Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-15
The Birmingham Traction Road Or
dinance Finally Passed.
MR.. MONROE DOES WELL BUTLOsES.
DR.. Evans Scores the Southside Business
Mems Opposition.
SPICY MEETINGS OF BOTH COUNCILS

| The lobby in Select Council was CROWDED
with persons interested when the ordinanc,
granting the right to use the streets to thu
Pittsburg and Birmingham Passenger Rail.
way was called up for second reading. Th'
spectators were mainly southside business
men, and they evinced great interest il
the proceedings.
When the Clerk had read the ordinance Mr.
| Monroe offered an amendment providing
that the company should lay its tracks double
up as far as South Sixth street, up which
one track must pass to Bingham street, uI
Bingham to South Tenth, up South Tenth
to Sarah street, up Sarah to Seventeenth
street, down Seventeenth to Carson and ur
Carson to the city line, being double from
Seventeenth street east, single track run.
ming from Sixth to Seventeenth along Car
son. In offering this amendment Mr.. Mon.
roe said he was in favor of the Traction
road, but wanted it surrounded with such
restrictions as would make it safe for the
women and children, hundreds of whom
were continually crossing Carson street
which, unless his amendment was adopted
would be very dangerous, because the trac-
ton cars would travel SO fast. At present,
he said, the horse cars travel at the rate oi
four miles an hour and when two cars were
passing each other on adjacent tracks this
speed was increased eight miles. He un-
derstood the traction cars would travel six
miles an hour, and hence their speed in
passing each other would be just double
that, or II miles an hour.
LIVES IN DANGER.
The effect of this speed on the narrow por-
tion of Carson street between Sixth and
Seventeenth streets would be, in case a
double track were laid there, to cause the
death of many child or woman or old per-
son, simply because the street was so narrow
that they would not have an opportunity to
get out of the way. There was scarcely a
day, Mr.. Monroe said, but that he had OBJ
served drivers of horse cars stop their cars
to let team get out of the way, and the
street was so narrow that there was not
room enough to drive to one side, but the
teamster must pull off one track on to
another. Increase the rate of speed and it
would be impossible for vehicles to keep
out of the way of the cable cars. He
thought it would be saving in the long
run for the traction company as we'll as
safeguard for the citizens if his amendment
was adopted, because it would not only allow
the cars to make better time, but would
save them many suits for damages.
Mr.. Monroe presented petition yard
and half long, signed, he said. by all of
the business men on Carson street except
two, who asked the Councils of the city to
protect them in this matter from the railway
corporation before it was too late. The COM
pany had once single track along Carson
street, but they stole the street and forced a
second track along it, in spite Of the opposl-
tion of the citizens. Now was an oppor-
tunity to compel the company to lay its
tracks where they would best suit the citi-
Zens.
Mr.. Heating thought Mr.. Monroe's plan
was much more dangerous than the original,
as far as pedestrians were concerned. He
believed that, if it were adopted, the average
number of persons killed at the corners
where the cable cars would whirl around
would be about one every hour. The corner of
Seventh street, where the Penn avenue cars
swing from Seventh street into Penn ave-
nue., the Fifth avenue fractions crossing
over Penn avenue in front of their station in
East End, and the crossing of the sidewalk
on Liberty street by the Penn avenue cars
coming out OF their station were referred to
by Mr.. Heating as illustrating the danger of
turning street corners with cable lines, for a
person walking along could not see the car
until it was right on him, when crossing the
street at such place.
HIS REMARKS INDoRsED.
Mr.. Warmcastle said be would like yerv
much to vote with his Southside friends on
this matter, but he thought Mr.. Keating's
objection too important to be overlooked.
DR.. Evans said he had been informed by a
member of the traction company that their
charter would not permit of their using any
streets except those traversed by the present
street car line on the Southside. More.
over he thought the cable cars much
safer on straight street like Carson
where they could be seen approaching for
half mile than to have them come whirl-
ing out OF a side street where they could not
be seen until within few yards of the
pedestrian.
Mr.. T. A. Gillespie thought the traction
company would never build its lines ii COM
PEELED to follow the route proposed BY Mr..
Monroe, as the great number OF switches re-
quired would be too expensive to keep up.
Mr.. Monroe's motion was then voted on.
and defeated by the following vote:
Ayes-Messrs. Braun, D. P. Evans, Monroe
McCord, Nisbet, Paul, Robertson. Rohrkaste
and Warren-9.
I. A. Gillespie, Haslett, Keating. King. LAM,
bic, Matthews, Miller, Murphy, Mckinley.
Perry, Treusch, Warmcastle, Watson, Williams:
Wilson, Ford-23
nent, providing that the line should leave
Carson street at First street, and run to
Tenth on Bingham, up Tenth to Sarah. nm |
Sarah to the city line. This he said was to |
meet the objection of Mr.. Paul, that the |
street was narrow below Sixth street az |
we'll as above, and the objection of Mr.
Warmcastle, who had said that Carson street
was narrower from mTwenty-seventh streeteast |
han it was at any other place. This amend. |
nent was also defeated, and Mr. Monroe
hen made his last attempt by Offering an
amendment to compel the traction company
% pay into the city treasury the same
mount per annum as the company having
he franchise now pays.
STRONG OBJECTIONS MADE.
Mr.. Heating said that would not be right
No other traction company was compelled
o pay anything for their privileges, and il
would be wrong to pick out the South
ide company for that purpose. In
he past the Birmingham Passenger
ear for each car, but Mr.. Keatinp
hought the clause in the ordinance which
would compel the new company to keep the
treet clean and the pavement between its
racks in good repair would amount to con-
iderably more to the city than the tax on
he cars.
Mr.. Lambie thought Mr.. Monroe amend
nent good suggestion. The city had been
90 liberal with her franchises for years, and
90 little attention was paid to the details of
big affair like this In other cities a COM
ANY enjoying the privilege like this ordi-
ance contemplated would be expected to
ontribute literally to the city treasury.
lie admitted thst the first cost OF construct
ng cable road was heavy, but he thought
be Fifth avenue road demonstrated that the