The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-01-10
STREET.CAR OBSERVATIONS
The Heavy Travel Transferred from III
inOis Street to College Avenue.
Conversation Of the GOngs-HOw Young
Woman Broke Up Csr-All Less
than Three Years Of Age.

has been found necessary to run trailers all
III. time, and early in the morning the
south-bound cars. and at 6 In the even
ing the north bound cars are loaded
to suffocation. Even on the coolest
evenings people residing as far north as
Seventh street are so anxious 70 get to their
firesides that they cling to the ratings and
hang to the couplers, while inside the car
ladies stand up In the aisles in such o
packed condition that the conductor has
hard work to collect fares. This crowding
could probably be avoided If q sufficient
number of people would wait for the next
car. but they evidently look upon such a
thing Is putting OF until tomorrow what
Won can do today This mad rush, this rest
less activity. this hurry-skurry simply ex-
emplIfies trait in the American character.
IL 10 the same as Is seen at a circus where
everybody from the six-year-old boy to the
handsomely dressed lady makes q rush for
the inside as soon as the doors are opened.
ut 10 charity, however, TO presume that the
anxiety OF everybody to board the nIst
street-car Is caused more or less by the de-
sire of hen to get homo TO their wives after
hard days mental or manual labor. At
any rate the custom Is followed Win IN
varying s0licitude and every evening, from
5:3O 10 $50 O'Clock. this story Is Illustrated
IN the downtown section or the city with
llfe-sized views. =.
'Just get on to my voice." said an electric
car gong to the sounder on the chemical
No. 8. at fire department headquarters. the
other day, when they CHANGED to meet, off
duty. Here have been going all day. as
hard as could go. / am about worn out,
and people actually laugh at me as 1 give
my hoarse warning. That motorman on
my car has the st. Vitus's dance in one foot.
and that IL the one he keeps on the pedal.
He mas reduced my voice TO a squawk.
can'u say lclang any moro. i can only go
along uttering q nat cla-a-ck, cla-a-ck. My
timbre has taken to the woods; need rest
something to tone me up"
so / should judge" said chemical No.
sounder. "You ought TO change your style
. of warning. People don't like to be scared
TO death by clang that makes 'em think L
am going TO q fire. You have trespassed on
our kind of sound, and don't pity you q
bit. Before you lost your voice, every
man that drives horse concluded that as
long as he kept out OF the car tracks he
was safe. He couldn't tell the difference
between rs. Ii you would just hook your
self on to the current that turns your
wheels you would serve US good turn
and be more respected by every body, as
well ourselves. The hammer would not
hit you so hard, and you would not be so
worn out when night comes hear lots of
kicking among the fire department. drivers
about you. 10 be sure, your present con-
dition don't make much trouble for US
You don't have enough clang to make the
sound keep mp with the car. Your warning
is all to the people who are out of danger.
Don't you know the mills Will never grind
with the water that Is pastf
Certainly; but You needn't get pert
about it" replied the street-car bell. 1T
amt my fault If the car outstrips the sound
waves. i actually dash against them my
self. and 1t is pretty cold bathing this time
of year. Is 1t any wonder l am hoarsef
Why i heard man. the other day. kicking
about the same thing that troubles you.
IL I'D int oil frrn
rent. He was abusing the Board of Public
Safety like the dickens-came pretty near
getting run over by No. SIS hose wagon. he
said. because he thought it was only me
that was making racket. and he was not
on the track. had to laugh my self whom
heard him say:
Those streetcar bellsi Those clacking bells
What a farcicaI warning their hoarseness tells.
They feebly hack, and whack. and croak
Like a streetcar mule with voice gone broke
tine comparison said the street-car
s0under, made me hot and l."
Dong. dong. and then Box % came in.
Though OF duty the interruption had the
effect to prevent the colloquy continuing.
Electricity has brought into the fortunes
of street railroads something of the ex-
periences OF steam railway lines. With the
factor of speed comes in the danger to
human life. Three deaths have occurred
thus far. But one would suppose collisions
could be avoided. With double tracks,
strong breaks warning bells and either
daylight or electric light. It seems incredi-
BILE that cars should run together. And
yet such accidents occur. The last one of
the kind happened Friday, in the network
of curves at the corner of Illinois and WASH
ington streets. An Irvington car. in making
the curve to reverse ends. found itself
plunging into an Illinois liner. Both mo-
tormentfrantlcally wrung the brakes, but
still the heavy cars refused to stop. So
intent were they upon avoiding the collis-
ion without damage to property that one
motorman forgot to take his fingers out of
the way. The momentum was Just about
spent when the cars came together. They
touched with the fingers between them as
cushlon-lust enough OF an obstruction to
make the motion end. OF course, both
motormen wero laid of for few days. but
the one with mashed fingers has an excuse
that forestalls dIsegreeable questions as to
why he Is not working.
A lady living on Seventn-streer took
North Illinoisstr electric car at Wash
ington street last Thursday noon to go
home to dinner. She had her little child
with her, little chap not over four years
Of age. bright as ray of sunlight
The car stopped at Seventh street.
and the lady arose 70 60, telling
the child TO follow her. He jumped
his mother toward the door. when some
trifie on the car floor attracted his attention.
and he stopped. child like. to pick it up
Come. kid, hustle up there. this yer Amt
no cattle train" This from the gentle
manly conductor, with real whiskers. A
passenger, who was sitting near the door
and noticing the embarrassment of the
mother. who was waiting on the platform,
said to the conductor, lit may not be q
regular cattle train. sir. but there appears
TO be some cattle on il. and If you would
talk TO my child In that way you'd get
hurt" =.
The passengers on Clifford-avenu car
going out Thursday night. about IL O'Clock,
were treated to a queer scene. At North
street young woman boarded the car, ex-
changed word with the driver. who was
evidently an acquaintance. and sat down.
When the car was cut loose from the motor
employe began pulling it up TO meet the
mules coming down. When the young
woman saw this she sprang TO the door,
seized the whip. and "swiped" both men
across the shoulders with il, yelling at
them very much as driver yells at his
mules. There was great commOtlon IN
front. and the car was In an uproar.
moment later the young woman came
bouncing IN and sat down. "Pve drove
mules lots o times" she sang out but
this Is the hrst time ever drove Jackasses"
Quite q coincidence occurred the other
day on an Illinois-street car. A lady