The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-12-13

The Main street switching ordinance
was taken up by the council last night
and given it's third reading.
Aid. Gary moved that the ordinance
be placed on the table until the next
meeting, at least. The committee had
stood at the crossing, and there need
be no interference with traffic by
trains switching. A policeman should
be placed at the crossing daily from
1890 a. m. until 1890 p. M, and
possibly in the afternoon. A police
man could give the city no better serv-
ice than to stand there and signal the
gate keeper.
Superintendent Irwin was called on
and said that the changing of switch
had reduced the switching on Main
street 25 to 80 per cent. He had
ordered another switch changed, but
owing to the Pacific extension nothing
had yet been done. He had forbidden
any switching between IL m. and l:l5
p. m. This had been broken on two
or three occasions by conductors from
another division. He had taken the
matter up with the superintendent of
that division and expected no more
trouble. He thought that the tempo
rary solution of the matter was in the
stationing of policeman to signal
the gate keeper, as was done for an
hour and half by Aid. Gary. