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proper means for the investigation of these serious accidents which have occurred and are constantly occurring

It is but a short time since an accident occurred within the limits of Harrisburg involving the loss of many lives and the maiming of many people, costing the railroad company thousands and thousands of dollars in the destruction of equipment and in the damages paid to passengers and other persons, but no law was on our statute books to furnish the means or clothe anybody with the requisite amount of power to ascertain the cause of such an accident or to place the responsibility where it belonged, so that in the future those charged with the direct management of roads or running of trains. might exercise greater care in the discharge of their duties with a view of preventing a repetition of such serious accidents. So, within a short time another accident involving the destruction of about the same number of lives and equipment and inflicting about the same number of injuries to passengers, employes and other persons, occurred, and in the space of twenty-four hours the most of the wreck was burned, the hospital filled with the dead, the dying and the suffering and the great keystone State of Pennsylvania apparently asleep and not heeding the fact that a most important duty devolves upon the government in such extreme emergencies.

In the administration of the affairs of the Bureau of Railways a few years ago an attempt was made to secure an appropriation with which to defray the expenses of an investigation of the accidents which might occur on railroads. Heedless of, or perhaps we might say not appreciating fully the importance of the subject, the paltry sum of $1,000 a year was appropriated. With this money an attempt was made to investigate accidents of a serious character, but the fund was found insignificant, and so, while the nation and other states have been moving forward in the matter of preventing railway accidents, in Pennsylvania, we seem to be sleeping a sleep that knows no waking on this subject.

It is less than a year ago that an accident occurred on the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad in the county of Warren, where the engiLeer of a freight train ignoring the orders that were given him proceeded on a single track road westward with a velocity equal to the possibility of his locomotive, while moving eastward was an express train going forward to the extent of its speed, attempting to make up time and without the blowing of a whistle, the ringing of a bell, or the reversing of a lever, the two trains met, resulting in death and injuries. The engineer of the freight engine, who was clearly responsible for the accident, having violated his orders, was supposed to have received injuries of a fatal character and the Bureau of Railways sent a special to investigate the cause of the accident and

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to get a statement from the engineer of the freight locomotive. was found, however, that he was not so badly injured as he had pretended to be and that he had been but a few days in the hospital and having found a good opportunity of escaping from the hands of justice, had fled to parts unknown. Here was a case where either the railroad or the State through its proper official should have brought to punishment the one or more persons responsible for such an accident.

This is only a reference to one of the many accidents which have occurred, and without a proper investigation being made in each case, it would be unjust to say who was responsible for this destruction of life and limb. The fault may be in part in management, in superintendence; it may be more or less chargeable to the carelessness of employes; it may be to a considerable extent due to unforseen conditions where there appears to be no personal responsibility, and as before indicated, in the lack of evidence, of reliable testimony, the responsibility cannot be placed either on administration or superintendence, or on the carelessness of employes, but it is certain that a great responsibility ought to be placed upon the legislative branch of the State goverment for having, up to this time, failed to pass wholesome laws which, so far as possible, would enable the proper public official to so supervise the affairs of railroads that accidents to passengers, employes and other persons would be abated to the greatest extent possible. Every session of the Legislature that passes without making suitable provision for accidents, makes more criminal the negligence of the law making branch of the goverment of Pennsylvania.

Having seriously studied this problem, considering the enormity of the losses which are yearly occurring, and having regard too for those who are yearly being left helpless by the destruction of life on the railroads, we have, in the annual reports of the Bureau of Railways, done our utmost to impress upon the law making power of the goverment the importance of effectual legislation on this subject. At one time a bill was prepared and introduced, but through the influence of railroads or other interests apprehensive that it would encroach upon their freedom of action and management, or for some other cause, the bill seemed to have received an opiate to such a degree that it never wakened from its comatose condition in the Railroad Committee. Therefore, if deplorable conditions exist, they cannot in any way be chargeable to a disregard of duty on the part of the Bureau of Railways.

Referring again to accidents, it is not many years ago that some twenty-five persons lost their lives when a train was passing over a wooden trestle. The train became derailed and fell something

like 100 feet into a ravine beneath. No official investigation was made as to the cause of this accident because no provision of law existed to defray the expense of such an investigation and yet it was apparent that the roadbed of this particular line of railway had been in a horrible condition for years and that the trestle had also been in a dangerous condition for a long time.

