The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-10

The Civic Federation Demands
Proper Tenders on
StreetCarS.
THINGS THAT ARE MANTRAPS
The Market-StreetC Company Is Told
to Get Eight Wheels, If
Necessary.

The Civic Federation met to consider the
fender law and its alleged violation last
evening.
The committee on public safety, through
John NJ. Reynolds, reported that, in &C
cordance with instructions given at the
last meeting, the committee had visited
General Manager E. P. Vining of the Mar
ket-street Railway Company, the carhouse
of the Mission-street line at Twenty-ninth
and Mission streets, and had examined the
tenders now being used by the company
The committee found that the company
provided but one article that resembled a
fender, and that was a longitudinal screen,
which is fastened in front of the forward
wheels and at least six feet from the front
of the car. The committee asked Mr.. Vim
ing what the company placed the tenders
so far back for.
Mr.. Vining explained that on the four
wheeled cars there was considera BILE oscil-
Iation in front, and fender could not be
safely suspended further forward. He
found it difficult to comply with the
ordinance, because it provided that the
tenders should come to within one and a
half inches of the rOadbed, and the road
bed was quite uneven in some places.
The guards now in use on the sides of
the cars were found by the committee to
be of no practical use, and, in fact, were
man-traps. The car steps on the electric
cars projected also too far laterally, and
added greatly to the already great danger
10 pedestrians.
a letter was submitted by the commit
tee and was adopted unanimously by the
federation, with instructions to send it to
Mr.. Nining. Following is the substance of
the letter:
SAN FRANCISCO, May 8, 1895.
Mr.. T. P Vining, General Manager Market
street RGillUdg Company; In reply TO your letter
OF May we very respectfully would say that
the matter under consideration seems TO us to
admit of no controversy. Our suggestion and
request Is that your company comply with the
law regarding car franchises. From our obser-
walton We are Impressed that you are now yio-
lating it. The visit which we made to your car
house at Mission and Twenty-ninth streets seems
TO have demonstrated that you were not com
plying with the law us it stands. Permit us to
state some OF the many reasons why your non
observance and violation of the law, as we
view it, are not to your advantage.
First, from moral standpoint your action
must be condemned.
Second, its influence on the community is
injurious, and you cannot consistently ask
Others to observe law II you disregard it.
Third 1t is a source of personal danger to
you, as any accident which may occur will
probably be laid at your door and upon those
with whom you are associated.
Fourth, the annoyance and anxiety which
result from legal proceedings.
Fifth, the financial loss to your company
NH4CA may ISSulL lIOAu your NlO4dtlOu Oh tue
law.
We believe tenders can be conveniently pro-
vided, and to do so We see that it viii be neces-
sary for you to put eight wheels under each
car instead OF four, as you now have them
constructed.
Your objection to this, as you have stated, is
that the eight-wheel cars cannot be held on
the steep down grades as well as the four
wheel cars.
This we viii not, at present, dispL-e, but we
call your attention TO the fact that even on the
streets where the grades are very light (nOta-
bly, Mission street, you do not attempt TO COM
ply with the law
We maintain that the law as it stands
IS proper and safe one, and as a body of citi-
zens, who have undertaken to use our utmost
endeavors for public safety and protection, we
urge that your company observe the laws. If
this is not done the responsibility rests with
you and your associates. Yours very respect
fully, J. CUMMING SMITH,
D. HANSON IRWIN,
W. I. KIP JR.,
JOHN NJ. REYNOLDS.
The Civic Federation does not propose to
stop with this amount of talk, but will
take further steps to reduce the death rate
if the lack of four more wheels to a car
EaeTS II m