DEATH ON THE RAIL—A COMPARISON.
In a recent editorial, The World referred to a record of “no passengers killed in train accidents,” made by the railways of Great Britain for the year ending Dec. 31, 1901. From the Interstate Commerce Commission there now comes a statement of the work of slaughter done by American railways, not for a year, but during the three months ending on the above date. In this short period 51 passengers were killed and 751 injured in train accidents. Fatalities otherwise classified brought the number of dead up to 85, the injured to 1,383. Including employees, passengers, and other persons, the American trains killed 274 people and injured 2,089 in three months; in British train accidents for a whole year 15 persons were killed and 637 injured. We have more than eight times the railway mileage of Britain, but the figures show twice as heavy a passenger traffic on the British lines. Evidently it is not so much a matter of mileage as of some fatal fault in conduct which has left for the American roads a three-months' record of 1,481 collisions and 877 derailments. We surpass the Britons in every form of railway equipment—and simply overwhelm them in the work of smashing, killing, and maiming on the rail.—N. Y. World.