Man’s increasing wisdom and growing regard for his fellow man will some
day result in a better state of things than is here indicated:
According to an estimate made by Mr. Frederick L. Hoffman, of
the Prudential Insurance Company, the annual rate of fatal
accidents in American cities is between 80 and 85 in each
100,000. On a basis of 80,000,000 population, this would mean
a yearly loss of about 65,000 lives. By the same authority it
is calculated that 1,664,000 persons are badly injured every
year, and that some 4,800,000 receive wounds of a less serious
character. We have a yearly list of fatalities somewhere between
64,000 and 80,240, and of serious maimings of 1,600,000; whereas
two great armies, employing all the enginery of warfare, could
succeed in slaughtering only 62,112 human beings yearly. (Text.)
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