Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-22
STREET CAR FENDER
Captain Fiebeger's Recommended
tons on an Important Subject.
THE Two DESIGNS SELECTED
One From Baltimore and the Other
Local Patent.
A SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT

Capt. G. j. Fiebeger, assistant to the En-
gineer Commissioner, today made his re-
port to the District Commissioners upon
the subject of tenders for street railroads
in the District of Columbia.
Briefly, the report recommends the adop-
ton of the Blackstone pick up and Ed
ridge Smith wheel guard. The former Is
the device used in Baltimore, while the
latter is one patented by a washington
inventor.
Capt. Ffebeger has given this subject long
and earnest attention, and the report is
valuable one ia many respects.
Cant: Fiebeger states that about twenty
models have been tried upon the local rail-
ways, and that some of the railway OF
ficials have shown considerable interest IN
the selection of a suitable fender but there
is naturally a difference of opinion among
those interested A person may be protect-
ed from being struck by the rlgid oash-
board of cars by attaching PICKUP U
the front of the car, which catches man
in a net of wire or rope and holds MIN I'M
til released. According to Capt. f1epeser,
however, there are a number OF op)ecuohs
to the use of pickup.
In case a man is PROSTATE, the pickup
would pass over him, and he must be saved
from the wheels by what is known as the
wheel-guard fender. The improved Wheei
guards are operated in one of three ways.
or a combination Of at least two. Any OF
the wheel guards may fail to act Upon
badly col structed track.
Other tenders were submitted, Capt Fie-
beger goes on to say, in which an attempt
was made to combine the action or the
pickup and the wheel guard in a single
fender placed in front Of the car. In TWO
tenders submitted the dropping of the fen
der caused the automatic braking OF the
wheels
Exnariments NAV demonstrate that such
a mechanism can be advantageously ap-
piled to street railways, but at present the
sudden checking of car running nine TO
fifteen miles an hour would seem TO eX-
tend the sphere of danger to the passengers
who may be sitting standing up in the
same. 1t is therefore recommended that
every motor or cable car In the District
of Columbia be provided as early as prac-
ticable with a suitable pickup and i'm
proved wheel-guard fender.
There is nothing novel in this recon-
mendation, the same having been made to
the authorities of other cities, and is being
carried out by the railway companies of
the city of Baltimore.
Capt Fiebeger thinks it would be good
plan to allow the railway companies to
submit their own designs for tests and to
authorize them to use such as meet with
the approval of the Commissioners, but he
recommends that the Blackstone pickup
and the Blackstone and Eldridge Smith
whael-guard tenders be adopted for use In
this city, as superior to any fender or
tenders now used by any railway company
in this city. 1t is further recommended
that the attorney for the District be di-
rected to prepare regulations to require
the railway companies of the District to
equip all grip and motor cars with the
tenders mentioned.
Inspector l.. p. Bradshaw, who was de-
tailed by Capt Fiebeger to investigate the
operations of the several tenders now on
the street lines of the city, in a supple
mentary report describes the different fen
ders examined since his former report
The trent fender of the Blackstone make
is secured to the front of the car body,
though 1t can be made detachable, and,
projecting forward four feet, is carried
normally In position above the surface
about ten inches. The fender may be clos
ed when not in use.
The front of the striking edge of the
fender is Of rope nettings. The design Of
the fender Is to trip a person and cause
him to fall forward onto the rope netting.
He also describes the Christian, lobe, City
Suburban railway of Baltimore, Darrach,
Robins Life Guard and Barney tenders
and the O'Brien wheel guard.