The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-07

this traffic. Not one of the vehicles UNI
der my charge has had a mishap during
the past four months, and believe the
other stores have equally clean Sheets"
Besides the department stores, there
are thousands of smaller retail estab-
lishments keeping anywhere from one
to a hundred vehicles. Then there is
the vast specialized traffic of the dry
goods district, the wholesale grocery
district, and the iron and steel whole
sale district and many other wholesale
centers. In each of those districts,
street after street may be seen chock
full of wagons and carts bearing the
products of the particular line of in
dustry with which the district deals.
That is sight which cannot be equaled
in London or any other city of the Old
World.
Taking it all round" said a veteran
police captain, who has served in near
dly every part of New York, II think
it is safe to say that somewhere be-
tween a half million aud a million
wheels revolve over the streets of Man
haitian every day.
1T is marvellous that there are not
more accidents. for New Workers are
fonder than any other people l know
of taking chances in the midst of the
whirl of traffic. 1t is impossible to
control them as pedestrians are con-
trolled in London. when crossing the
street. The Londoner is meek and we'll
disciplined in the presence of authority,
but the New Yorker delights in defying
1t on general principles. If a policeman
holds up his hand to warn him that il
is dangerous to cross the street at the
moment, that is an excellent reason to
New Yorker for immediate crossing
There Is the same trouble with the
drivers of vehicles, but in a lesser de-
gree, for we hold the whip hand of the
law over them as we cannot hold it
over the pedestrians"
Asked whether he thought that New
York's streets were more crowded with
traffic than those of London, the police
captain replied:
Undoubtedly they are. know Lon
don well, and there are only a few
streets there which are as much crowd
ed, and as constantly crowded, as prac-
tically the whole of the business sec
ton of Manhattan. There is one con-
elusive proof of the truth of this as
sertion. Thousands of cyclists are to
be seen all over London. Even in the
busiest thoroughfares, such as Fleet
street, they ride about by scores in the
thick of the traffic. A cyclist in the
busiest part of Manhattan is as I'M
common as an honest man in politics.
The danger to life and limb is too
great"
Another prominent official of the New
York police force said that what struck
him most forcibly about the street
traffic was the cool courage of the
drivers of vehicles.
Give the devil his due" he said. 81
know many drivers are reckless and
apparently thoughtless of human life.
but on the whole they are the bravest
men 1 know. A dozen times a day. at
the least. their nerve has to stand
supreme test, and failures to meet that
test are rare, indeed. 1t may be an
other vehicle darting across their bows
at right angles from a side street,
horse slipping on an ice-covered hill,
or a little child standing dazed in the
middle of the road right under the
hoofs of the horses, but whatever it is,
the driver never seems to be at a loss.
1.-THE bravest deed I ever saw was
at Herald Square about a year ago.
An ambulance automobile was hurry
ing to a call along Sixth avenue. A
little girl ran across the street and
stopped, bewildered. in front OF the au-
tomobile. One side of the thoroughfare
was blocked by trolley cars and other
vehicles; on the other side, one of the
pillars Of the elevated railway blocked
the way. The driver of the automobile
grasped the situation in a fash. 1t
was impossible to stop. Either he must
run over the child or he must swerve
full tilt into the big iron pillar. wreck
his automobile, and probably lose his
life. Without hesitating a second, he
chose the latter alternative. The child
escaped unhurt, but he had his arm
broken and sustained several other in