Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-22
A Railroad Death Trap.

Several million dollars are now being
spent In this city by the railroad COM
panies the District and the general gov
eminent In, an enterprise which has for its
prime Object the total abolition of railroad
grade crossings in the city of Washington
Whatever may be the developments of the
scheme. in the way of uniting the termi-
nails and evolving a monumental station
building, the inspiration of the entire en-
terprise is the desire to rid the capital of
the death traps that for many years have
been a constant menace to life, exacting an
annual toll from the community.
1t is a surprising fact that in direct con-
sequence of the works now in progress to
this end a condition has been evolved in
the northeastern corner of the city that
threatens to establish permanently series
of potential grade crossings of the most
dangerous kind. In the news columns of
The Star today Is printed an article which
describes the menace to life and property
involved in the conditions prevailing at
the Baltimore and Ohio freight yards in
lexington. At this point fully twenty
steam road tracks abut perpendicularly
upon a much used thoroughfare occupied
by an electric car line. These freight
tracks are theoretically protected by means
of bumpers which experience has proved
to be absolutely untrustworthy. They
have been snapped off at frequent intervals
and freight trains have been thrust across
the street, once demolishing the corner Of
a brick building, and on several occasions
blocking the street car line, while often
coming very close to causing appalling
accidents.
It is astonishing that these dangerous
conditions have not been officially noted to
the end of enforcing a remedy. The faulty
bumpers should have been discarded by the
railroad company without pressure from the
municipal authorities Immediately upon the
discovery of their unrelability. They have,
1t is true, been experimental with to the
end of making them more secure, but
months ago 1t was found that they could
not be planted firmly enough to stop a
train when moving at speed of more than
four miles an hour. Their very construc
ton suggests their inadequacy at glance.
These conditions constitute an hourly
menace to life. At any moment a freight
train may crash past a breaking bumper
and across the street. The street car traffic
at this point, despite the infrequency Of
the service, Is exceptionally heavy. On one
occasion a freight train missed a densely
packed electric car by about fifteen seconds.
Yesterday another one was only two
minutes late for collision that would I'M
doubtedly have killed dozens of people.
Here, then are a score or so of potential
grade crossings, the more dangerous be-
cause the public is entitled to the belief
that the street is safe. No tracks cross
the street. The electric cars cannot be so
managed to avoid a collision as in the
case Of a street crossing at grade, where
there are at least gates or f1agmen to give
warning.
VIII the Commissioners or the railroad
authorities wait until freight train is sent
crashing into a loaded street car before
they move to cure this menace? Is it al
ways necessary to secure a tragedy as a
means to the end of reform? The warning
has been repeated in lexington place at
least a dozen times during the past seven
or eight months. 1t was given plainly in
September, and yesterday, at time when
the conditions invited shocking accident,
1t was given again. 1t is clear that the i'm
munity of luck from an actual disaster
cannot last forever. If the railroad COM
pany does rot of its own accord or under
official pressure change the bumpers to a
reliable pattern, or build a solid masonry
wall at the end of each track, the capital
may at any hour be visited with a tragedy
calling for the most determined prosecu-
tions for manslaughter. 1t Is better to
spend a few thousand dollars to make the
track safe than a quarter of the sum In
court processes to punish those guilty of
objectionable neglect Of duty.