Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-30
FOR SAFETY GATES.
The sourhside People Are in Dead Earn
est-A Big Meeting Tonight to Protest
Against Obstruction.

| The sOuIhside People Are In Dead Earn
est-A Big Meeting Tonight to Protest
Against Obstruction.
The war against the railroad companies
by the Southsiders still continues. Some
time ago local pride and a desire for better
protection to the people around the various
railroad crossings got the better of some of
the prominent citizens and steps were IN
augurated to have safety gates erected and
watchmen placed at all the crossings.
Petitions were circulated, and after they
had been signed by several hundred people
the interest in the matter was allowed to lag
and the petitions were never presented to
the companies. The citizens are now taking
the matter in hand, and yesterday the fol-
lowing notices were posted through the
Twenty-fourth and Twenty-seYenth wards:
NoTIoE-There will be meeting Of the citi-
zens of the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-seventh
wards at the Twenty-fourth ward school house
on Saturday, November 30 at z o'clock P. M,
to protest against the obstruction of the city
crossings in said wards.
The citizens of these wards are yerv in
dignant at the way the crossings are OBJ
structed by freight trains and traffic pre-
vented for as long as 20 minutes at time.
Alderman Ayers. in speaking about the
matter last night, said: "It is a downright
shame. Whole trains are made up right on
the crossings and the citizens have no
redress. There is no use to complain to the
employees. I saw a milkman detained 25
minutes at one of the crossings this morn
ing. A long train shifted around until it
had placed every car where it be-
longed. Sometimes the engine would
be half way over the crossing and
10 feet more would have let the
hnt al he
start, the engineer would pull up again and
prevent him from doing so. Now the ordi-
nance under which these companies have
secured their right of way, provides that no
crossing shall be obstructed more than five
minutes at time. It is high time the peo-
pie rise up and demand that few of their
rights be respected"
Another citizen of the ward was seen and
he said that some action would be taken at
the meeting tonight looking toward secur-
ing safety gates. The Twenty-second street
crossing on the Lake Erie, and the Twenty
seventh and Thirtieth street crossings on
the Pittsburg, Virginia and Charleston, are
very dangerous places. The former is an
extremely perilous one, owing to the new
steam ferry landing being located there.
Several people have been killed at all these
crossings recently, and human life is con-
stantly endangered.
Unfortunately for the citizens, the rail-
road companies are not tied down to
any ordinances containing penalties for
their violation. The ordinances Of
the old boroughs under which the
companies secured their rights of way, are
very loose and on many points are inopera-
tive, so that the companies can do about as
they please. 1t remains with them to de-
termine whether the wishes of the people
who claim to be the sufferers shall be re-
spected or not.
There is talk of general ordinance being
prepared and presented in Councils at an
early date regulating the grievances COM
planned of bv the Southside people.