COST OF MIXER AL TRAFFIC ON ENGLISH RAILWAYS. 



327 



telescopists in our own time surpasses that which 

 Galileo obtained, so will spectroscopists a few 

 generations hence have gained a far wider and 

 deeper insight into the constitution and move- 

 ments of the stellar universe than the spectro- 

 scopists of our own day dare even hope to attain. 

 I venture confidently to predict that, with that 

 insight, astronomers will recognize in the universe 

 of stars a variety of structure, a complexity of 

 arrangement, an abundance of every form of cos- 

 mical vitality, such as I have been led by other 

 considerations to suggest, not the mere cloven 

 lamina of uniformly scattered stars more or less 

 resembling our sun, and all in nearly the same 

 stage of cosmical development, which the books 



of astronomy not many years since agreed in de- 

 scribing. The history of astronomical progress 

 does not render it probable that the reasoning al- 

 ready advanced, though in reality demonstrative, 

 will convince the generality of science-students 

 until direct and easily-understood observations 

 have shown the real nature of the constitution of 

 that part of the universe over which astronomi- 

 cal survey extends. But the evidence already 

 obtained, though its thorough analysis may be 

 " caviare to the general," suffices to show the 

 real nature of the relations which one day will 

 come within the direct scope of astronomical ob- 

 servation. 



— Contemporary Review. 



COST OF MINERAL TRAFFIC ON ENGLISH RAILWAYS. 1 



Br F. E. CONDER, 0. E. 



TT TE have seen, in a former paper, that the 

 V V killed and wounded on railways of the 

 United Kingdom, during the year 1875, amounted 

 to the considerable number of 7,045 persons, and 

 that grave reasons exist for attributing a large 

 proportion of this loss to the result of the mutual 

 interference of two different systems of traffic, 

 carried over one system of road. To the data 

 cited in our last number, chiefly from the re- 

 ports of the Government Inspector of Railways, 

 may be advantageously added one or two further 



1 The question handled in this paper has long 1 seemed 

 to us one of great importance, and we are glad to present 

 the views of a writer qualified to deal with it. It may 

 well be that our railway system stands in urgent need of a 

 sweeping measure of reform, and that immediate steps 

 ought to be taken to remove the mineral traffic (and per- 

 haps all heavy-goods traffic) from railway lines used for 

 the conveyance of passengers ; such traffic to be in future 

 carried on by sea, by inland waters, and by railway lines 

 not used for passengers. Our railway system is emphati- 

 cally the child of Parliament, and Parliament has every 

 right to interfere with it to any extent for the public good. 

 Even for the profit of the companies, a manner of conduct- 

 ing railway-traffic not proved necessary, and proved to 

 cause annually a large number of cases of death and muti- 

 lation, could, we hold, have no claim to continue its mur- 

 derous course. But our professional friend thinks it will 

 appear, on a thorough examination, that this mixed traffic 

 is actually carried on at a money loss, as well as a life-and- 

 limb loss, not to speak of the losses in time, temper, and 

 comfort, caused by daily and hourly unpunctuality. In 

 connection with this article ought to be read " Battles of 

 Peace " in our last, and " Our Inland Navigation " in the 

 number for April. — Ed. Eraser's Magazine. 



details, taken from the report of the Royal Com- 

 mission on railway accidents. 



The annually increasing rate of railway dan- 

 ger could be only imperfectly illustrated by re- 

 marks for which Captain Tyler's report supplied 

 material. It is therefore important to mention 

 that between 1872 and 1875 there was an in- 

 crease of between 40 and 41 per cent, in the an- 

 nual list of casualties ; the number in the former 

 years having been 4,183, of which 1,145 were 

 fatal. But while such has been the general in- 

 crease, the servants of the railway companies 

 have suffered from it far more severely than the 

 general public ; casualties among them having 

 increased from 2,032 in 1872 to 4,383 in 1875, or 

 by 115 per cent, in three years. 



It should further be remarked that, although 

 it is easy to show that a certain minimum pro- 

 portion of these casualties are directly attributa- 

 ble to the cause already suggested, it is not easy 

 to limit the maximum proportion so caused. 

 Thus, while it is immediately apparent, on a 

 glance at the " Summary of Accidents " which is 

 to be found on page 87 of the report of the Roy- 

 al Commission, that 65 per cent, of the casualties 

 caused by collisions are directly due to the inter- 

 ference of passenger and goods or mineral trains, 

 it is not apparent what proportion of the five per 

 cent, of casualties caused by collisions of slow 

 trains with slow trains, or of the remaining 30 per 

 cent, caused by collisions of fast trains with fast 



