Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 209, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 September 1913 — PUTS BLAME ON THE HOBBLE [ARTICLE]

PUTS BLAME ON THE HOBBLE

Eastern Railroad Declares That Tight Skirts Are Cause of Many Accidents to* Women. „ To the thousand and one evils that have been laid at the door (X the high heel and hobble skirt, an eastern railroad now adds a few more, in declaring that these adjuncts to woman’s dress are chiefly responsible for the injuries caused in women falling from trolley cars and tumbling down the steps at the railroad station! This is not a wild statement either, but is made after an investigation of various accidents to women covering a period of three months and seventythree individual cases. The . injuries ranged from slight contusions to painful sprains and cuts, and in almost every case the contributing cause is put down as “Heel caught on step of and was torn off,” or “High heel caught while descending stairs; wore hobble skirt.” Observations of this character are made in the book of instructions just issued by the company to its employes and intended to be a guide to them in preventing accidents as much as possible. Now, instead of watching the step, they will watch the hobble, to try to forecast whether its wearer is getting ready to tumble down a long flight of steps. If she is, then the must try his best to get ready to catch her. The book is entitled “Safety Hints and Suggestions for the Prevention of Personal Injury Accidents,” and was written after expert's had made au exhaustive study of the various accidents reported. From the figures obtained by the railroad company, nine out of- ten of the persons who have been injured in the railroad stations have been women. Their injuries range from slight contusions t;o broken legs. In almost 90 per cent of the accidents the cause has been either that the women wore high heels or that they had such tight skirts that they could not help themselves.