The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-05
TENDERS OF DOUBTFUL VALUE.
VICE PRESIDENT FALLS OPINION
OF THE LIFE SAVERS.

Ihem. he HGges II
crs Them NccesSary-The Value of
Life Outveighs Money COnsidern-
tIons-Fenders Are in Use in Only
TWO of the Large Cities, Mr.. Fail
Says, and street Railway Men Diff
fer rs to Their VaIue-He Regrets
Councils Action in Prohibiting
Rotary Gongs-They Are Used in
Nashville and Pittsburg without
Interfering with Fire Service.
CarS should BE Run Both ways on
whitaker street.
If the city should require the street
ears to be provided with tenders the com
pany viii cheerfuny provide them said
Mr.. J. II. Fall. vice president of the street
railway company, yesterday. The ques-
ton of cost viii not be allowed to weigh
against human life"
Mr.. Fall made this statement in the
course Of q conversation with a Morning
News reporter upon the subject OF fend-
ers for the street cars.
Il have read with a great deal of inter
est what the Morning News has had 10
say upon the subject" said Mr.. ran
land if 1t can be shown that fenedrs are
a protection TO lie I have no doubt that
the company will at once take steps to
provide them. As a cold business PROPOSE
ton it would be to our interest to provide
the tenders if these appliances viii re-
duce the number Of accidents. The COM
pany would undoubtedly be great saver
thereby The money point of view should
not be considered, however, in discussing
this question. AS l see 1t, the only ques-
ton is whether or not tenders will prove
a saving of life and limb.
''Shorlly after my arrival here" said Mr..
Fall, seeing that the subject of tenders
was Of interest | communicated with the
general manager on the subject He is 4
man of long experience makes it point
TO attend the street railway conventions,
and ! knew that he had made a study
of the fender question. l asked him for
such Information as he could give me and
his views on the subject He told me that
there are now only Two of the large cities
of the country where tenders are now in
general use on the cars, Baltimore and
St. Louis. Only one or possibly two, of
the New York lines have them. Chicago,
Louisville Cincinnati, San Francisco and
the majority Of the leading cities through
out the country do not require tenders. In
most of these cities tenders have been
tried and abandoned. There is a very de-
cided difference of opinion among street
railway managers as to the availability of
Tenders. Many of them are strongly OPP
posed to their use on the ground that they
increase rather than diminish the numb9r
OF accidents There are various types of
Tenders and most of these have proved TO
be utterly worthless. Mr.. Connect our
Nashville manager, said that there is one
type of fender which have proven a sue
cess In picking up anything moving along
the track in front of the car. A person,
child, dog or even a chicken, moving
along the track in the same direction win
the car can be picked up with case It
is rarely, however. that accidents occur
by persons walking along the track. The
generality of accidents are caused by per-
sons, usually children, darting across the
track in front of moving cars. In such
cases glancing blow is struck by the
fender and instead of being caught in the
net of the fender the person or object
Is thrown across the rails and frequently
pinned down by the fender. Accidents of
this kind have occurred where the III
juries would not have been serious or
there would have teen none at all had il
not been for the Tenders.
Whenever a fender is invented which
VIII actually do what is claimed for it
every street car in the country should be
equipped with it and that without DELAY
should such a fender be invented. The
street car companies would at once make
use OF it for their own protection. The
sewing IN damage suits alone would nav
me cost ten times over This is only a sec
ondafy consideration, however The COM
inuhties in which the car lines are oper
ated nave a right TO expect that the com
Paihes VIII take every Drecaut,on for the
protection of life The fact that fenders
are not in general use by the car limos of
the larger cities and that these cities do
nOt require their use, is proof to nv mind
ulat no reliable fender has vet bean do
Nlsed. However, should the CITY Council
OF savannah, after a careful consideratton
OF the SUBJECT, which have no doubt will
De given, decide that tenders are necessary
Tor the protection of life the comnanv viii
cheerfully comply" "''A
Mr. Fan referred TO the acoido,. =.
winch the little child Of Mr.. Yonge was f..
tai!y injured recently, and sail thai he
iiau Falner that every car in The citv bad
oeeh equipped with tenders than that sucb
an accident should have occurred
Mr. ran thinks the City CouncD nada n
, ,,9Ae ~ rs adoption 'cf the ordinance
street cars. SWISS by the
mat is step which we Intended to,,
ing LOT the better protection of tbe 80
OF PEDESTRIANS" he said. ''Thesa sn1,,s
are IN use on the street ears of Nasb,,ii1.
Where we NOT only have more streot - 80,
man you have in Savannah, but more Gre
engines and other fire apparatus ana ,,,ora
patrol wagons, which are also eon;nr1a1
with these gongs. There has never -
any complaint there of confusion on 49,
count OF the use of the gongs by the street
cars also know that these gongs ora In
use on the cars of Pittsburg. cji, ~
about $4,000 inhabitants, and where ,ha
street cars run at a more rapid sneod
throughout the principal streets tban in
any other city have avar
visited. They have some H.,
OF rule In Pennsylvania which ro
Quires the pedestrian TO keep clear Of IA
railway tracks. When a car comes dor'1
the street at speed OF ten or fifteen milee
an hour with It's gong ringing you can sac
the people scurrying from the tracks for
blocks ahead" w.
1T is almost always the cry in the case
OF an accident" said Mr.. Fat, that The
hell ri 80