Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-29
Street Railway officials Express
Opinions on Those in Use.
THEY SAY THEY MEET REQUIREMENTS
Pick-Ups and Wheel Guards are
Said to Work Properly.
NJ r. B RIA Ssh AVIS VIEW s

| question whether those now in use on the
various cars in the District are efficient
| for the purposes for which they are in
| terded. and which must be met in order 10
| comply with the law of Congress and the
| municipal regulations issued by the Com
mssioners of the District. In order to as
| certain to what extent the railroad man.
| ayers here have confidence in the Tenders
| used on their several roads, a Star reporter
| visited representatives of all the rapid
| transit systems, which are required "a
equip Their cars with the appliances unde,
consideration. and interviewed them on the
| subject
Miss HendersOn's Death.
Mr.. Thomas o. O'Brien, superintendent
| of the Brightwood electric road, when in
terrogated by the reporter, made the fol
| lowing statement: Il cannot undersi a nd
| Tie reason why the fender did not prevent
| MISS Henderson's deplorable death. The
| oEly cause l can ascribe for it is the fact
That the car was on a heavy down grade
| ana tnat the young lady was struck in
| slch manner that she rolled out of the
pickup fender and fell in such way that
! the wheel guard, in falling. must have
cropped on the upper portion of her body
LOT when the car was stopped she was
| !euhd lying between the wheel guard and
| the wheel of the car, with her head restiug
| against the brake-shoe of the wheel. the
| wheel not having touched her
-, mere was another phase of that ter
| !ipie caiamity, and that was the charge
| mat the car which struck Miss Hender-
| son was going eighteen or twenty miles
an hcur Now, it is well-known fact
.nat car heavily loaded and running a.
| sucn a speed as that on a down grade
OF nVe per cent could not be stopped wit
IN from three hundred to five hundred
!eet OF given point. whereas the car
| that caused Miss Henderson's death was
| stopped within 81 feet of the MONT where
! she nrSt attempted to cross the track and
| mad rot her friends called to her she would
| nave crossed in safety. But their calling
| stopped her, and seeing the car SO close
| to her. she must have been dazed for she
was seen to hesitate and turn back, and
| W. thus overtaken.
| The BrighfvOo.l Fender.
| have thus gone into details of Miss
| hehoersons terrible death to show the pc
cuhar circumstances attending it. So far
as our lenders are concerned they have
| been put 10 many severe tests. We use
the blackstone pickup fender and the
| BriShtWocd wheel guard, which is our own
| Invention, and works automa tically. Both
| meet all the requirements of the District
| commissioners. as well as the more vigor-
| Gus ones regarding them adopted by the
| company Itself.
month ago." SAID Mr.. OBrien in conclu-
SION "a wagon Started to cross the track
and was struck by car. The driver of
| the vehicle was thrown out and when
| the car was stopped he was found to be
| lying in the wheel guard just like child
| IN a cradle, and the only damage which he
| suffered was case of fright. When he
| was helped out he remarked: .Fo' de Iawd.
| l tcugnt l WIZ gone
| Several children have been picked un
| u1'1h)ured by our tenders since they have
| mails
| The Great Falls Road.
The cars of the Great Falls electric rail-
way are equipped with the Smith fender.
Ex-Commissioner Douglass, who is inter
| ested In this patent, when asked for views
| On the fender question said:
| THE present fender used on the cars of
the city If lowered down to within two
| and half or three inches OF the roadhed
| would be about as good as any contrivance
| Tor the front of car. AS carried gen
| e1any any man, woman or child knocked
| down by the impact would pass under the
| ferder and be ground to pieces by the
| wheels unless the second fender or wht el
! guard, saved the victim. This shows the
vital Importance of having the wheel
| guard as perfect possible.
| The wheel guard or underneath fender
| therefore, should be absolutely automatic
| which Is the case with the Smith fender
The motorman or sripman has already
| enough to do to throw off his grip or eur
| rent and apply his brakes especially as
| this has to he done under circumstances
| the most trying to the nerves of any man
Usually the victim is close to the car be-
1cre the emergency is assured. and before
| the gripman or motormau can go through
with all the necessary prelimar ies il IS
TOO late to do anything with the under
| guard. If, however, the undersuard is alb
solutely automatic, then the motorman
may be forgetful nervous. paralyzed or
dead, 1t makes no difference which, for
the device will work and the victim he
surely saved.
"A resolution was introduced in the last
Cor gress instructing the District Commits
sioners to have experiments made with the
several Tenders and wheel guards to de-
termine their comparative value This,
for one. l hope will be done. There Is no
better place in the world than in this city
to try the experiment The streets are
smooth and We have both cable ana cleo
trio systems. When the time for such
test comes the public will be able TO see
and judge for ITSELF
On the metropolitan Cars.
President Samuel L.Phillips of the Metro
pclitan Railroad Company said the tenders
in use on the electric lines of his road had
proved eminently satisfactory.
They have already been put to some
pretty severe tests said Mr. Phillips,
having picked up several people without
lrjurlng them, and on one occasion lifted
bicycle rider and his bicycle, too out of
danger, without damage to either Car
tenders, however, like everything else,
should be carefully looked after, and a car
should never be allowed 20 go out unless
its fender is in proper and easy working
order. The Metropolitan company has
every fender looked over every morning
and if it needs attention it receives il be-
fore the car begins its days run. We Use
the Blackstone fender and wheel guard
and the latter acts, Of course, automatic
ally"
Georgetown and TenIcytOwn Road.
I'VE have in use on most of our cars a
fender made by the Consolidate ted Car Fen
der Company of Providence said Presi-
dent Crosby of the Georgetown and Ter
leytown railroad. ut is. l believe, the best
fender used in the District, and the best
we could find on the market It's pick up
acts to perfection, in my opinion. ana it
Is mechanically much stronger than any
other l know of. The wheel guard is equal
ly efficient for the purposes it is intended
for. The wheel guard acts automat ally.
but 1t can be arranged to be In Ter
the control of the motorman."
The Capital Traction Company.
Mr.. d. S. CARL, chief engineer and super
intendent of the Capital Traction Company
was next visited by The Star reporter
THE Capital Traction Company uses on
oil no