and OF the
situation.
The whistling post for trains to
whistle at grade crossings is 1920 feet
tl-4 .miIe) from the crossing. Should
tha crossing be in n road parallel to
he track, and you are going towards
The, train with the wind blowing in
he direction from which.train Is COM
nE or IL the crossing Is in a cut or
N ascurve with an elevation obscuring
view, extra precaution is necessary.
Eternal vigilance for the safety of
iqurself and your passengers is better
han being hurled 10 death, and IL
gets the best OF the driv-
y. being crushed to death by train ]
will surely follow sooner or later. ia
A train going at fifty miles an hour !
makes 73 1-3 feet per second. This
rings it from the whistling post TO the
in 1S seconds. Under all
conditions the driver should give
HIMSELF ample time so that should his
,ngine stall he will be able to get out =
Il danger, he could however scarcely 3.
10 SO if ne stalls after the train has d
cached or passed the whistling post.
Following are the principal causes u
4 collisions between trains and auto ;
mobiles:
Defective automobile breaks. ID
Failure of driver to stop and look. I
Excessive speed. aI. Ia H.
Automobile skidding onto track.
Automobile stalled on track.
Stopped too close to track.
Driver trying to beat train over
,Eossing. II
,Aliscalculating speed Of train.
Driver occupied in converstatiorl :.
nd forgot about crossing.
The drivers eyes, ears, and common
Iense should be his guide. The figures
,hown above reveal that every hour
md forty-two' minutes a death OF
,erious injury results from some auto
irIver's careIessnsss at railroao
,rossing. The drivers carelessness
nav result in his being the next VIC