San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-05-27
TOO RAPID TRANSIT.

CT care on Une part or the rapid
transit lines to prevent accidents
in our crowded thorougnfares. The
responsibility for such a distress
ing accident as occurred in this
city Thursday evening does not
rest wholly with the rapid transit
company. There is no doubt that
too high a rate of speed is main
tanned on all the electric lines of
this city, while traversing the
business and more densely pOpu-
lated sections. 1t is also true that
the city and citizens are as much
responsible for this condition of
things as the transit companies.
The city, because it is does not
properly specify by ordinance the
rate of speed to be maintained over
certain streets; the citizens, be-
cause they are always crying out
against any delays in transit from
place to place. The demand is for
rapid transit and the demand is
met, but at what cost. 1t is this
general demand for swift travel
that has resulted in such a reck-
less rushing of the electric cars
through some of the streets of
this city, where it is really
unsafe to travel faster than five
miles an hour. The people must
remember that there is limit to
the speed with which cars can be
run in the center of the city. The
city administration should cOnsid-
er that they are responsible for
regulations insuring the safety of
the people in the streets, and that
it is within their province to regu-
late the speed at which the cars
shall traverse certain streets.
Every advantage that can be right
ly claimed for rapid transit will be
met in permitting car companies
to run at their discretion outside
of certain streets, in the unsettled
and sparsely inhabited sections.
The transit companies must also
consider that they are not held
guiltlesS of recklessness because
the people demand a dangerous
rate of speed, or because there is |
no ordinance regulation against
running twelve miles an hour
through the center of the city.
There is no more dangerous
place for maintaining high |
rate of speed in this city than
just where that Thursday even
ing accident occurred. There is
large amount of travel upon that |
street; it is very narrow; there
are three business houses at the
street intersection and at the
time that the accident occurred |
the street was hardly passible on
account Of the laying of water
pipes in the street. All these con-
ditiOns should induce an extra
caution on the part of the motor
men, even at the expense of caus-
ing a wait on the switches. Then
the children are themselves in
great measure to blame. They
swarm around all places where
gas or water mains are being laid
to the annoyance of the workmen
and to their own danger as we'll.
Only yesterday, a dozen small
children rushed out from the Ger
man-English school at noon right
in the face of a coming car upon
the track, utterly regardless of the
danger, and it was only by Ithe
most strenuous eXertiOns of the
motOrman that three or four of
them were saved from horrible
death. This is an evil to be cor
rected by parents and teachers and
they must cooperate with the city
and car company in preventing a
sacrifice of children in the streets.
THE Texas Farmer cannot under
stand why the Almighty in his
wisdom permits the Federal judges
to sit in judgment. This is not at