Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 302, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 December 1912 — Cales of GOTHAM and other CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Cales of GOTHAM and other CITIES

Where Risk Is Greater Than That in Late Wars

V EW YORK.—Rear Admiral Robley ™ D. Evans once said that he -would sooner stand on the bridge of the battleship Ohio during a sea fight than 'cross Broadway. His view of the hazards of New York streets was not exaggerated, if you consider the fact that 423 people were killed and 2,004 Injured by automobiles, street cars, «nd horse-drawn vehicles in the city last year. If statistics prove anything, it is safer to shoulder your Title and go to a minor war than traverse the streets of the metropolis. Jnst look back upon the records of the American regular army and see if this is not correct. Take thd Indian wars from 1788 to 1812,—a period of 23 years. Twenty officers and 726 men, a total of 746, were killed in

those wars. That is less than twice the number of street victims in New York last year. The war of 1812 with Great Britain, lasting four years, took the lives of 65 American officers and 1,235 men. That was a hot contest, but the average number of casualties each year was considerably less than 42 £ The war with Spain created plenty of excitement, but Spanish bullets and shells did not play the same amount of havoc with Americans as did the city’s vehicles in 1911. Take, for Instance, the fighting around Santiago from June 22 to July 17, 1898. This resulted in the death of 21 officers and 222 men attached to the Fifth army corps, while 101 officers and 1,344 were wounded. These figures are illuminating, inasmuch as they show that the reckless and careless drived be he chauffeur, motorman or whip, is already a menace to the city’s peace and comfort. And, although he kills, he usually goes unpunished. He is free to kill again. The law rarely holds him accountable for hist crime, and the family of? the victim has no redress and receives no pension.