Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1904-10-13


of Trade met last night and took ac
tiOn on matter of vital interest tC
every citizen who is interested in Dan
ville's welfare Mesrss. Goeser. Cole,
Pursel, Ellenbogen, Watson, Foster,
Doster, Reifsnyder and Special Com
mitteeman Price were at the meeting.
The Directors were to have met
Tuesday evening, but owing to prev
ious engagements of several of the II
to attend meetings of Importance Presi-
dent Goeser could not get a quorum
until last night, when they voted to a
man for policy that is perfectly safe
and sane, progressive and public spirit.
ed.
The Directors unanimously endorsed
the action of the Committee that on
Tuesday mailed to President Trues-
dale, of the d. l.. x W, the reply OF
President Goeser OF the Boar of Trade
to letter of President Truesdale, in
which the latter replies to the letter
adopte at meeting Of the Board of
Trade and Danville citizens held on
Wednesday evening, September 2Sth,
the resolution, as is we'll known, en-
| phatically declaring in favor of a grade
crossing, which everyone here is con-
vinced is an imperative necessity.
| oF a1n -,
Nj Goeser is as follows:
October 3, 1901
Mr. John II. Goeser,
President, Board Of Trade,
Danvllle, Pa.
Ny Dear Sir;
This will acknowledge receipt Of
! your letter of the 29th ultimO, inclOs-
ing copy of resoluti ons passed by your
board disappearing the action of this
company in opposing the attempted
| grade crossing of onr main track in
| Mill street, your city, by the electric
| line which is now constructing its
railway between Danville and Blooms
| burg also calling upon this company
to withdraw opposition thereto and
permit said crossing of our main track
to be made at grade as the trolley peo-
/ pGO >.o5sIO.
From advices received from our peo-
pie on the ground, as we'll as copies OF
| neWspapcr articles which have been
| sent me, | have observed with much
regret that great feeling has been
aroused among the people of Danville
over our attitude III this matter, that
we are being strongly criticised and
denounced by them therefor and that
/
questioned and impugned, it being
| claimed that our attitude In this mat
| ter is chiefly due to our opposition to
! the building of this electric line for
| the reason that it will probably reduce
our passenger business aud revenues.
desire to assure you that this feature
| of the matter has not affected our &C
| tion in the least. 1t is not the p licy
| of this company TO oppose the con-
struction of electric railway lines be
| cause of .he competition of those lines
with it. We recognize that electric
! railway lines such as the one III ques-
| tion are deemed essential TO the pub
| lie interests under modern conditions
all over this country and that to op-
pose their construction because OF their
| effect on the business of steam rail
|
7 pany is, however. opposed to grade
| crossings of its line by electric railway
lines and it policy is and will continue
! to be to oppose such crossings Ill every
| legal way possib and we shall only
1 consent TO their being put III alter the
courts of last resort in the various
States through which our line runs de-
eide that we must permit same. We
| have several reasons for our action IN
adopting and following this policy.
They are in all cases, at all times and
in all locations very dangerous aud
there has no method yet been discover
ed by which they can be made safe.
They are a source of great danger and
a constant menace to the lives of our
employ ees and our passengers and are
so to the employees Of and passengeTs
handled by the electric companies aud
in our opposition to their installation
we feel that we are serving the owners
of the street railway companies and
the travelling public using their lines
even more than we are ourselves. OuI
views in this matter are confirmed by
the experience we have had at dlber-
ent points on our line during the last
year and a half.
Within that time, in Newark, troll
lev car crowded with children on their
way to school got beyond control OF
the men operating 1t and ran through
the crossing gates In front OF one ol
our suburban trains and was struck by
same aud a large number OF the chill
dren on the car were killed and many
others injured also the engineer OF
our engine which struck the car was
badly injured and will be a cripple fol
life Our company was held blameless
in this accident and the street railway
people were called upon TO pay all
damages growing out of it Their presi.
dent, within the last two weeks, tolC
me that this accident had cost his
company over a quarter OF million
dollars At the time the street rall
way company built its line over oul
track we objected and the matter wa'
taken into court and was contested al
through the courts of New Jersey bu
Notwithstanding our opposition tho
court of last resort in that State per
mitted its construction. IhIs grad
crossing could have Ocen avoided at al
expense to the street railway company
of not to exceed per cent OF wha
they paid as damages in this one a
Cident.
Another case: About a year agD, al
on our Bangor and Portland line, u
your State, after considerable rrfssuu
: had been put upon US by promlnen
t paople interested in an electric rall
> way, we permitted grade crossing O
the main track Of that line at sta
tion. This crossing was put III, tn
clentri" company agreeing 10 equip
with all the known appliances to pro