Evening star., 1895-08-20
STREET CAR PERILS
Mr.. Frech Brings the Matter Before
the Commissioners.
GRIPMEN Who Do NOT SEE
When and Why the Cars Are
Stopped at Crossings.
NEED OF REGU LATION

Undoubtedly every one has been exas-
perated, perhaps a good many times, by
| the failure of gripmen or motormen to stop
their cars when signaled, or their DISPOSE
ticn to start the cars too soon when a pas
| senger is attempting to get on or Off. The
absence of rules, or the failure to enforce
| the rules if they exist is constant source
of complaint among passengers. The mat
ter was brought to the attention of the Dis
trict Commissioners yesterday by Mr. Jacob
T'rech of 514 L street northeast. Mr. Frech' S
particular complaint was against the Co
lumbia road but what he said voiced COM
plants frequently heard against other
roads. The possibility of a police regulation
governing the stopping and starting of cars
was suggested in the interview yesterday.
Mr.. Frechs statement TO the Commission
ers was embodied in communication to
those officials. in which Mr.. Frech says:
Il have the horor to represent that not
withstanding protest made, it has been Tor
long time the practice on the Columbia
cable line to violate three necessary rules
for the safety Of passengers, and which
rules unknown to the passengers con-
cerned viz:
'First.-Fa'ling to stop for a man when
he signals at the regular stopping place
only on the rear crossing. When an ap-
parentiy able-bodied man signals the car,
while standing at the regular stopping
place (near side of cross streets, the grip
man will frequently give sign that he
sees the man If he is the only one to get
on; he will not bring the car to a stop, but
he will. however, somewhat reduce the
speed, so as to tempt or invite the man to
jump aboard the moving car as 1t gfideS by
him.
IF the man declines to jump aboard. and
if the conductor has observed him, the con-
ductor will then, and not till then, pull the
bell to stop; by the time the car is thus
stopped it is far beyond the man; usually
fifty feet.
1.-The conductor, with visible impatience
waits for the man to come up TO the car,
and when near it pulls the starting bell
and makes him jump on j moving car any
bow or stay behind.
In either event the man feels himself
placed in ridiculous position, and the
rext time grpman with a far-off, straight
ahead look in his eyes. whom he has s.g
| nailed let's glide by him, ne meekIy
submits. takes his CHARGES and jumps on.
"Why does ne not complain each time?
LAS d rule he does not get near the grip
man; he may once ask the conductor:
Why didn't the car stop for me?'
1.-The reply is, The gripman did not see
you
1.-The man replies, He couldn't help but
see me-
The conductor Is off about his duties
and the other passengers simply hear and
see an angry man, and are annoyed ty
something they do not understand.
IAN experience or two like that soon
cures the man of any desire to first ascer-
tain and then maintain his rights to safety
i'll entering car.
A Case in Point.
"Seccnd. Ringing the starting bell before
the man is safely on. Whenever the car
does come to full stop for a man. under
any circumstances, perhaps at a transfer
station, the conductor is likely to ring the
starting bell when the lone man, or the
last man of a party, is not yet on the car.
"On Tuesday afternoon, o'clock, Au-
gust 49, a party of three men came to q
standing esst-bound car at 18th street and
New York avenue. AS one of the men had
both hands on the handle bars to enable
him to step in the car started; he had rot
time to get either foot on the stepping
board was dragged; finally let go and
was violently thrown full length on the
pavement.
1.-The conductor stopped the car in about
100 feet from where the man lay; waited
till he got up: then started his car, letting
the MEN stand there.
II said to the conductor that I thought
the man was hurt: stepped off the car.
went to the man and told him that l had
been trying to get the practice stopped
which had caused the accident to him by
writing to the president of the road. and
as the president did not seem to believe
either that it existed or that it was a
dangerous practice. wished that he would
bring this case to his attention. One of
his friends earnestly protested against his
entering complaint, and gave as reason
that they would all be brought in as wit
resses and would have to lose time. The
injured man said nothing. The third man
finally gave me his own name and resi-
dence, in case wished to make use OF It.
Only by Accident.
This incident illustrates two things:
81. The possibility of serious accident to
a man if the conductor rings the bell be-
fore he is safely on the car.
"2. The natural reluctance of an in
stinctively polite man to contend for some
thing that he does not definitely understand
to be his right.
Here was man who, by a mere chance,
was thrown away from the car instead of
! under it, but who would neither do any
thing himself to institute inquiry into the
cause of an evil he did not understand nor
let anv one else use his name in connec
tion with it.
90. Ringing the starting bell before the
man is safely off.
Whenever lone man or last man of a
party is getting off a car it has been the
practice of conductors to ring the starting
bell before the man has safely stepped off.
This practice is evidently so much more
dangerous to a man than when he is get
ting ON that 1t needs no illustra tions here.
L append hereto copies OF correspondence
had with the president of the company,
giving instances in detail and reasons why
1 think the three practices are extremely
dangerous.
II desire here to say that 1 lay no blame
to the conductors nor the grpmen for the
origin or continuance of these practices,
as they are evidently the result of the pol
icy of the management, and have received
no check, except, perhaps, in the grossest
instances.
"To my five letters written in a period of
nine months | have received but one in re-
ply, dated July 16. This letter admits the
existence of the practice of the griprnan
and conductor combining to compel a wait
ing man to jump on as it passes him
at a regular stopping place, and states
that 1t is wholly wrong and contrary to the
printed rules of the company.
But it does not say that any steps Will
be taken in the matter. Nor does it even
refer to the two other practices of ringing
the starting bell before man Is safely on
or safely off the car.
Discretion of the Employer
"All three of these practices 1t Is evi-
IDENTIFY the intention of the company to
leave to the judgment and discretion of the
conductor and gripman, who will be ex-
pected to be careful not to try them on in
dividual men who accidentally learn their
rights and believe that the practices are