The sun., 1895-05-19
The Gar Fender Problem.

A child was struck by street car In
Newark, the fender pinned 1t down, and the
child was killed. In Brooklyn fender
caught the skirts Of woman, and she barely
escaped with her life Less fortunate was q
child In New Jersey who was hit by slender,
dragged beneath the car platform and
crushed to death. In Newark, again,
small boy got in the way of the deadly car
fender and was mangled until life was ex-
tinct. A little girl Of three years fell in
front of trolley car in Baltimore, the
fender and wheel guard went over her. and
she died the next day. AL OF these 40
cidents have happened within few days;
and the deadly work Of experimenting with
car tenders that take up no room, cost next
10 nothing, are almost invisible, and are
worse than useless, goes on.
A ray Of light on the car fender problem
comes from Newark, city in which largo
variety Of contrivances have been tried. with
proportionately extensive slaughter. The
most successful appliance for preventing
harm 10 q rather crude device that projects
d considerable distance in front of the
car, giving warning to persons In peril,
and affording the motorman time for
action. So important, in the estimation
Of observers, 10 this matter Of warning,
that 1t has been proposed to paint the
tenders some conspicuous color, in order
that their appearance may be the moro
striking. 1t is becoming more and more
evident, as the deadly work Of expert
menting with concealed snap-and-catch-'e
contrivances goes on, that the only useful
car fender will be one that will pick up
prostrate bodies before they come beneath
the car platform; and that the only fender
which can be relied upon to do this at all
times will be one that projects in front Of
the car, and runs close to the track under
every condition.
But the managers Of some Of the lines say
that they cannot use such fender. They
may have to. II 1t comes to that they will
flnd they can use O fender that projects six
feet in front Of the car as we'll as they could
use a team OF horses projecting twelve
feet in front. But truck drivers will run
over and crush such tenders, say some of
the trolley and cable car men. They won't
II they have to pay for It, and the present
laws are ample to enable any street railroad
company to collect pay from any driver who,
purposely or oarelessly, damages the prop
erty of the company, or else to shut him up in
prison. This Is not matter of convenience
for drivers of beer wagons and other heavy
vehicles; it IL q matter Of human life or
death, and the people are getting to be in
veritable earnest about it.
One thing tho managers Of tho street car
companies may as well regard as settleds
that they will be compelled to do that which
gives the best promise of stopping the
ulauobtar Another thinr thew NAV aa we'll
make up their minds for: that If projecting,
pickup tenders give the best promise Of
that result, they will be forced to adopt such
tenders. They will find no trouble in using
them Or in protecting them from damage
while in uss They will be allowed then to
run their cars at increased rates of speed
over those allowed under the present re-
strictions, the capacities of the roads will be
greatly increased, the public will be better
served, and tho stockholders will rejoice.