Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1914 — Rail Men Make Few Mistakes. [ARTICLE]

Rail Men Make Few Mistakes.

If the total number of accidents are reduced to the basis of days we have 21.84 each day due to error. This would seem to be as accurate a figure as possible to arrive at, of the number of accidents due to employes’ mistakes, and the percentage Is only a little in excess of the 63 per cent, given by the interstate commerce commission as due to error in 81 accidents investigated. Thus we have 1,600,000 employes making a dally average of a little over 21 mistakes. Let us consider the chances for error that occur each day to this army of railroad men. We are confident that the results will show that the training for efficiency has not been In vain. There is no accurate data by which to compile the number of train movements per day, some basis can be reached, however, by regarding the number of trains arriving and leaving a certain station. From Providence, R. 1., a city of 225,000 population, over 300 trains arrive and leave during 24 hours. To this must be added the movement of switch engines about the yards. A conservative estimate t>f the train movements upon which mistakes might result in accident* would be about 400 a day for every 200,00(1 of population, or 18.680 a dqy based upon the population of tbe United States. 7 Each train movement carries with it upon an average 50 chances of errors, train orders or signals playing the most liriportant part. Thlß Would make 934,000 chances the railroad man has of mistake, and he make* hot 22. 4 i '