Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-03
MOBILE NUIskNCEs.
Plaintive Plant for Stricter Garage
Control

Sooner or later and the sooner the bet
ter, before some serious accident has oc-
CURED In this city, the District authorizes
will be Obliged to adopt the stringent regu-
lations governing the maintenance OF au-
tomobile garages in force in other cities,
remarked householder to Star reporter.
THAT we have had no dangerous explo-
sions or fires in Washington simply means
that we have been lucky. In New York
several bad blow-ups have occurred, es-
pecialiy on the west side of the metropolis,
where the garages congregate. In explo-
sions of this kind the air was heavy with
the fumes of escaping gasoline, indicating
that gases generated from waste OIL IN the
automobile garages had become 1gnlted' An
additional peril in the affected districts ap-
peared in the shape of explosive gas leak
ing from the sewers into the Easements
of residences and business structures.
There number of garages In TINS
city, most of which are In the reslqentiai
section of town. While they are kept per-
haps reasonably clean and the storage or
gasoline is limited in amount, nevertheless
the same causes of explosions which nave
outlined exist here as in New York. ana
are just likely to occur. l happen to
live opposite a garage, and l am more Ia
miliar with the subject than the casual
observer and in the event of an explosion
or fire would prefer to be some distance
away.
at seems to me that the inspection OF
these places where there is so much highly
volatile and explosive fluid used should be
rigid to the extreme. 1t will be recalled
that one of the most stubborn fires with
which the department of this city has mao
to contend occurred few years ago on
14th street in an automobile establishment
where there was a large quantity or gaso-
line stored An inspection of these garages
will reveal on the floors quantity or waste
OIL which will be surprising to the average
visitor. and 1t is this waste Oil that caused
~ 10 to- he ant Nv
York.
another point regarding garages in this
city which should come in for regulation
is the practice autoists have of arriving at
the garage at a late hour of the night, or
an early hour in the morning, and tootlns
loudly upon their horns to the Waterman
for admission. The streets at these hours
are usually silent and the noise from the
horns comes with redoubled force to the
ears of the neighbors, awakens them from
their sleep. and Is a great nuisance gen
orally. The belated autoiSt seems 10 take
delight in footing loudly, and If the watch
man does not appear at once, evinces MS
impatience by the loudest squawks the
horns are capable of. If the drivers of
belated carriages in front of livery stables
made as much noise by yelling at the
Waterman within do the autoistst with
their horns they would be arrested by the
police mighty quickly, but with the ma
chine 1t seems to be accepted as all right
when 1t is all wrong from the standpoint
of the neighbors. If complaint on the part
of the neighbors is made to the garage the
reply received is that the residents Of the
neighborhood are at liberty to move away
If they don't like it. though many of them
are property owners. while thus far the
police have made arrests for this sort
of street night nuisance