The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-09-05
ELECTRIC CAR TENDERS
INTERESTING REPORT FROM COM
 MITTEE ON ORDINANCES.


 the Result of Indefatigable Work on the Part of the Ordinance Committee.
 The committee on ordinances of the court of common council, which Is com posed of Aldermen Blakeslee and San born and Councilmen Dewell Camp and Grinnell, will submit an interesting report on the question of lenders for electric cars to the meeting of the board of \councilmen next Monday evening. For several months the committee has been busily engaged in looking up the advantages of the numerous styles of lenders in use on electric cars in other cities and the report is the result of their inquiries in that direction.
 The report of the committee will un- doubtedly be tabled for printing, in or der that the members of the court of common council may have an oppor- tunity to study its provisions It is in full as follows:A
 Pursuant to Section of the street car ordinance approved May 21, 1895, providing for the equipment of street railway cars propelled by any motive power other than horses with good and effective lenders, your committee on ordinances beg leave to report that it has made careful and extended ln- vestigation in regard to the same which has included a great many diff ferent designs, of which we are of the opinion that the hereinafter named lenders should be adopted.
 We believe that a combination of a good platform fender and a good auto matic wheel fender or wheel guard should be required on the forward fender which extends out in front of the platform, for catching persons struck while in standing position, and the wheel fender, which Is under meath the body of the car, for picking up or keeping from being crushed by the wheels persons lying prostrate. We find that there are quite num- Der of platform lenders designed to save persons struck either standing or fallen, the latter by the fender being dropped to the ground by the motor man. but 1t is our belief that platform lenders cannot be depended upon to pick up prostrate person. It is, how ever, our opinion that some of them would prove effective in catching per sons that may be run into in stand ing position and save their being dash ed to the pavement
 A car equipped with only one of either of these two classes of lenders we would consider to have very incomplete and insufficient protection, the chances be- ing, if equipped only with platform fen ders that a person lying flat would go under it and be crushed by the wheels, and if equipped only with wheel fen der that a person struck while in a standing position would probably be dashed to the ground receiving per haps fatal injuries by the force of con- tact with hard pavement before the body could be picked up by the wheel fender. Therefore, to provide for both emergencies a combination of the two classes of lenders should be required on cars, for saving persons standing or fallen, the platform lenders to be SC arranged that they will yield and pass over prostrate body without injury. Your committee has made thorough I tests of various lenders and the here matter named with very good results.
 The wheel lenders and the drop plat form lenders were tested on cobble stone pavements, a most severe test the wheel fender recommended picking up the dummies in every case.
 In addition to this, We desire to men tion the fact that in the test of the wheel fender named a gentleman repre- senting the fender prostrated himself in front of the car, seventy-five to one hundred feet therefroni, the car then being run into him at good speed, the wheel fender picking him up in both instances without the slightest injury
 The Winchester Avenue Railroad company has rendered the committed valuable assistance in making tests by their cooperation.
 The below named lenders we think ought to prove effective, as demonstrat ed by the thorough tests made of the same by your committee, the results of which tests were very satisfactory in each case.
 PLATFORM TENDERS.
 The Darrach of Newark, N. J.
 The Barrett of Boston, Mass.
 WHEEL TENDERS.
 The Darrach of Newark, N. J.
 We therefore recommend their ap proval by the adoption of the following resolution:
 All of which Is respectfully sumbitted
 Resolved, That the Darrach (of New ark, N. J) and the Barrett (of Boston Mass.) platform lenders and the Oar rach (of Newark, N. J.) wheel fender Cplans and description of which are her, to attached) in combination one of tn, former with one of the latter, to be pu in the proper place therefore on the for ward part of each and every stree railway motor car, the platform fender to hang not less than eight inchet nor more than ten inches from the toI of rail, the automatic gait or trippe of the wheel lenders to hang not nor, than six inches from the top of rail, tn lenders to be always in perfect workin, order and in good repair and condition the space in front of the wheel fender , under the body of the cars to havt no obstruction from the car that migh prevent or interfere with the rescue o , any person by the wheel lenders with out injury to such person, it beinl