The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-02
GATES To BAR
ALAMEDA TRAINS.
Broadgauge Cars Will Be
Equipped Within Sixty
Days.
ALSO BERKELEY TRAINS
General Manager Kruttschnitt
Says That Free Riding
May Continue.
ALAMEDANS ARE SUSPICIOUS.
They Believe the Southern Pacific Is
Preparing for Another Tug
on the Cinch.
ALAMEDANS ARE SUSPICIOUS.

Gates are to be placed on the Alameda
broadgauge and on the Berkeley trains.
Fares will not no viewer, be collected,
and no change will be made in the present
method of handling tickets.
This course is to be taken as simple
precautionary measure for the safety of
passengers and to protect the Southern
Pacific Company from future possibl e
suits for damages based on personal in
juries, fatal or otherwise, inflicted by its
trains.
So says General Manager Kruttschnitt,
and he also stated yesterday that the gates
would be on all the trains within sixty
days.
Mr.. Kruttschnitt explained the matter
as follows:
81 don't know how many claims and
lawsuits are pending from Alameda and
Berkeley because Of people getting off the
trains on the side opposite the sidewalk.
1t is to avoid these claims and suits tn at
we propose to put the gates on the cars.
They will prevent people gettin g hurt and
losing their lives.
The immediate cause that brought it
about was a claim sent in from Berkeley
not long ago. This was in the case of May
Quill, aged Ii, VINO was killed by getti ng
off the train on the side opposite the sta
ton and being struck bv a train coming
from the opposite direction. In that case
the Coroner's Jury returned a verdict
which found in part as follows:
"That death was caused by being crushed bv
train OF the Southern Pacific Company and
we do further find that said death was purely
the result of accident, and we do suggest
that TO avoid further accidents OF the same ma
ture that the Southern Pacific Company put
gates on the local trains passing the town OF
Berkeley at once.
as it not, then, the intention of the
company to collect fares from the people
who may desire to ride from one part of
Alameda 10 the other as is now being done
in .Oakland?" was asked.
mo" replied Mr.. Kruttschpitt. 1.-THE
gates will not be guarded by conductors or
brakemen for the purpose of collecting or
punching tickets, ana the people will have
the privilege of free riding the same as be-
fore, for we have never had any com plants
of promiscuous jumping on and off the
Alameda trains as we had in reference to
the Oakland trains before the gates were
put on. Only the gates on the side nearest
the station will be opened when the trains
come to STOP and we thus expect to save
the people from the loss of limbs and life
by these trains"
Are the gates to be put on all the Ala
media trains-broad and narrow gauge?"'
'For the present it is contemplated to
put them only on the broad gauge trains.
The cars are now being equipped with
them in the West Oakland shops, and it
will probably be sixty days before all the
cars will be thus protected"
1t was further learned that the gates are
to he of the collapsible pattern. originally
designed by Mr.. Kruttschnitt for the
trains of the Atlantic system of the COM
pany, and which was illustrated in The
CALL several weeks ago.