TRANSACTIONS OF WAGNER 

 20 



THE ELIMINATION OF GRADE-CROSSINGS IN CITIES 



Chicago, it is safer to cross a railroad grade-crossing than an ordinary street. 

 Without data of this kind such a statement would seem incredible. 



The Annual Report of the Public Service Commission of Pennsylvania 

 gives the following statistics as to the casualties at railroad grade-crossings in 

 Pennsylvania for the year ending June 30, 19 16. 



Pennsylvania has 11,776 grade-crossings, of which 1,794 are protected. 

 This represents fifteen per cent, of the whole number. On these crossings in 

 the past year 161 persons were killed and 357 injured. The Commission states 

 that it will cost $10,000,000 to complete grade-crossing work now pending, not 

 including those in Philadelphia. 



The Pennsylvania recently exhibited the following placard: 



WHAT THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD SYSTEM HAS DONE 



There remain on the 11,000 miles of the line comprising 

 the Pennsylvania System, 13,027 crossings at grade. It 

 costs an average of at least $50,000 to remove a grade-cross- 

 ing. Thus to eliminate every such crossing on the fines of 

 this system would cost upward of $600,000,000. The various 

 companies of this system have, since 1902, expended 

 $66,641,294 in improvements resulting in the elimination 

 of 1052 grade-crossings. 



AN APPEAL TO THE PUBLIC 



Grade-crossings are unavoidable. Without them few 

 railroads could have been built in this country. They are 

 one of the inconveniences of progress, to be efiminated just 

 as fast as possible. Railroad officers are doing their best 

 but it all takes time and money. 



Meanwhile the pubfic demands that trains be run on 

 time. To do so involves speed over crossings. The rail- 

 road appeals to the driver of every vehicle to "Stop, Look 

 and Listen," A little care and a momentary stop may mean 

 the saving of a human fife. 



Human lives are the most precious things in the world. 



3, HOW GRADE-CROSSINGS CAN BE ABOLISHED 



In the most general way there are six methods by which a grade-crossing 

 can be done away with : 



I. Raising the street over the railroad. 



