The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

ductors and m0tormen on the street rail-
ways. Most Of them wear a haggard look
and many OF them feel like handing in
their designations. When they lie down
/ at night. they dream Of long streets whose
Perspeetives are allied with figures. all on
the wrong side OF the crossing. wildly
waving umbrellas. walking sticks. any old
( thing that will attract attention. and from
whose lips issue curses and anathemas
| long. deep weird. and -ful. voiced In
/ every known tongue and in several. so the
/ motormen say, known only to those who
/ have occasion to use them against the
| street railway. The men rise In the morn
/ ing with dread eat breakfast with fore
/ boding and go TO their work with the reck-
/ lessness born Of despair. They know what
awaits them and they know that infinite
| pains in explaining VIII not abate one jot
! or little OF the malcdictions TO be poured
/ upon their heads.
| For the street railways have a new reg
ulation. The cars now stop on the far
| crossing OF a street intersection. Il was
I carefully announced in the papers. the
motormen have endeavored to observe il.
or fail to observe 1t. with as much Iati-
tude as possible, but the general public
has not learned or seems determined 10
forget.
Stopping on the far side seems simple
enough. II has been the rule in other
cities for years. In fact the soiOurnlng
stranger. prior to this week on learning
the old rule By exasperating experience.
was accustomed to make comments which
Then. finding no response in his fellow
passengers, he turned his sarcasm upon
the long-stffering conductor and learned
that the cars stopped at the near crossing
through desire TO prevent accidents. II
ne was from New York-Where apparent
" the pedestrian or the occupant Of a car
riage is without considera tiOn-he usually
sniffed-did not a New York motorman
only the other day give the President OF
the United States a close call for his life
and that Of his wife, II from any other
city. he usually thought there might be
something in the rule.
But an that is changed now. The ears
stop On the far crossing in regular metro
pOlitan style. and other participants IA
street traffic must look out for themselves.
No accidents have occurred as yet from the
new rule. but the employees are nervous
over it, and the public is not making their
lives one long. sweet song. BY any means.
1t don't make any difference to me
where | stop said a mCtOrman yesterday.
I'd just as soon hold up the car in the
middle Of the street or Of a block and
wait for a woman to finish a chat with
her lady friend or do little more shop
ping I'd stop both sides Of the street
and run back a piece to pick up a passeH-
ger who had got on the wrong side OF the
track if il would be any accommodation.
and was possible under the time card. but
what 7 don't like is the kicks We are
doing the best we can, breaking the new
rule right along. rather than make people
feel cheap OF delay them in getting up or
down town. and il amt fair for them not
TO reciptOcate. We are bound to get a GER
tain number OF kicks anyway. l suppose.
The Reuben. Just come to town. is peri
Odical, and we don't mind him and then
under the old rule. there was the man
from some other town where the rule was
different. and Of course We always expect
ed an argument from him. These we're bad
enough. and frequent enough. but now we
have to face the old-time Washingtonian
who is accustomed not only TO protest
orally against anything he don't Ike. but
also 10 write a long piece in the paper
about his troubles. He kicks worse than
any of them.
4 forget about the new rule a dozen
times a day. myself. and stop on both
sides Of the street. Then the man inside
forgcts and when I do manage to make a
proper stop he looks surprised and rings
me up.
But it is mostly he people on the out
side who make the fun for u.s. Yesterday
a little cd Irish woman boarded my car.
She was tL the wrong side Of the track to
start wiki. but I gave her the benefit OF
the dOubi and took her en-. anyway. She
had a big basket filed with bundles her
arms were filed with them she was car
rying an old umbrella and TO top it all
was trying TO lead a small red headed
youngstsr. 1 could see that there was
trouble ahead the minute she struck the
running board.
'Ye wud lave me- wud ye? 4 pore old
wildly woman waitin' on tn strate fur
swim cars and niver a one stopped. Ant
ye ashamed Of yuTesilf?.
ITO save further trouble / started the
car ana passed her up to the conductor
He got her inside after fashion and then
his trouble began When he had finally
got her fare-she would pay nothing for
he boyle came out front to tell me his
troubles. Some OF the boys on the line
lad been foolish enough to try 10 instruct
he old lady how to board a car, but ell
he learned was that certain position as
O the track vas necessary in order to stop
car. Consequently she had labored for
everal weeks before finding the exact spot
o stand at that particular crossing As
Don as she had found il the rule was
hanged and OF course she blamed the boys
,ho were running the cars and took out
Ter wrath on the first man she was able %
orrer. which was my conductor The way
he proded his ribs with the umbrella was
caution But that is the way with them.
But she is not the worst Some OF them
axe the matter as a coidly intended ahront
nd swear that they will make complaint
o the office and there is no particular Joy
n explaining when The complainant is
ONE we'll known citizen who prefers to
lame us rather than himself for not read
ng the papers.
What the result viii be so far as the
,ubIic safety is concerned l cannot say. /
.Iways thought that the old idea was a
.0od one. I gave man a chance to look
head and down the street on either side
,cfOre crossing Dc. so if there was a run
way or anything OF that kind he would
lot complicate matters. But the new rule
S the one adopted by other cities years
go and their experience ought to be
sorth something OF course, we look upon
{ from a personal standpoint and as soon
IS the average citizen gets the new idea
nto his head as well as he had the old.
hings will be easier for US. because there
will be no more kicks from strangers"
IN Adventure.
hree smart Young men and three nice girls
All lovers true as steel