The evening times., 1900-07-12
Made TO BREAK THE LAW
Mot0rmen Tell in Court Why They
Run Cars at High Speed.
The Schedule Requires Them to
Make at Least Fifteen Miles an
set by the Police Fined IL
They Do and Fined II They Do Not.

Lloyd Paxton. Michael Benin, William
Grady. Duke Kendrick, and Frank Hlaek-
ford, motormen. employed By the Metropol-
itan Railway branch of the Washington
Traction and Electric Company were before
Judge Scott this morning charged by BIZ
cycle Policeman Rout with operating their
cars at a rate of speed in excess of that
allowed By law. 1t was the same old
story over again The motormen. as usual,
were at the mercy Of the policeman and
his tachometer. Each defendant denied
! that he had violated the law, but to no
purpose. The statement OF Policeman
Rout that his speed meter showed the
| defendants operated their cars at between
I hfteen and eighteen miles an hour was
sufficient 20 establish guilt in the opinion
| Of Judge Scot.
The question was raised that POSSIBLY
The tachometer was not accurate. but RoUt
| set all doubt in the matter az rest by his
simple declaration that he knew the in
| strument was correct Judge Scott again
expressed sympathy for the mOtoruten but
| added that while he was for the present
Inclined to be lenient. such would not be
the case after the close OF the pres mt
week He imposed fines OF 81 on each
defendant and warned them against q re-
| petition of the offence charged.
II developed during the trial Of the mo-
tormen. through the questioning OF Pros
| ecuting Attorney Pugb. that IL was a mat
ter Of impossibility to operate the cars
between termini in the time prescribed
by the railway company and avoid Tiolat-
! ing the police regulation giving the :ate
OF speed. Questions by Mr. PuSh +lic-
tied the following facts:
The mOtOrmen aTraigned ali operated yell
low cars which ran between the Baltimore
Ohio Railroad Station and Eighteenth
Street and Columbia Road. Some OF the
motoTmen had previously operated green
cars. between the barn at Fifteenth and
East Capitol Streets and Tbirty-sixth
and Prospect Streets. but were transferred
10 the yellow cars, they said because their
superintendent had a6judged them too slow
( to operate green cars The time allowed
by ,he railway cogupany between the Bal
timOre and Ohio Railroad terminus and
that al Eighte~nth Street and Columbia
Road was twenty-three minutes, and the
distance between teImini Is three miles or
possibly a tri9e more. The Law required
that stops be made at eleven street rail-
way crossings. With one or two exceptions
the crossings are transfer points where pas
sengsrs get on ana of. Each stop cOnsum-
ed not less than thirty seconds. which
meant a deduction Of i've and One-aaIf
minutes from the time allowance which
had 10 be made Up. IN addition about
twenty steps were made at various points
I 20 take on or let on passengers
Those stops consumed about fifteen sec
ends each or a total Of FIVE minutes which
added 10 the tine consumed at the cross
I ing stops aggregated ten and one-half min
utes 10 Be deducted from the running time
I Of JWeHty-thTee minutes. Thus it Wa
3 shown that the motOrmen were expected
/ 10 cover three miles in thirteen and one
/ half minutes. or az the rate Of az least fi-
[ teen miles an hour. whereas the law per-
I nits a speed OF only twelve miles an hour.
( The m0tc-men explained thse II they did
I not make the time prescribed by the COM
pany they were fned or laid on which
amounts 20 about the same thing. and Il
( they complied With the orders or the con-
/ psny they got into trouble with the police
/ Il was a case. they said Of being damned
/ II they did and Damned If they did not
/ Judge Scott said he appreciated the sit
| uatiOn but must enforce the law. He Sug-
/ gested, as he did when mOtormen were
/ brought before him on previous occasions,
/ that some step be taken 20 insure them
! against prosecution The mOtormen de-
| clared they We're pOWerless 10 act. as they
! They were poor. they said. and could not
afford 10 risk IRE chance Of losing their
( positions In an effort TO induce the com
B pany 10 modify is present unreasonable
Z schedule. They also said that they could
not afford to come TO court and be fined 81
! in addition 10 losing a day's paw.