The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-13
GUARD GATES FOR CARS.
CITY MAY REQUIRE CAR LINES TO
USE SAFETY APPLIANCES.


Need for Protection to Passengers.
Guard Gates on Platforms Were
Used by the Electric Railway for
"A While, But Were Abandoned Be
fore the COnsOIidatiOn-AIder
Discussing Means to Make Travel
Safer.
Should the City Council require the use
of guard gates or other precautions
against accidents to passengers getting off
the wrong side of cars, Is a matter that
is being discussed by aldermen, not be-
cause it is revived by a recent mishap, but
because the speed that cars are run to
make the required. schedule renders the
necessity for precautionary measures
much greater.
Before the consolidation of the street car
interests guard gates were used for q
while to prevent passengers from mad
vertentlY getting off on track on which
another car was running. A street rail-
road official said yesterday, concerning the
abandonment of gates, that it was because
they were an annoyance in catching Ia
dies dresses" He stated, moreover, that
the company did not consider the advan-
tages worth the trouble it took to handle
the gates. There never were any serious
accidents to worry the management
which, in a measure, accounts for the
slight attention given to avoid accidents to
passengers stepping from car to a track
without knowing the danger.
That large per cent. of accidents
throughout the country are caused in this
way. is evidenced by the precaution taken
in the use of gates or other devices by
nearly every important street car system.
In many instances this is required by ord
nance, while in others the companies
adopt the measure to decrease damage
suits.
With the speed at which cars run it is
said there are fewer accidents in Savan-
nah than possibly, in any other city of its
population. This is accounted for by the
Wide streets, which enables pedestrians
and vehicles to see the cars at a distance
and does not compel them to turn short
corners, or drive for blocks straddlng a
car track. The lack of mishaps accounts
for the lack of legislation in the way of
platform gates, car tenders, and other de-
vices that companies in larger cities are
required to use as safeguards. But the
necessity is becoming greater in S,'Van-
nah for these precautions especially since
the fast schedules went into effect giving
the company the privilege of running its
cars south of Liberty street at the rate
or ten miles an hour. To make the time
required it is said a great deal cannot be
lost checking speed too much at various
cross streets, unless il is to let off pas
sengers. 1t appears therefore, to some
that reduced speed is the only safeguard
against danger to passengers getting off
on tracks, but nobody wants the present
schedules interfered with unless its the
only recourse.
The danger has come so gradually that
street car patrons scarcely realize it and
they alight from cars to the parallel
track in an altogether Indifferent manner
Children almost invariably do It, espec-
tally if the conductor is not on the rear
platform at the time to direct them. They
do not realize that other cars run on
those tracks at a speed which makes 1t
impossible to stop short of twenty-five to
forty feet, and even though told time and
again, they are Indifferent owing to their
eagerness to get off on the side they in
tend TO go. The same Is true of older
people as no later than Monday an al
derman came near being hedged between
two cars on Bay street by getting on from
the track on which another car was NOV
ing at a lively speed.
1T Is far from my desire as an alder
man to make unreasonable demands of
the car company" said a member of
Council, "but it has impressed me for
some time that precautionary measures
are needed in view of the present rapid
transit. The management might remove
cause for action by Council by using a
little more precaution at cross streets, es-
pecially when a car approaches another
Standing. The motorman on the moving
car should assume that a passenger will
either get on or off the standing car, and
for that reason bring his car to perfect
control. There are no laws requiring car
companies to use precautions, and 1 do
not wish to urge any, but it seems to me
the platform gates would be as great an
advantage to the company in preventing
accidents, as it would be for the public
safety"