New-York tribune., 1902-10-28
DOING STUNTS" on THE ROAD.


The disaster of Sunday in Yonkers. in which
more than a score of people were injured, sew
eral of them seriously appears 10 have been due
to the fact that the mOtorman Of an automobile.
or else the engine itself. was engaged I'm what
boys call doing stunts" If such was not the
case we shall he glad 70 record the fact. But
the unanimous testimony of the most competent
and credible witnesses Is 70 the effect stated.
The motorman of the automobile. proud in the
knowledge of the strength and speed OF his
ponderous engine. apparently amused his pas
sengers by playing tag" with a trolley car; or
else the machine did not respond 10 the steering
lever and was unmana geahle. Again and again
the automobile is said to have lodged across
the track OF the car, just in front of il. Al last
IL tried to cross too closely. There was a col
lision I'm which the and it's occupants suf
fered far more severely than the automobile
and its occupants Indeed the latter, with the
exception of their motorman, who was properly
arrested by the police. were able 10 90 merrily
scOrchiDs away, while twenty-five passengers
were removed from the wreck OF the car to a
hospital and to physicians offices.
The testimony which we have cited is inner
emily credible and probable. II Is. moreover,
cOrrOborated by the topography OF the scene.
Every one who has ever traversed the fine high
way on which the disaster occurred knows that
II is about the last place In which such an "acc-
dent" could occur except through the gr0ssest
kind OF misconduct or through the engines be-
coming unmanageable. as did that which killed
Mr.. and Mrs. Fair in France last summer, and
that which nearly killed Captain De Battle in
England the other day. Warburton-ave is one
of the hest, and should he one OF the safest
thoroughfares in the whole metropolitan district
car tracks on il. 1t is true But there is not the
slightest occasion for other vehicles to Use those
tracks or 10 approach dangerously near them
Whenever il is necessary for a vehicle 10 cross
them the whole character OF the street makes
1t the easiest of things 10 do so with safety
especially. we might add 10 the motorman of
an automobile who is not shut in by a hood. hut
has an unobstructed view all around Really
unless this automobile was unmanageable II Is
difficult TO sec how the motorman Is 10 he freed
from the suspicion Of gross recklessness. unless
upon the hypothesis that he was blind and deaf; ;
and man who suffers from such nfrmities OF
sense is as i'll fitted 10 be a II OtOrman as one
who suffers from nfrmity of Judgment OF
course, II the engine was unmanageable IT,
should not have been run upon public high
way.
We might mention. If not as CorrOboration of
the testimony of the car passengers at least as
circumstance cOloring that testimony with
probability the fact that doing stunts" with
automobiles is practice by no means unknown
hitherto and in other places. Ohservant people
who frequent or park drives and other thor
oughtares nave often remarked upon such per-
formances by certain class Of automobile
users-not hy all he IT noted. nor by most of
them. nut by certain number of them who
as We have often said. bring undeseryed re-
proach upon the whole motor using world Some
OF them delight in acts Of utter recklesSness.
some in trying as severely as possible the nerves
OF horsemen and pedestrians. and they all seem
to regard such stunts as the very height OF
refined and Irresistible humOr So that if they
actually run down somebody. instead of merely
frightening him. they are cOnvulsed with mrth
We shall be glad TO see the Yonkers automobile
party freed from the imputation of belonging
10 that class. and to see automohiling as IA
whole freed from the reproach Of that class's
very existence