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THE PREVENTION OF RAILROAD ACCIDENTS.

Although we now travel by rail in this country more securely and more swiftly than ever before, it is generally admitted, we believe, by our most experienced railroad men that more than half of the mortality and injury to passengers arising from railroad accidents might be prevented if due precautions were used by the companies in the construction of their cars, in the repairs of their roads, and in the running of their trains. How far this conviction is shared by the public is evident from the ample damages often awarded when any company is sued in the courts by passengers who have sustained injuries.

An examination of the details of railroad accidents shows that among the most important guarantees of safety, there are two or three which may very properly be made the subject of legislation. The first is the prevention of collision. By the free use of the telegraph it seems to us possible that no train should ever, by night or day approach within a certain distance of another train on the same line of rails. With suitable bye-laws carried out and enforced by a sufficient body of watchmen stationed at suitable intervals along the line of road, the collision of trains might probably be rendered almost impossible, and one of the most frequent dangers of the sacrifice of life would thus be averted from railroad travellers. We are aware that some of our great railroad com panies are making great efforts in the direction indicated, but economy induces others to be more remiss, and some uniformity of precautionary provisions might be secured by a wisely framed statute applying to all the roads. In the Convention at Albany, ten days ago, some such measure, we believe, was brought up in the Convention. But this matter is clearly one to be acted on by the Legislature, and not by a Convention assembled to revise the organic law of the State Government. We understand, however that the project finds favor in some influental quarters to appoint a Railroad Board, armed with authority, and held under obligations to take the supervision of these and other matters affecting the relations of the railroads to the public. By whatever means it be effected, however, the frequency of collisions ought to be and may be greatly diminished.

A second cause of railroad accidents arises from the condition of the road. The demand for rapid travelling has on the European railways made it obligatory on the various companies to keep the rails, ties and sleepers in perfect order, and to subject them to frequent inspection. In the leading roads of England we believe every mile of the rails from one end of the track to the other is examined at least once a day by me chanics whose sole business it is to walk along the road for this purpose, each man having a certain length of track allotted him, for the safety of which he is responsible and the condition of which he has to report from actual examination at certain intervals. Were some such arrangement perfected here, rare would be the accidents from rotten ties or broken rails, and the economy of the plan would be promoted if steel rails were generally adopted as is being done we believe to a limited extent on the Erie, Hudson, Harlem roads, and by some of the more enterprising companies in the Western States. The accident a week

ago on the first mentioned road near Elmira arose we are told from rotten ties which allowed a displaced rail to throw the engine off the track. This catastrophe might probably have been avoided altogether had the road bed been more thoroughly examined just as its mortality to the passengers was prevented by other precautions, to which we shall presently advert. We are aware of the difficulties against which our railroad companies have to contend and appreciate the efforts making to meet the demand for rapid and cheap transportation of passengers and merchandize. We do not urge the adoption of such legislation as would fetter the railroad companies or hinder any well devised efforts they may contrive to fulfil their important duties to the community, but we would urge on them the necessity of adopting voluntarily every well-tested improvement tending to prevent loss of life, knowing as we do that if omitted such expedients will before long be enforced by public opinion and by law.

But the precautionary measures should not stop at the security of the road bed and the prevention of collision between trains traversing it, for after we have put in operation the most approved preventives with the greatest possible care accidents will sometimes occur, and our railroad companies must see to the safety of the passengers whose lives are entrusted to their keeping by adopting any improvements in the construction of their cars which may conduce thereto. In this point of view there are two principal dangers which have to be guarded against -the "telescoping" of cars into each other in case of collision, and the falling of passengers in passing from car to car when the train is in motion. At the last session of the Legislature of this State a law was introduced to guard against the latter of these two evils, and it was finally passed on the 22d of April last. The provisions of this statute are not generally known. We therefore give them from an official copy of the law as follows:

SECTION 1. It shall be the duty of every railroad company or corporation in this State, and every railroad company or corporation running, or that may hereafter run its passenger cars in this State, to cause the platforms upon the ends of all passenger cars to be so constructed that when said cars shall be coupled together, or made up into trains and in motion, danger of injury to persons or loss of life between the ends of said cars, by falling between the platforms of said cars while passing from one car to another, shall, so far as practicable, be avoided.

