Evening star., 1901-02-12
Recommendation That Cars Shall
Stop on Near Side Of Streets.
COMMISSIONER MACFARLAED'S VIEWS
Suggestion With Reference to
Fire Engine Routes.
EXCESSIVE SPEED OF CARS

After giving careful consideration to the
subject, including all suggestions made to
the District Commission relative thereto,
Commissioner Macfarland the president of
the board and the Commi missioner having i'm
mediate charge of the fire department., has
determined to recommend to his associates
first, that street cars be required to stop
before passing over the routes commonly
used by the fire apparatus in responding to
alarms of fire, and second, that the ordi
nary stops Of the cars shall be on the near
side of intersecting streets. At the first
opportunity Mr.. Macfarland will formally
move the adoption by the board of Com
missioners Of regulations designed to carry
these two recommendations of his into eff
feet. 1t is believed that they win be adopt
ed, and that within short time a return
will be made to the near-side rule, and that
the street cars will be required to stop be-
fore passing over the wel-known routes of
the fire department companies.
Since the accident of last Thursday, when
Fireman Kcefe was killed, Commissioner
Macfariand has declined to make any
statement respecting the questions of the
relations between the fire department and
the street car service pressed upon him
and his associates by this accident, desir-
ing first to very carefully consider the sub
ject. but in speaking today of the matter.
he said:
Rapid transit of the fire department to
save life and property seems to me more
important than rapid transit of street cars
to save time. The excessive speed of street
cars here besides other ill-effects. serious
ly endanSers lives and property of the fire
department in the performance of its du-
ties. and. incidentally, defeats the purpose
of the fire department.
What Experience Has Shown.
Long experience has shown that the eX-
listing law IS too general, and too little sup
ported by adequate penalty, to enable the
Commissioners II prevent excessive speed
of street cars. Even if we had the small
army of policemen necessary TO time the
cars and to make arrests wherever and
whenever the existing regulations We're
violated along the seventy-two miles Of
track, nothing would come of 1t all except
the imposition of small fines upon the mo-
tormen. The cars would continue to run
as before. The Commissioners, after
months Of observation and deliberation,
asked Congress to confer upon them ade-
quate powers in this regard. In the short
time remaining before final adjournment it
seems unlikely that this will be done.
Therefore we mus. resort to such measures
as are available under the present law
The Commissioner's Suggestions.
"As Commissioner in charge of the fire
department. in the absence of adequate au-
lhoiity W coHlioi tHe running time and so
TO prevent the excessive speed of the cars
l think the next best thing is to require
the street cars to stop at the intersection
of the common routes taken by the fire
companies, and also to stop, on the warn
ing of the bell, whenever and wherever the
fire companies actually cross the tracks
In addition l believe that the ordinary
stops of the street cars should be made on
the near side rather than the far side of
the crossings do not think that this is
an important factor in the problem, and I
recognize that there are arguments for the
far-side as well as the near-side stop. but
to make the change in order to eIiminate
any possible excess of danger especially to
the fire companies, of the far-side sion IF
my frst suggestion is adopted the near-side
stop would of course, only avail for the
nre department at crossings which are NOT
on the routes commonly taken by the fire