Railroads and their Accidents in New York

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By the Report of our State Engineer, Wm McAlpine, C. E., of the railroads in this State for 1852, we learn that the whole number o passengers carried over 29 railroads, was 7, 440,653, and the number of miles travellec was 343,358,545. The number of passenger injured was 82 ; killed, 26. The number o employees injured was 89 ; killed, 76 ; makini the total number injured, 265, and killed 162 The ratio of passengers killed to the numbe who travelled one mile, is one for every 13, 206,098 passengers carried. By Dr. Lard-ner's statistics of railways, we learn that in England the accidents to passengers who tra velled one mile has been as one to 65,363,736 passengers carried. The accidents on the roads in New York to passengers therefore are nearly five times more numerous than they have been in England. There is no doubt in our mind but if all our roads had double tracks we would have fewer accidents, but at the same time we are convinced that our tracks are not sufficiently guarded; they should be fenced in, and no person should be permitted to travel on them. There should be a law made to punish trespassers, but this cannot be done until the tracks are enclosed. No less than 76 persons killed by being run over, while standing or walking on the track, and only 26 by collisions. In England they are far behind us in the construction ol their cars; if they would adopt our comfortable long cars there, instead of using their old iashioned dumpy ones, they would show some appreciation of Brother Jonathan's good sense and ideas of railway comfort. Great improve ments have yet to be made in railway man agement, as connected with safety and com fort, after which the friends of Mr. Ray and the American Institute may modestly claim some testimonial of gratitude to those bene factors of American genius, who so promptly offered and awarded those prizes for railroad improvements.

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