The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-25
TENDERS FOR STREET CARS.
MEMBERS OF COUNCIL SAY THEY
ARE NECESSARY FOR SAFETY.


lief Is That they Have Proven
Successful Nhe Fever Ised-iay > or
Myers and Aldermen Dixon, Doyle
nnd Wells Advot safety April
nnces-CoI. Dixon Had the work OF
"A Fender Come Tn der His Personal
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES nce May He
1,,roduced If street Railway Does
IN, Act-Director BarrOw's Opin-
SOn.
tho street railway does not at once
take M the car fender question an ofoin-
enoe Will be introduced in Council requiF-
INC that they be attached to all cars Ihere
.acrs 10 be a general belief that pFctec-
ton 20 life from car accidents demands
the use Of tenders without delay.
Na,,ralIv enough, casual interviewing
results in finding the people ana the lily
Council on one side, while the street ran
wav officials are on the other slae' ne
aldermen saw tenders have proven a sue
cess in other cities and that they shoulu
he used in Savannah. Some Of the street
car neonle say the devices are consumha'e
failures and that Il is more dangerous TO
have
SUFFICIENT velocity you can shoot d 'dlio"
candle through two-inch plank saiu
Director Thomas of the street iall"ay'
land the same may be said OF the SUI
material on these Tenders. They Wouid
tear nm more people than they would save
Tho chances are that where there would
have been reasonable room for the escape
of a victim, he would be hopelessly lost
in being rolled about by a fender. II they
were any good 1 am sure the street rail-
way would adopt them right off.
The aldermanic board does mot look at
the matter this way however They seem
10 he of opinion tenders are good thlhs'
and if the company does not lake Steps
90 use them, an ordinance Will hkely pe
introduced In Council requiring them al
once. Il think tenders should be ADOPTED
by the street railway" said Alderman
Dixon, "and If the company does not take
action very soon, 1 should favor the m
PRODUCTION of an ordinance on the subject.
II is the duty Of Council to see that APP
pIances for Sc safety of the public are
used by all corporations of this kind.
Alderman Wells IL of opinion tenders
are needed on the cars. He has seen
them used extensively in Philadelphia
where he says they have proven sue
cess in diminishing the number OF fatal
ties. Alderman Doyle favors tenders, and
will support any measure introduced IN
Council to have the car company adopt
them. Director Gadsden of the depart
ment of public works thinks tenders are
needed, especially on some Of the narrower
streets.
Director Pope Barrow was asked why 1t
is that the cars in Savannah are not pro-
Vided with tenders.
II suppose that everybody who has
heard Of the deplorable death of
Or. Yonge's little child" said Mr..
Barrow, "has thought of this very
thing II is something that has been con-
sidered by the authorities of the street
railways in Savannah, but no definite
conclusion has been reached. Experience
in other cities has shown that it Is doubt
full whether Tenders diminish or increase
the danger of fatal accidents. In some
places after having been adopted and
tried for months they have been discard
ed on account of the fact that death has
ensued from the use of the fender when
il would not have occurred if there had
been no fender, 1t seems that the diff
Guilty lies in adjusting the fender to the
circumstances which are liable to be en-
coun tered. If one is made strong enough
to bear any weight that may be thrown
and kin any living thing it encounters.
If ii Is made light and slender it is liable.
when a weight of forty or fifty pounds
falls upon it, to drop down. come In con-
tact with the pavement between the rails
and when, this occurs 1t is said that 1t
invariably doubles up in such a way as TO
increase the injuries to the person who
happens to be caught on it. The fender
in use in other cities necessarily runs
oil m a nF q 10 he
pavement between them, Nothing can go
underneath il OF any size. The front axle
of the car might pass over the body of
small child between the rails, and the car
might be stopped before any obstruction
in the center of the car underneath would
reach It, but when fender Is used 1t will
strike any object more than three or four
inches in diameter"
The expense of putting on tenders is
not very great, and the railroad company
would not consider it az an said Mr.
Barrow. IF il were satisfied that 1t would
lessen the danger of IA tel acc dents. the
tenders would have been put on long ago
The experience of other cities has NOT
been altogether in favor of tenders l
have written 10 get the statistics from
all over the United States showing the
results OF these appliances, and If the
general average is in favor of Tenders,
we will give them a trial. Personally. /
doubt the advisability of attempting TO
use them. In common with all who have
any feeling, we have nothing but the
deepest sympathy for Dr. Yonge in his
sad bereavement"
A gentleman to whom Mr. Rarrou,.
statement was mentioned suggested that
II Mr.. Barrow would inspect a few first
class or even second-class street car lines
he would probably find that Tenders are in
Very general use. II the cost were not
considered in the Improvement of the
street car service and the question were
only 20 get the best improvements II il
believed che Savannah lines would have
had something better than an antique
equipment long ago
Mayor Myers, who is also a director III
the street railway company, wos asl,e,,
what he thought of the fender ouestio,,
They are needed 10 protect the publif
against accidents" he replied. Whethe,
Council will do anything remains 20 he
seen, but there is no doubt about tho ne.
cessity for these modern appliances which
l would not be surprised TO see REQUIRED nv
ordinance n the car eot,,n.n,.