The San Francisco call., 1896-03-11
YOUNG LIVES SACRIFICED.
DiSobedience of an Ordinance Re-
suited in Killing the
Booth Girls.
WILL BE RIGIDLY ENFORCED.
More Money Paid Out for Damage
Suits Than Would Suffice to
Equip the Cars.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL, !,

OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL
90S Broadway. March 10. !
The killing of the two little girls of Fritz
Booth by the Eighth-street cars has called
attention to the necessity for safety guards
to be at once placed upon all cars. The
feeling is general that not another day $
delay should be permitted, and that it is a
matter in which every family is interested.
Over year ago the City Council passed
an ordinanbe relating to guards and pro-
vided that all steam or dummy cars, or
cable, electric or horse cars, "shall have a
suitable buffer or guard appliance of suit
able design and construction for the pur-
pose of removing from and clearing the
track of persons and distractions; rail
buffer or guard shall be placed in front of
such car or dummy and attached to the
frame of the forward wheels or trucks
thereof, and shall run at uniform dis
tance of not more than one and one-half
inches above the roadbed or parts over
which such cars run, and shall be so con-
structed as to prevent persons or objects
on the roadbed of said car from being run
over or upon by any such car or dummy" !"
There is another section which requires
that each car shall have suitable device
attached thereto and placed in front of the
rear wheels or trucks of the car and over the
rails on which such cars rum" Such device
must be CONSTRUCTED of iron, wood or other
strong material, and must not be more
than one anda half inches above the track.
According to the ordinance it should
have gone into effect March % of last year,
and within ten days thereafter all COM
panies operating cars were to present to the
Of ona rd
have them approved by the Council.
Only the Alameda line and the Hay
wards road have complied with the law.
A fine of not more than $500, or $50 days
in jail, is the penalty for each and every
day the cars are left unguarded. The or.
dinance does not, however, specify which
of the offending officials or employees is to
be made to suffer.
Il notified each company in this city of
the terms of the ordinance" said Chief of
Police Lloyd to-day, in speaking of the
matter. The Alameda line has guard
that has picked up child and carried it
around curve unharmed. tits known as
the Clark guard, and | consider it the best
there is. The Haywards line has another
kind, more suitable for the country road
bed. The superintendents of the other
roads wanted time, so as to look about that
they might secure the best guard, and not
to be harsh have let them go along. Had
that car such fender as the Alameda line,
the Booth children might have yet been
alive and anyhow their bodies would not
have been so cruelty mangled."
Il believe it is time to force the street.
car companies to place tenders on their
cars" said Councilman Towle to-day. Il
think the Ordinance and Judiciary Com
mittee should have the City Attorney pre-
pare an ordinance that would have the
effect of bringing them to time SO as to
have it introduced Monday night.
know we have an ordinance, but it seems
to be non-effective, and it is time to stop
this killing of people to avoid the expense
of placing of proper protection on the
cars.
1.-THE companies pay out more in damage
suits every year than it would cost to
equip the cars with the best safety appli-
ances for saving life. l believe the ordi-
nance we have should be strictly enforced.
Ii it does not meet the needs then | am
ready to push new one along. l cannot
understand why they do not see it this
way and put tenders on the cars of their
own accord"
Coroner Baldwin has set the inquest for
Thursday night. II want all the evidence
possible" he said, 'and I am procuring a
jury of representative men because real
ize that the verdict should carry weight
especially with regard to adequate guards.