The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-04-21


The examination of L. T. Peck. the
President of the Rapid Transit Com
pany, developed along the following
lines:
he had given much attention to the
question of time schedules of car head
way and the spacing of switches in
conference with the operating officers
of the company.
In the first place the road had been
constructed in piecemeal, and when 1t
was possible to weld it into the pres
ent comprehensive system changes of
switches became necessary in order
that proper junction points might be
established affording at the same mo-
ment of time the greatest possible dis
trlbution of traffic. He instanced. es-
pecially, in this connection the frequent
assembling OF cars at Pawaa Junction,
where five ears at precise intervals left
simultaneously in as many different di-
rections, and explained how close con-
nections of the Punahou line had been
established there and at Beretania.
Alakea, Fort, Hotel and King streets
with ears of all the various lines.
Mr.. Peck then explained how the
switches were spaced. He stated that
the requirements of the statute had
been carefully considered in each case
with reference to the eight mile and
twelve-mile speed limitations. The
company in the outer districts had
spaced their switches less than mile
apart (the extreme limit for five
minute run at twelve miles per hour)
in order to allow time leeway for or
binary stops, which, in laying out the
line, might in many eases have peen
regarded, say, as an average of four,
consuming about seven seconds each,
thus leaving four and a half minutes
of clear running time at one-ffth of
mile per minute.
In the business district, where the
speed maximum was eight miles per
hour, the distances were shortened pro-
pOrtiOnately.
The president stated that the officers
of the company in thus placing the
turnouts, felt that they We're meeting
the
of the law, for by the foregoing plans
the cars could get over the road, MAX
ing a fair average of stops, and do it
on time and without my infraction of
the letter of the law
In response to questioning by the
Attorney General, he admitted that TO
make up lost time the cars would often
have to go faster than eight or twelve
miles an hour, as the case might be,
but claimed that it was but occasional
and that the public interests were
served by so doing. He thought that
railroad companies had an inherent
right, as long as their schedules were
moderately timed as regarded the law, |
to make up lost time if it could be
done with safety to other travellers on
the streets. He further explained in !
detail how interdependent all the lines
or divisions of the system were and how
necessary it was to adhere to scneuuIe
if the service was to be dependable and
efficient.
1t was, with the company, a rule of
operation that time losses of seven
minutes or less on any division or line
should be made up as quickly as was
consistent with safe running, the time
lost being regained gradually. Delays
of over seven minutes were allowed to
increase to ten minutes to avoid fast |
running, as the schedule could not then |
be regained soon enough to justify the )
attempt.
He stated further that what the pat |
rons wanted, and without which the
service would be farcical, was such reg
ularity of running that person accus- /
toned to the schedule could go to any |
street corner or station on the lines
at any time when a car might be due
to pass, and board car promptly and
make further connections, if necessary
at junction points with equal prompt
ness and satisfaction.
When asked what would be the re-
suit if a slower Roadway were adopted,
Mr.. Peck answered that delays were al
ways Iable to occur and should, if pos
limit would also have to be exceeded at
times on a twelveminute Roadway II
a schedule were to be maintained at all;
and as a schedule was absolutely nee
essary, the right to carry out a reason
able one should be conceded. To in
crease the Roadway to twelve minutes
would rob every passenger who lived
in the outskirts of the city of five min
utes on every trip. so that twenty
five minute trip would be heightened to
thirty minutes, and the aggregate loss
of time to the travelling public would
be enormous. Mr.. Peck believed that
the patrons of the line were not being
carried any too quickly now. and stuck
to it that the company ought to be al
lowed to make up lost time and adhere