While we do not presume to say what particular enactments should be provided, of one thing we are certain, that the duty of the Legislature will not be fully discharged unless provision is made for the employment of an experienced engineer to examine roadbeds, bridges and all structures with a view of ascertaining whether or not they are in serviceable condition. Had this been done in the case cited, the lives of some 25 persons would undoubtedly have been saved.

On most of the lines of Pennsylvania, as we have often said and as we again repeat in the report of this year, the roadbeds and the structures of all kinds are the best that can be found anywhere, but it is not so on all lines of railways in Pennsylvania. It is not long ago that the Railroad Commissioners in the State of New York required a certain railroad whose lines enter the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to repair its bridges and roadbeds so far as the same were located in the State of New York and restrained it from running its train until their orders had been complied with, but on that portion of the line located in Pennsylvania, which was equally dangerous with that located in New York, the railroad company continued to do business although everybody knew who was familar with the situation that it did so at great hazard to the lives of its passengers and employes.

These observations may seem to partake of an unnecessary amount of severe criticism, but it is believed that some criticism is justified in view of the figures relating to accidents which are before us for the year ending June 30, 1906.

A greater percentage of increase is found to exist between 1905 and 1906 than is found in previous years, but this increase in no small degree is produced by a change in the manner of computing the number of accidents, both fatal and non-fatal upon railroads and railroad properties in Pennsylvania. We endeavor to conform, as nearly as possible, in our statistical matter as to accidents to the plan obtaining under the new interstate law upon accidents, executed by the Interstate Commerce Commission at Washington.

In computing the number of accidents heretofore among railway employes, passengers and other persons, there have not been included accidents to passengers, employes or other persons that have occurred in the shops of railroads or upon trains which were not in mo

tion, but under the change adopted by the Interstate Commerce Commission and by the Railroad Commissioners of most of the states, as we understand it, all these additional accidents are included in the totals of fatal and non-fatal accidents occurring upon railroads. This observation is now made that in making comparisons this feature of the increase may be taken into consideration.

Accidents to Passengers.

During the year there have occurred 88 fatal accidents to passengers on the railroads whose lines are in whole or in part in Pennsylvania and that make report to this office. The number of non-fatal accidents among passengers is 3,168, a total of fatal and non-fatal of 3,256.

These figures denote better conditions with reference to fatal accidents among passengers for in 1905, such fatal accidents amounted to 123. However, one additional accident, which may or may not occur any day, might have raised the fatal accidents among passengers to as high a figure as were ever reported in any year.

Twenty years ago the total number of fatal accidents among passengers in Pennsylvania was 27 and the non-fatal accidents 148. Looking at the non-fatal accidents among passengers in 1901, the total was 1,780; in 1902, 2,392; in 1903, 2,713; in 1904, 2,798; and in 1905, 2,983.

Accidents Among Employes.

1,475 employes have been killed during the year, and 27,762 injured. The increase in the fatal accidents among employes is not so marked, last year the number being 1,210, but the increase in the non-fatal accidents is horrifying as last year the total was 16,735, while now, as indicated, the number is 27,762. However, in considering these accidents it must be remembered that the accidents which occurred in the shops or in the service of the railroads not connected with the actual operations thereof, were not previously included.

Accidents to Other Persons.

Under this classification are included the casualties which have occurred to persons not in the employment of the railroad and those not passengers nor in any way concerned in the maintenance or operation of railroads. Many are killed at grade crossings, run over by locomotives or cars when walking upon the tracks; others seem to choose the railroad as the means of putting a "quietus" to human life.

The fatal accidents among these persons during the year amounted
to 2,309 and the non-fatal 2,895. As has been observed a number of
times in the annual reports of the Bureau of Railways, it is remark.
able how nearly equal in number the fatal and non-fatal accidents
to other persons are. For instance, among employes, as before
seen, the fatal accidents were 1,475 and the non-fatal 27,762, and
so with passengers the fatal being 88 and the non-fatal 3,168. This
fact has led many people to believe that no small percentage of
those persons other than passengers and employes who find their
death on the railroads are suicides.

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