SEC. 3. This act shall not operate or be construed to exempt railroad companies or corporations from liability for damages to persons who may be injured or sustain loss or damage by or through any neglect to comply with the provisions of this act. SEC. 4. Time shall be allowed to all railroad companies or corporations to comply with the provisions of this act as follows, to wit: One quarter of all the said cars of each of said companies or corporations shall be made to conform to the requirements of this act within three months from and after the passage of this act, one other quarter thereof within six months, one other quarter thereof within nine months, and the remaining one quarter thereof within one year from and after the passage of this act.

Several plans have been adopted and brought into use for complying with this law. That which seems to be regarded with the most favor as best meeting the conditions of the problem is known as the Miller platform, which some eighteen months ago was adopted by the Erie railroad, and is now being introduced, we believe, by the Hudson River road in this State, as well as on several Western roads.

This new coupling apparatus unites the ends of the cars so that only a few inches intervene between the two contiguous "platforms" however rapidly the cars are travelling. It is also adjusted to prevent the dangerous swaying motion, and while it grasps the cars so firmly together that a force of 7,000 pounds cannot tear them asunder, it is so elastic that there is no more than the average loss from " slippage," and no force that has yet been applied has ever caused them to telescope into each other. To the safety conferred by this apparatus was ascribed the fact that during the past eighteen months no passenger's life has been lost on the Erie railroad, and in the recent accident to which we have referred above not a single passenger was hurt although the train was going at full speed at the time.

DEBT AND FINANCES OF SAN FRANCISCO.

The public debt of San Francisco, as stated in the report of the City Auditor, at the end of the fiscal year 1865-66, and as it stood on the 9th April, 1867 (according to a special statement furnished us by the same gentlemen), is shown in the following statement:

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are payable in

The interest and principal of the bonds marked thus (*) gold by Messrs. Lees & Waller in New York. All others are payable in San Francisco.

The coupons of the bonds of 1858, the judgment bonds of 1863 and 1864, and the school bonds of 1866, are receivable for taxes of the current year.

The amount of debt July 1, 1866, as above...

Coupons then due and not presented..........

Total amount of indebtedness..

Sinking and other funds, per contra..

Net amount of debt....

$4,947,294 68,420

$5,015,714

1,183,916

$3,881,798

The receipts and expenditures for the fiscal year 1865–66 were as fol

lows:

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Net payments..

...

$116,977 86

......

98,145 90

$1,085,941 96

52,029 65- 169,007 51-$916,934 45

7,150 00 395,276 71

139,078 33-256,198 88

Paid with means obtained from other sources than per contra.

90,955 90

154,055 00

19,097 47

$1,437,281 20

315,235 84

$1,752,517 04

The rates of taxation (cents per $100) in the city and county, since the consolidation of 1856, for state as well as local purposes, are shown in the following statement:

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The following statement, which we have compiled from the most authentic sources accessible, shows the length of railroad constructed and in operation at the end of 1866 in each country into which they have been introduced, and their relation to the extent and population of the countries respectively. We believe it to be as Dearly accurate as it is possible to make such a summary :

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Divisions.

The following is a recapitulation of the above table, so far as length of railroad is concerned; but as relates to area and population, substituting the total of each grand division for those of the countries named above:

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A Parliamentary return, giving information on the subject of agriculture for the year 1866 has just been received, and I extract therefrom such features as seem to have general interest in this country and abroad.

The area under the principal cereal crops in 1866, which amounted to 2,159,199 acres, decreased by 40,211 acres compared with 1865; and the dimi

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