The Washington times., 1894-10-29
WHAT SHALL The FENDER Be
Street Railway Men Say They Are
Willing to Equip Their Cars.
AWAITING A SPECIFIC ORDER
Whenever the Commissioners Shall Designate
the Kind of Invention to Be Used. They
Say All Cars Will Be Provided with De-
fenses Against Fatal Accident

tive to the equipment of street cars with fen
ders for the protection OF life and limb, the
District Commissioners recently issued an
town Railroad Company. the Brightwood
Railroad Company. the lexington and Sol
diers' Home Railway Company, the Rock
Creek Railway Company, and the George
town and Tennallytown Railroad Company to
equip at least two of their cars with tenders
and operate them regularly on and after to-
day.
The order further required that the fender
should be of Il design approved by the Com
missioners, and that the companies men
toned should run cars equipped with it until
different regulations were made
Intimations have been received from all the
companies mentioned in the order. with the
exception of the Washington and George
town Railroad Company. TO the effect that
the request OF the Commissioners will be
complied with to-day. 1t is probable.
also that the Washington and Georgetown
Railroad Company will comply with this re-
quest. though no statement to that effect can
be obtained from Acting President Dunlop,
and the Commissioners have no information
of prospective acquiescence in their order on
the part of that company.
1t may be stated, however. that every street
railway company in the city operating ears by
mechanical power stands ready TO equip its
rolling stock with any fender approved by the
Commissioners and ordered into use. in ac-
cordance with the terms OF the act Of Con
gress OF August 7, 1894. This much is plain
from interviews whish The TINES has had
with officials of the several roads.
cAR-FESDER TESTS.
The bartender question has received ex-
haastive consideration at the hands Of both
the Commissioners and the street railway COM
panies. Endless experiments have been made
on various lines with number of tenders,
and all of the companies with the single ex-
ception of the Washington and Georgetown
road. have willingly and cordially operated
with the Commissioners in an endeavo to
find fender which in practical use would
meet the approval Of the Commissioners aud
street railway men and answer the require
ments of adequate protection to life and limb.
Up TO the present time the Commissioners
have not approved a car fender for use on all
the lines, and are not satisfied in their own
minds as to which particular design ought 70
be adopted. When a satisfactory fender IS
found, every company in the city operating
its ears by mechanical power, viii be ordered
There seems to be no reason TO doubt that
the street railway companies will promptly
comply with a specific order of this nature.
The Commissioners have settled upon six
car-fendCrs as worthy OF trial upon the several
lines in compliance with their orders. These
tenders are the Smith automatic car fender,
the Parmenter automatic life guard, the Russ
fender. the Hurst fender. a fender made by
the Bridgeport Car Equipment Company, and
another invented by J. W. Dariey. In a letter
sent to the Washington and Georgetown
Railroad Company by the Commissioners on
October 10 that company was requested TO
equip q certain number OF cars With the first
four of these tenders. No attention has been
paid to this request. further thin the equip
ment Of one car with the Smith fender.
PRESIDENT DUNLoP's ATTITUDE.
Respecting the attitude of the Washington
aud Georgetown Railroad Company on the
bartender question, Acting President Dun
lop says that the company is a law abiding
corporation. and that it is ready and willing
to equip all its cars with any fender which
the Commissioners may approve. but cannot
do anything in that direction until the Com
missiOners do approve fender. The act
of Congress relating TO car-ienders. said Mr..
Dunlop, requires Us 10 equip our ears with
tenders and we propose to obey the law. but
1t also requires the Commissioners to approve
and designate the kind of fender to be used
ana until the Commissioners inform Us what
sort OF fender they want US TO supply our ears
with, We do no: want TO waste money with
other equipments. 1t Is as much our interest
to use car-ienders rs It's the interest of the
Commissioners or OF the public and We shall
equip our ears with any fender prescribed by
the Commissioners whenever they shall so
order. But we cannot be expected 10 do
anything in advance of action by the Com
mIssionerS.
I'VE believe, however, that the tenders or
truck guards now in use on all of our cars
are amply sufficient for the protection OF life
and limb, though the Commissioners and the
public don't think so. Many OF the tenders
submitted to US would be more dangerous
than tine present truckguards, and most Of
them are utterly impracticable IN actual Oper-
alton. For the last TWO months we have
operated on grip car 21S bartender OF our
own construction, which we think meets ali
the requirements Of a safe and practicable
fender. We should be glad TO equip all our
ears with that fender, or with any other if
the Commissioners should 50 order.
Mr. Dunlop insisted that the Washington
and Georgetown Railroad Company never
spared any expense In equipment If the pub
lie would be accommodated thereby. It
should be added here that the bartender ap-
the Commissioners.
on THE SUBURBAN LINES.
On the Brightwood line three ears equipped
with tenders are now running regularly and
a fourth will be equipped at once. With
the officials of this road the Blackstone fen
der, ordered placed upon all ears in the city
of Baltimore, is the favorite Device and IS
rated best adapted for practical use. Tenders
manufactured by the Sterling Manufacturing
Company, by the Bridgeport Car Equipment
Company. and the Darrocb and Collier and
May tenders have been given tests on this
road. Secretary Williams has notified the
Commissioners that the Brightwood Rail-
road Company has complied with the order of
the Commissioners.
On the Rock Creek road bartender has
been attached to one car for some time past.
Officials of this road and also of the George
town and TennallytoWn line Will,comply with
the order of the Commissioners. using some
one or other of the tenders designated for ex-
perimental use.
The lexington and Soldiers Home Rail-
way Company is preparing to equip two of
its cars with experimental tenders, several of
which have been in the company's shops for
some weeks past. This company is ready to
equip all its ears with Tenders when the Com
missioners shall have approved a practicable
fender.
II the statements of railway officials are
to be relied on, then it only remains for the
Commissioners to order some particular
fender or tenders to be placed on all cars
operated by mechanical power to secure
prompt compliance on the part OF Washing
ton street railways with the recent act Of Con-
gress relative to car-fenders.
-<Ah--
Willing Mercury.
First Boy-Wot's the rush?
Second boy-I heard pa invite an old friend
To dinnar and I'm hnrruinn, home to tell