Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-21
FORMALLY THANKED.
Anacostia Citizens Thank Commission
ers for New Bridge Order.

Anacostia Citizens Thank Commission
ers for New Bridge Order.
The Anacostia Citizens Association.
through its secretary. Eugene E. Thompson.
has formally thanked the District COM
missioners for their action with reference
to the Anacostia bridge, in issuing an or
der limiting the number of passengers in
each street car to forty. The Commission
ers have noted the communication and
there the matter rests.
Nothing further has been done with refer
ence to the Commissioners order of yester-
day, published exclusively in The Star AS
yet no way has been discovered for the
application of the remedy prescribed by the
Commissioners. They have recommended
that only forty persons be PERMITTED to
cross the bridge in a single street car, but
the question remains as to how the forty
first person Is to be refused permission to
board the car. General Harries says the
street car company will not eject the forty
first person, when the bridge is reached,
and as far as can be ascertained there Is
no authority by which the Commissioners
could order policemen to eject the trouble
some fOrty-first person.
General Harries says his company can
not refuse to let the fortyfirst person
climb aboard the cars, and prominent
lawyer in town declares there is no way
in which the Commissioners can prevent
this forty-fist person from climbing aboard.
Another grave question stares the Com
missoners in the face: If there should be
fifty persons on the car while crossing the
bridge and the car should fall through the
floor to the turbulent waters below, and
each and every one should sustain injuries.
how would it be ascertained which of the
fifty were in violation of the order? Which
ten persons would forfeit their right to
damages because OF being in violation OF
the rule laid down by the citys governors?
Or. should car speed through Anacostia
from Congress Heights and halt at the
threshold of the bridge with forty-one per-
sons aboard, who shall determine which OF
the forty-one Is the forty-first.
All this Is puzzling. The Commissioners
are not concerned with the manner of ap-
plicatiOn so much as they are with the
actual prescription which they hoped would
cure the disease or rather the complaints
OF the citizens out east. Commissioners
mcfarland Is Of the opinion that the ques-
ton is too serious to be fooled WITH and
that as the Commissioners have issued an
official warning, 1t is the business OF the
people who patronize the railroad to gov
ern themselves accordingly.
I'VE would be severely censured," said
Mr.. Macfarland today, IF a car was to fall
through the bridge and a number of per-
sons were killed if 1t could be said OF US
that we had left a single stone unturned
to remedy the dangerous conditions Con-
seQuently we are doing all We can, and !
will trust to the ingenuity and resource
fulness of Gen. Harries to meet the situa-.
ton and abate the evil"
Commissioner West was more general in
Ais anticipations. IF the railroad company
and the good folks who ride on the cars
will cooperate with the District Commits
sioners the rule promulgated by the Com
missioners be enforced. the degree of danger
will become descended and everybody con-
cerned will rest easier. United we stand,
divided somebody may fall-through the
bridge
Commissioner Biddle. who started the
trouble. has left town. and is a fugitive
from all these embarrassing questions. He
will be back next week, however. and then
further action Is contemplated. The the
present writing no armistice has been de-
clared between the Commissioners and the
Anacostia Railroad Company, and the citi-
zens across Eastern branch are whispering
q EACH her. "What's the answer ''