The age-herald., 1899-09-02
 POLICEMAN ON DUTY AT 2OTH STREET Crossing Will be Watched All
 the Time. TAB ON AMOUNT SWITCHING Will be Kept and Reported to Mayor Committee Wants to Find Out Who is to Blame for
 Danger to Life
TAB ON AMOUNT SWITCHING

A poneeman was placed at the Twentieth street crossing last night by order of the street railroads committee of the city coun- cil Hereafter for a period of thirty days an officer will be on duty at all hours. The instructions are to enforce the city ordi- nances governing crossings very rigidy and to report through the chief of police to the mayor on the amount of switching done at the crossing each twenty -four hours.
 "We have been told by the railroad superintendents that there is little switch- ing done at this crossing" said Alderman Pearce. a member of the street railroads committee. By outsiders the complaint has been made that too much switching is being done. By placing a policeman at the crossing for thirty days we can readily find out the true status of affairs. This is what we want to do. Then we can better provide a permanent safeguard to the public"
 Alderman Pearce thinks that the special committee appointed to consider the cross ing question will have nothing to do. The street railroads committee was appointed by the city council to take charge of the matter and the special committee was ap- pointed through misunderstanding. Acting Mayor Mcknight said that the latter committee was appointed through an oversight of Mayor Drennen. The mayor had told him that when he appointed 1t he had uneonsciously overlooked the fact that authority to deal with the problem had been delegated to the street railroads com- mittee.
 Meeting of the Committee
 This committee held meeting in the mayors office yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock There was present Chairman Me- Knight, Alderman Pearce and Alderman McAnnally. Chief of Police Austin met with the committee.
 Chairman Mcknight reported that he had had a conference with the superintendents of the railroads using the crossings. They had informed him that very little switching was done across Twentienth street. The railroad men thought that matters could be considerably relieved by rigid enforce ment of the city ordinance requiring all ve- hicles to go to the right.
 Chief Austin told the committee that for some time he had kept man at the cross- ing half the day. By making every one go to the right he had to great extent relieved the congested traffic during the busiest hours.
 Alderman Pearce thought that the keep ing of a policeman at the crossing at all hours would be the best plan for the pres ent. He could be required to report how much switching was done and then the committee could place the blame.
 This met with the approval of the other members of the committee, and Acting Mayor Rainbow was empowered to send the following letter to c. c. Chiles, chair man of the police commissions: "At the last regular meeting of the mayor and board of aldermen the street railroad committee with the chairman of t[he street committee added were con-
 stituted a special committee empowered
 to investigate the complaints at the Twentieth street crossing between Pow
 ell and Morris avenues, and to take
 such steps in the premises as the com
 mttee might deem proper. l beg to
 advise that the committee, after due consideration, have decided to authorize
 you to place two special policemen at
 said crossing for term of thirty (30)
 days one during the day, the other at
 night. with instructions to enforce the
 laws now In the city code relative to
 said crossing and also ascertain the
 number of trains made up or switched
 over said crossing during each twenty
 four hours, each of said policemen to
 make daily reports to the mayor,
 through the chief of police, giving the
 name of the road doing the switching
 at said crossing"