Evening journal., 1893-03-09
HARD ON THE new ROAD
Close Call for the WIN. c.
Electric Railway.
SENATORS DEMAND TUNNELS

Or Overhead Bridges when Railroads
are TO bo Crossed-Mr. Cooper with
draws the BnI-senator AicAIuliin Says
Petition of ia Taxpayers is Ger
tainly a Remembrance Against Any
Such Action.
Stsa Correspondence Evening Journal.
DOVER, March s-The bill 20 incor-
porate the Wilmington and New Castle
Electric Railway Company had close
call in the Senate yesterday morning.
Il now hangs in the balance, with grade
crossing amendment which promises to
weigh the scales against 1t. The pro
moters Of the road assert that the p,
W. q b. Railroad Company is playing its
hand IN the matter
Senator Watson, chairman Of the Com
mittee on Corporations, reported the bill
favorably with an amendment. This
amendment provided that the company,
whenever it crossed railroad tracks,
should have an overhead bridge or
tunnel under them.
Pnling's Strong Speech.
When the question OF adopting the
amendment was put, Senator Pilling
said
THAT amendment will certainly pre-.
vent this company from getting beyond
a railroad The object in attaching that
amendment TO the bill am not aware,
excepting 10 TO be TO protect lives. II
that Is the object it Is very worthy. At
the same time we ought to inquire
whether it really accomplishes that OBJ
ject. There are the people Of the town
of New Castle on the Cne side Of the
railroad and 10 20 Of the people Of the
city Of Wilmington on the other side. IL
Is impossible for these people 10 get into
the city of Wilmington without crossing
that railroad in one shape or another.
They must cross H. They cannot com
municate with each other unless they
do. Now / contend that IL Is safer for
them to be conveyed in cars across that
road with proper precautions than it is
to 90 singly across on foot. IL Is their
duty TO look out Pedestrians will 90
under the gates In the face Of a train
where q car cannot cross without the
gates are up. think. although l must
admit that the object is praiseworthy,
that it viii not accomplish the object
for which IL isintended. What the people
of Wilmington intend to do is to have
the steam railway elevated through the
city. ] hope IL will not be long before
! they have IT, The thoroughfare ai
Market street Is a great nuisance to the
steam railroad now. In other parts OF
the city east 10 is still worse and / have
been creditably informed that, in ordei
, TO preserve their own interest and safet.
and liability this matter has been con
j. sidered by the railroad company very
seriously. about elevating the railroad
ali the way through the city Of vii
mington, or very nearly all the way
i That would be very good news TO us all
J. III that amendment is tackled on yoI
might as well defeat the bill. There ar
only a few yards from the Christiani
bridge TO the railroad, and only shor
distance from the railroad to From
( street. Il is such short distance tina
It would be impossible TO get up and dow
on an overhead bridge. At this yer,
: crossing the b g. o. has a station on thl
south side of the track. Passenger
have TO cross two railroads before the.
can get TO or from the station. There /
d no provision to take care Of their lives
e There have been couple Of accident
u and two watchmen there. With wagon
u team, coach or any other vehicle yo
~ may mention have never heard of al
k accident with the cars because the gate
e are closed down and it is impossible 70
] them TO get on the tracks. IL Is not i'm
,e5 possible for pedestrians, because the
II can 90 under he gates. We have n
a accidents where they can't eros
% when the gates are down. Therefore
y say, are not we going a little too far II
y putting a restriction upon this proposes
ls company that will compel them to sto
~ on the south side Of the tracks, and con
l pei the passengers to cross the track
u with the gates up or down-because ti
gates will not stop them. Young Ame
lea is so fast that he will not stop for
O. locomotive. But If we can have IL
ID passenk ers in a car we can control then
lr Therefore / say that II the object Is
y protect lives, from my standpoint It wi
rs fail in its object. l sincerly trust it wi
not be adopted
Trying to Save Lives.
4. Mr. Watson-"The object really is
protect lives. This road crosses two
ID. three different lines before it gets In
=, Wilmington There is evidently dang
~ Of freight trains crossing this road
= tween New Castle and Wilmington.
=, want to see this road get there, but
N don't think it should be put there at q
~ expense of somebody's life. "
In Mr. McMullin-'It is right to have
proper regard for the lives Of citizen
IA but this Is new feature. The frien
a. Of this road know from me that the til
" would come when not only this road, b
Of every other road would be compelled
"a adopt means of safety for persons W
use these ways and means OF travel
doesn't hardly seem to me TO be fair
commence with this company. As s.
Of before. the time will come when the De
es- ware railroad and every other railro
en will have to take these precautiol
W Occasionally a horse aud carriage
in crossing these roads and locomoti
tly runs over them and kills somebody.
lty apply for safety gates or other applian'
to apprise the travellers that they are
danger. have in my hand petit
signed by 774 Of the taxpayers Of n
Castle. 1 regard it as a remonstraI
ate a,raiust that amendment and / shall W