Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-11-03
AS TO CAR.FENDERs.

Some Of our contemporaries have In
dulged n sneering language at the re-
marks of the Deseret News, concerning
the question of compelling the Console
dated Railway and Power company TO
put Tenders on all It's cars within very
short period. We have said nothing
against the fender proposition, except
that some Of the tenders used In East
ern cities have been the means Of caus-
ing more injuries and fatalities since
their adoption than happened before
they were utilized and therefore time
should be given not only to place them
upon the street cars. but also to make
sure that the kind adopted would be
beneficial instead Of harmful.
TO read some OF the newspaper arti-
ces Of late. a stranger would imagine
that the street car company IN this city
had slaughtered people by the whole
sale, with malicious intent. The fact IL,
the fatalities in this city from street
cars have been very few. Such as have
occurred are deplorable. but II has rare
ly been shown that carelessness, to say
nothing OF wilfullness was the cause
But let that pass The question Is
whether Tenders viii prove beneficial or
otherwise. The subject is not a settled
one by any means, In proof OF this we
copy the following paragraphs from the
New York World OF Oct llth, 1902,
which are pertinent and to the point,
Frederick J. Graf an acknowledged
fender expert, who compiled the figures
furnished the committee, said today 70
an Evening World reporter that the
ma jor part OF the trolley casualties In
Greater New York were caused by cars
equipped by the so-called "life-saylng"
fender.
ut is a fact" he said, that truck
horse was dragged under one of these
safety tenders and actually killed by the
fender itself. That being fact, how
can we expect human being to es-
cape.
There Is the record too. OF a recent
case where woman and child, together
were knocked down and the mother
was dragged under one OF these So
called best tenders, or the 1929 Killed.
mangled and injured, over one-half has
occurred In Brooklyn Borough alone. II
Is said that mothers In Brooklyn have
contracted what Is called the trolley
eye a peculiar expression which has
resulted from the constant dread OF
seeing their children carried home eth
er hopelesiy injured or dead. and here
/ have a case Of person slipping of
the running board and falling between
the trucks, having a leg cut OF, which
could have been prevented with an au-
tomato fender where wheels are in.
cased
And in another case the fender
threw child down who was standing
on a corner. while the car was rounding
short curve: the extending fender
sweeping across the walk and killing
H.
These statistics do not mention the
many cases that are not made public
Since the passing OF the city ordin-
ance recurring the trolley companies Of
Greater New York TO place life saw
INK ltlutfE Ni Nil' NdlS went ilAN" VI
feet. 1929 persons have been Killed and
mangled by cars equipped with tenders.
Fitty-hve persons have been killed,
MANNED and injured by automobiles not
equipped with tenders.
More than 600 persons have been
Killed outright by fender-equipped cars
ISand fenderless automobiles. These fig
ures do not include the fatalities and
INJURIES caused by cars and automo-
bilcs in the immediate vicinity Of
Greater New York, These figures are
youched for BY the railroad committee
OF the board OF Aldermen,
The committee has called upon the
railway companies 90 send their engi-
neers or representatives TO a meeting
TO be held IN the city han next Friday
to discuss some plan for the adoption OF
a safety fender which will be effective
i'm saving life and minimizing the num-
| Der OF casualties
Several fender experts who have
made O study OF the best means OF
preventing death and injury on the
roads OF the various trolley companies.
have been retained by the committee
TO meet the trolley companies experts
at the hearing. The committee feels
that the necessity for radical action Is
Imperative and has sought the services
of the experts In the hope OF agreeing
upon some plan which will stop the
daily loss OF life and limb.
I'VE were astounded when the figures
showing the fatalities and injuries