Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1893-04-29
CORRESPONDENTS.
Electric Road Logic.


To the MINING Journal.
must again ask portion of your
space to reply to such portions of the
letter of "Publica" in the Star, of
April 10Th, as may seem to carry any
weight.
'Publlca $" stock of argument must
be running low, as throughout a large
portion of the letter he is again under
taking to substitute for argument the
vulgar vltuperation with which he
begun this discussion. He must have
low opinion Of the intellectual ca
paclty OF his readers if he supposes
that this sort of thing either suits
their taste, OF that they cannot dis
tlngulsh 1t from sound logic. He
seems to think them Incapable of form
ing an opinion except as they may or
may not personally like the one who
advances the idea.
In that portion of his letter IN which
he replies to Taxpayer" he advances
most remarkable doctrine upon the
subject of the relations of the County
Commissioners to the people, viz /:
That. once being elected, the Commits
sloners are at liberty to do as they
please with the county property with.
out asking advice of any one. Follow
ing this hue OF argument, a board of
Commissioners might think it such a
good thing to bring foreign capital
lnto the county that they would make
a present to some eastern friends of
the aims house, oreXample, to be used
as summer resort. In "Publica's''
eyes this would doubtless be praise
worthy.
In another place in his letter
'Publlca" quotes Il portion of an
editorial from the Baltimore Americon
to show that most of the accidents
caused by the Electric Roads are due
to the carelessness of the victims, and
seems to think that this settles the
question. The majority of sanitary
laws and police regulations, including
mine laws, are made to protect people
from the results of their own careless
ness. IT mining company introduces
machine haulage on any heading used
as travelling road by the men it is
expected, and IN many States required
by law, that another route or manwav
be provided upon which men can come
say that they can dodge the moving
cars and that "a large majority of the
accidents" will be due to the care
leSSness Of the Victims" Is mining
company any more bound to protect
Its employees than a board of Com
mlssloners are to protect citizens in
the enjoyment of improvements for
which they have paid
A few examples of the character of
accidents caused by these roads will
be instructive.
From the Baltimore Ameriean of
April LIST;
a sand cart driven by John Miller, aged
slXty-three years. was struck by cable car
NO. ll6 ON Cumberland street, throwing the
horse down. Miller was thrown off his seat
back into the cart, receiving painful bruises
lie was taken to the Maryland General
hospital.
"Publica' will probably reply that
1t served him right he had no business
getting in the way
Again from the Baltimore Americun
of April 18th:
heavy wagon loaded with groceries,
owned by Frank & Co., Chestnut and Gay
streets, and drawn by pair of stout mules
driven by w. Mettee, was struck by cable
car No. 10 Of the Traction company at 4:3O
O'Clock at the junction of Druid Hill and
Lafayette avenues. The wagon was going
west and the car south. Mettee saw the car
coming and put down his brakes, as did
Geo ge Ballard gripman of the car. The car
struck the wagon with a crash and sent
Mettee spinning into the street. With the
exception of a very muddy suit of clothes he
received no injuries. The wheels of the
wagon on the left side were completely
demolished. The groceries in the wagon had
to be removed to the sidewalk before the
wagon could be lifted from the track. The
accident delayed the cars some minutes
"Publica" will doubtless think it
was pity the ears We're delayed
Attention is called to the fact that
IN these cases both the man who was
injured and the one who made the
marrow escape We're plain laboring
men, who in all probability could i'll
afford to lose the time. They were
not rich men with fancy houses.
"Publica" claims to be very anxious
to bring capital into the county. In
the language of the immortal game,
the writer claims to "see him and 90
one better" The writer would like to
see enough foreign capital come in,
not only to build the Electric road,
but to pay for their right of way also.
Not force the people to contribute
their roads and thus destroy improve
ments, the equivalent of taking cap
ltal out of the county. OBSERVER.