Evening star., 1901-02-07
Of a crossing such stp Gaay~6e continued
If the railroad companies so desire"
Mai, Sylyest3f,s Views.

Maj. Sylvester's Views.
Major Sylvester, belieying the Importance
of providing better protection for the more
| important thoroughfares in the city. called
the matter to the attention of the Com
missioners in his annual report.
Respecting this question he said: Penn
| sylvanta avenue, Connecticut avenue and
| F street should be straight beats, with
squad of patrolmen constantly looking after
| the many matters of public Importance
| thereon and thereabouts. The foreign lega-
tions where distinguished representatives
| from other countries reside. should have
| attention from privates confined to short
! tours; the various cireies ashould be looked
| after by details, and special attention given
| to control riding and driving at circles as
| the law directs and hack stands and dis
| orderly localities should be inspected con-
| tinuously but until Congress abandons the
| idea that the capital is not in need of such
! care it is feared these advanced and neces-
| sary precautions will not be possessed
| Only a few weeks ago Major Sylvester
! directed that Policeman Robertson be
mounted on bicycle for duty in this sec
| ton, and he was just leaving the station
| to go on duty this morning when the acci-
| dent occurred.
| There is a hack stand at Connecticut
| avenue and NJ street, and usually the bi-
| cycle officer spends considerable time
| there Had the alarm been turned in a few
| minutes later the officer would probably
! have been there and prevented the acci-
| dent.
| Story of an Eyewitness.
DR.. William Tindall, secretary to the
board of District Commissioners, was
| witness to the collision. He was walking
| south on Connecticut avenue and shortly
after passing N street he heard ths gong
on the truck. AS the apparatus neared 18th
street going east the gong was sounded
| louder he said, and after crossing that
| street it was sounded still louder. making
| 1t possible to hear it two or three squares
distant at least. The car which came IN
| collision was observed by DR.. Tindall be-
| fore it reached NJ street 1t was going
| north, and, in his opinion, at quite a rapid
| rate put just how fast he is not able to
| say 1t appeared to him that the motor
| man made no effort to slow up or stop be-
| fore crossing M street, and the car was
| about in the center of NJ street when
struck by the truck The blow was a
| glancing Sone. it being evident to DR.. Tin
| dali that the driver of the truck, seeing
| a collision unavoidable, pulled his horses
| as if to carry the apparatus up Connecn-
| cut avenue. and thereby avoid the car.
| The car was going or had been gong at
| such a high rate of speed, however. that
| it was impossible for the truck to get out
| of the way, although it appeared to DR..
| TindaIl that the motofman When he saw
| that a collision was certain, threw OF the
! current and showed down the brakes.
| The force of the collision threw one OF
| the firemen high in the air, while 1t looked
! to him IL inc car k1OCktu tHe olliSi
| two injured men off One of the men 1eil
| directly in front of the car and under the
fender so that but for the promptness py
| which the motorman brought the car 10 a
| sta,A1stilI the man would have been crushed
| TO death by its wheels. The third man fell
! under the truck. but had presence of mind
! enough to roll himself clear of Its wheels.
DR.. Tindall said in reply to an INQUIRY,
| that he does not know whether any one was
| waiting to board the car at NJ street, but
! believes that had the car stopped or slowed
| I'D before passing the south building line or
| III street the collision would not nave oc-
! CURED. Iz'.9
| The official report .of the accident made
to the chief engineer of the fire depart
| ment, Mr. Joseph Paris, by Acting Fore
man Geo ii. Reynolds is as follows:
| s'While responding to an alarm of ire from
! box 81 at sos o'clock this morning we
went out NJ street. and when We reached
! Connecticut avenue we had pulled the
| horses down and were going at SLOW speed,
| ringing the bell. While crossing Connecti-
| cut avenue one of the Metrorolitan cars
was coming up at a high rate OF speed
! and struck us, injuring Foreman Donohoe
and Privates Ryan and lleefe, the latter
! seriously l think. j sent Privates Ryan
and Keefe to the hospital and Foreman
Donohoe to his home, 1l15 23d street.
| Submitted "a List.
| At the suggestion Of Commissioner Mac
| farland who has immediate supervision OF
the fire department. Chief Paris made a
! list at the time of the fatal accident on 9th
| street of the crossings over street railway
| tracks at each Of which he deemed it neces-
sary, for the protection of the firemen, as
! well as for the protection of the travelling
public, that the cars should be required to
| stop before passing over The Commission
ers submitted the list to the officials of the
Capital Traction Company and to those OF
| the syndicate lines, and were informed by
/ .,n;, i,,1rr ,nr,t
suit in serious inconvenience to the travel
| ing public to require the cars to stop as
recommended by Chief Paris. The rail-
road officials, however, promised the Com
missioners that their motormen would be
required to stop at a few of the crossings,
and also assured them that they would re-
qure their men to allow right of way at all
! times to the apparatus of the fire depart
ment when responding to alarms of fire.
Notwithstanding these promises 1t is stated
that II such instructions were ever given
by the railroad officials to their men cars
daily pass over the streets in question with
out even slowing up.
| Commissioners Will Take Action.
Commissioner Macfarland. as soon as he
was informed of today's accident, directed
that Firemen Keefe and Ryan be given
every care and attention. In speaking to
a reporter of The Star Mr.. Macfarland said
that it seemed to him from what he had
been told that the accident was due to the
high rate of speed at which the street car
was alleged to be travelling. Whether In fact
the car was travelling at such high speed
Mr.. Macfarland does not personally know.
because he did not witness the accident He
said, however, that the matter would be in
vestigated very thoroughly and that the
case would be laid before his associates
for such action they might deem neces-
sary and proper to take. What that action
will be he does not know, but he declared
that the companies of the fire department.
when responding to alarms of fire. must
have the right of way, and that the inter-
vention Of Congress will be asked If moth
ing else can be done to prevent like acci-
dents in the future.
Condition of Injured Men.
Late this afternoon the physicians at the
hospital stated that Ryan was doing Well,
but that Keefe showed no signs of i'm
provement. Keefe was overcome by smoke
at the workhouse fire about eight years
ago, when he was substitute firemen He
came near losing his life at that time.
Acknowledge Receipt.
The District Commissioners have ac-
knowledSed the receipt of certain resolu-
'tions adopted at meeting of the Bright
wood Avenue Citizens Association last