The evening world., 1893-12-02
JUMP ABOARD, IF YOU CAN.
But Don't Expect a Broadway
Gripman to Stop for You.
His Cur May Be Late, and That's
Against Rules.

There has been no end of dissatisfac-
ton and Indignation expressed by the
public lately about the carelessness dis
played by gripmen and conductors on the
Broadway cable line. Numerous COM
paints have been made, but little or no
attention has apparently been taken Of
them.
The trouble has arisen chiefly through
the inability OF would-be passengers
to get the gripmen to stop their cars
when signalled.
Gripmen frequently refuse to even
sacken the speed of the car, and II a
man is not able to board it while in
motion, he is forced to wait until the
next one comes along.
If man jumps aboard and remon-
strates with the conductor. the chances
are he will be told that the Company
has issued orders not to stop.
The indignant passenger may make q
complaint to the Superintendent, but
under tn" standing rules the gripman
has an immense loophole through which
to make his escape, and the complaint
may be laid aside and no more thought
of It.
According to Supt. Newell, all conduc-
tors and gripmeT have orders to bring
their car to a sop when signalled, at the
lower corner. going down, or the upper
hind time and another ia Immediately
behind. They also have orders to stop
at the Equitable Building, Post-Ofice,
Denning's, Fourteen street and Twenty
third street, without being signalled.
This virtually gives the gripman the
power Of using his own discretion, and he
may do as he pleases.
That he uses this power was fully
Iannnltrnta1 whan
Evening. World" reporter rode uptown
on car No. 43. Conductor No. 65, John
J. Donald, had charge, and Gripman
Casey handled the brakes.
The first infraction of the Company 8
rules occurred at Canal street. Two
men slgnalled the car, but Its momentum
was not decreased in the least. One Of
the men succeeded in getting aboard, but
the other was left.
This was repeated in number of
instances, until the car reached Spring
Wbes trae 1t pesoeeay hs Sornf ne
speed of the car was hardly decreased.
One of the wagons of the knickerbocker
Ice Company, driven by James Mack,
attempted to cross the street.
The horses had gotten on the track
when the car struck them and one was
thrown over the tongue of the wagon.
The gripman was entirely to blame, as
he neglected to ring his bell to notify
the driver of the wagon of danger
In expana tion he accused the ice-cart
driver Of being drunk, and Of deliberate
man, however, had started across the
street several seconds before the car
struck him.
Passengers in the car and people who
witnessed the accident, alike were loud
in their condemnation of the action of
the gripman. The violence of the COLI
sion threw several passengers who were
few bruises nobody was hurt. The con-
ductor explained that Casey was a
At the Corner Of Thirteenth street two
ton was paid to them whatever The
reporter demonstrated with the conduc-
tor, but he said the car was behind
time, and could not stop.
At Union Square party composed OF
seven men and three ladies signalled
the gripman. The car was forced to stop
on account OF a wagon that was In front
of 1t, but the men were the only ones to
get aboard.
one block further up boy with a big
bundle attempted to get aboard, but he
was curtly told to walt for the next car;
At the upper corner OF Twenty-tnird
street O. woman and policeman both
motioneo to the gripman. They waited
for the next car.
blocks of No. 43, and yet this fragrant
infraction of the Companys rules was
going on. and all the public could do was
to shiver in the cold and wait until some
for them.
Supt. Newell was seen at the Com
pany's office and said: our men have
orders to stop at every corner when sig
nailed unless another car Is Immediately
behind and the forward one Is behind
time.
1--WE are now running cars every forty
seconds, and If one OF them gets behind
and stops at every signal the whole line
would be blocked"
The reporter came down on car 5S and
noticed signals disregarded as follows:
At Thirty-fourth street a lady signal
led, but was forced to wait. At Thirty
seventh, Seventeenth, Tenth streets and
Astor place the gripman refused to stop.
Car i3 refused to stop for passengers
at Thirty-fifth street, car A at Fourth
street, car 15S at Ninth street, car 93 at
Nineteenth street, car so at Twelfth
street, car 96 at Twenty-siXth street, car
76 at Forty-first street. car 81 at Twenty
sixth street.
These are only few of the thousands
OF indignities the public are daily sub
jected to by the line. The public sup
ha OF NJ nd damn nd hat a