1875.] Railway Accidents. 15 
reported by certain of the railway companies, and their 
numbers would, if the whole truth could be ascertained, be 
considerably increased. 
** The tollowing statement shows the proportion of pas- 
sengers killed to passenger-journeys for the three years 
ending 1849, the four years ending 1859, the four years 
ending 1869, and the four years 1870, 1871, 1872, and 1873, 
respectively :-— 
Number of pas- 
sengers killed 
Year. from all causes 
beyond their 
own control. 
Number of passenger- © 
journeys exclusive of Proportion killed to 
journeys by season- number carried. 
ticket holders. 
1847 
isi 36 173,158,772 Iin 4,782,188 
1849 
| 
86 : 
1858 | 64 557,338,326 rin 8,708,411 
1859 
1866 
86 : 
saegr 4 9E.~—Ss«2s277,646,573 «in 12,941,170 
1869 : 
1870 66 336,545,399 Tin 5,099,172). £3 
1871 12 375,220,754 I 1n 31,268,396| 2a8 
1872 24 422,874,822 I in 17,619,784/ $95 
1873 40* 455;272,000 I in 11,381,800] <2 
From these figures it appears that the average of fatal 
accidents for the last four years was higher than in the 
similar cycle immediately preceding; and the conclusion 
that would naturally be formed at first thought is, that a 
maximum of safety in railway travelling has been arrived 
at. Ona closer examination, however, it does not in any 
way seem that this is the case. No doubt traffic has in- 
creased on many lines in a a rapid ratio than the de- 
velopment of increased accommodation for such traffic. But 
the accidents in 1870 were considerably in excess of the 
proportion given in the above table since 1856; but if we 
omit that bad year, and’ take only the average of the last 
three years, it will be seen that the number of passengers 
killed from all causes beyond their own control was only 
I in 20,089,993, which shows a considerable improvement 
* The deaths of two of this number were not the results of train accidents 
