The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-08-01
OPPOSED TO GUARD RAILS
RAILWAY ENTERTAINMENTS AT THE HEARING LAST NIGHT.


 President Fleischner Thinks Court of
 Common Council Should Not Interfere.
 The public hearing given by the com mittee on ordinances last evening was attended by an unusually large num- Der Of citizens, as the nature of the matters to be considered was of espe- cial importance.
 The first business was the hearing upon Councilman Lifield's resolution, making it imperative that the street railway companies equip their cars with guard rails and hinged footboards.
 Councilman Lifield supported the pro- posed ordinance.
 Superintendent Dodge of the New Haven Street Railway company was the first speaker in opposition to the proposed ordinance He said that the guard rails and hinged footboards had not been found a. success where they had been used.
 The street railways carried 15,O00,000 people during the year. Accidents were comparatively few. It was a nuisance to have passengers climbing over one another, as they would be compelled to do if the ordinance were passed. Men will take chances when they want to get anywhere in haste They would climb on the cars They would stand on the edge of the running boards. An ordinance may be framed, but to com pei it's obedience is quite another thing.
 A guard rail would not prevent @ pas senger from putting his head out and calling to a friend. A passing car would hit him just the same. There is no danger to be apprehended from rid ing on a footboard if precaution is used.
 Councilman Beers asked about pass ing on curves, to which the superinten- dent answered that the passing of cars on curves could not be accomplished. and his road never tried it. T will give a pass for five years to the person who will bring one instance where an accident has occurred on our road when the person hurt was getting off one car and was struck by another. Our cars are not allowed to pass arl-
 other while there is "a passenger get ting off. This rule is enforced.
 Alderman Belden-'Is there any linn
 it to the number you put on carr"
 Practically none,' replied Mr.
 Dodge.
 Mr Dodge suggested that perhaps the common council had no Jurisdiction
 in the matter of guard rails. As Mir. Watrous was there, he would refer the question to him.
 Professor Watrous said: The court of common council has Jurisdiction over
 permanently located things, such as
 poles and tracks The railroad com missioners have control of lenders, but I know of no law that gives the court of common council jurisdiction over guard rails"
 Alderman Hull--"I had a conversa- tion with Superintendent Goodrich of Hartford in which he stated that guard rails were a cussed nuisance He has
 had experience with them" Attorney H. G. Newton opposed the | rail.
 s. Harrison Wagner, attorney for the
 New Haven Street Railway company, said his company would comply with the law if made, but he did not see the use of it.
 Alderman Chillingworth opposed the | guard rail- This closed the hearing on the matter
 | The petitioner was given leave to | withdraw later when the committee +tn,s in l sion.
 The citizens of the Twelfth ward were out in numbers in opposition to the | erection of contagious disease hospi- | tai on Clinton avenue, in Fair Haven. | The resolution which the committee has under consideration was intro- duced by Alderman Chillingworth in | the board of aldermen. He supported the resolution last eve- ming. He did not think that the hos- i pital should be erected on the site se- 1 }ected. The oyster industry would suf- | fer; land in the vicinity would depre- ciate. The city had refused to allow the erection of a private hospital. It
 was not the proper thing to make the | citizens of the Twelfth ward suffer for | the good of the balance of the citizens. 1 Charles Gay said he has property near the site selected. It would bank rupt his almost to have the institution go there.
 Attorney Newton said that he repre- | sented twenty-five property owners
 who opposed the hospital. Commissioner of Public Works Ly- man Johnson, w c. Lawton, whose firm is building a large factory near i the place, William Konold, A. M. Holmes, pr. Stevens, Emanuel Patnue, Cornelius Smith, r. A. Goodyear, John
 H. Kane, J. J. Herman and Ernest Paul went on record as opposed to the 1 hospital.
 Health Officer Wright spoke in favor | of the location.
 1 In answer to the argument concerning the injury to the oyster industry, he
 said that twelve private drains emptied into the Quinnipiac river below the
 bridge and four above There are i thirty-two vaults below and twenty five vaults above the bridge. On the 1 town side of the river there are thirty | four private drains, seven town sewers ] and twenty-five vaults. Dr. Fleischner hoped that the resolu- tion would not pass. The board of health had made judicious selection. i A whole block had been purchased for i s5. .O0O which was cheap. There was no i danger whatever. He did not think | the court of common council had the | right to interfere at this time. The proposed building ordinance was fah hIad