The morning call., 1893-03-12
THEIR LAST CAR.
How Conductors Shorten
the Final Trip.
Women and Children Turned Out on
the Streets at Midnight and Conn
PEELED to Walk Home.


Fifth avenue" said young woman about IS
years of age to conductor on the Geary-
street lire as his car stood on the ,urntabe
at the foot of Geary street night or two
ago. 1t was alter midnight and the girl
wanted to be sure that the car would carry
her to the place she had mentioned before
she allowed the crowd Of young companions
who were with her to leave her alone.
Get aboard. miss" answered the con-
ductor, and then added, You're just In
time. This is the last car"
The young woman was a servant in the
family of a well-known business man,
whose house is on the corner of the streets
mentioned in the remark of the girl, and
from the car-track to his doorstep it is about
thirty feet. The young woman was not
afraid to run from the car-trac1 to the house
at o'clock in the morning, 50 sue bade her
companions good-by and took the coziest
corner of the car for her ride home
The car started, the girl paid her fare and
rode contentedly out the line until the car
house Of the Geary-street line was reached,
when, to her astouishm ent, the car was
run into the barn, and once inside the con-
ductor, seeing her still sitting in the Car,
came in and said:
81 told you this was the last trip. We
don't go any further than this"
But faltered the poor girl, 81 want to
60 TO Point Lobos road and Fifth avenue,
and ! asked you before started if the
car"
We'll with q laugh, I guess you'll
walk it." replied the conductor
1t was after l o'clock In the morning and
The poor girl, pat out on the streets at that
| hour, ran lranticallY toward her home,
arriving at her destination exhausted and
10 a faintng condition. Since her ride she
| has been IN bed suffering from nervous
pFOstTaLlnu. the reSult of frighf
a CALL reporter interviewed an official
or two at the offices Of the Market street
system on Monday last without telling them
that he was newspaper man, and asked
| this question:
What are the rules governing the run
ming of the last car on the various lines of
the Market-street Gable Railroad system ?"
The answer was, The same rules as
! those governing any other car"
'4 GU mean to say then that a person get
| ting aboard the last car on any OF the lines
| operated by this company is entitled to a
ride clear to the terminus of the road, If he
| or She wants TO do sO?'
Certainly they are" was the answer,
THE last car, g. it is called, should leave
| the ferry, or Market, kearuy aud Grary
| streets, and 60 clear TO the end Of the line.
| and then come back to the carhouse and
| put up On the trip il ftom the outward
| terminus OF the line the conductor Is in
| stTucted TO warn passengers that the car
| goes only 10 the carhOuse, and for that mat
| ter he can refuse TO take passengers at all
| as his days work Is ended when he reaches
| tile outward terminus Of the road and he
! only comes back because he has to put his
| car away"
With this information the reporter began
| questioning the conductors in the various
lines as to the prevailing custom of running
the last cars at night.
The almost universal answer was that
instead of running the last car clear to the
| terminus OF tie road 1t was stopped at the
| carhUuse and the passengers invited to get
| out and walk the rest If the way. One or
! TWO conductors were found who said that
| they always asked their passengers on the
! last trip where they wanted to 90, and if
| any OF them wanted 80 go clear out to tile
| end OF the line they run the car out but If
! they were willing to walk from the car
| house home they LET 'em walk"
The citizens living out al the end of the
! Geary and McAllIster street lines have for
| long time been complaining of their treat
| meut by the men who run the last cars on
| the lines named. On the McAilisler-street
line especially 1t Is an outrage to put pas
| seugeTs oil at the caThouSs, for they are
! compelled 10 travel through a perfect will
| derness of sand hills without human
| babtation anywhere near until they reach
| the terminus of the road.
| When a passenger gets aboard a street.
| car, according TO the law and the rules of the
! various companies controlling and operating
| tile streetcar lines, they are entitled TO a
| ride for one fare from one end OF the road TO
| the other, no matter whether it is The first
| or the last car Of the day on which they ride.
| The rules Of the various companies are the
| same regarding this point aud the turning
| out of passengers at the carhouSe on the last
| outward bound trip ut night is done by the
! car conductors on their own responsibility
| and at their own risk.
! 1t is evident that the numerous gentle
men Of the road who relieve late travellers
| on lonely highways of their money ana
| valuableS are well aware of the prevailing
| custom Of stopping the last car before Its full
! trip is completed. for the records of the
| police show that there have been numerous
| cases OF highway robbery on the streets
| traversed by the car lines at hours when
| the last ear should have been on its way out
| TO the end Of the line. a last car that
| isn't last car, or, In other words
car that instead of goiBg the full length
| OF the line, GS 1t is expected to do stops at
| the carhouse, Is certainly dangerous con-
| venience. Women and children, who live
| in houses on streets which are traversed by
| the cable-cars and who remain downtown
and take the last car, expecting to walk
| from the eartrack into their homes. dis
| tance Of say fifty or hundred feet, find IL
| quite another matter when they are COM
| PEELED to walk four, five and even ten blocks
| along lonely thOrOughfare at o'clock in
| the morning, simply because the conductor
| OF the last ear, In dcfan ce of rules, puts his
car in the house instead Of running it 10 the
| end of the line.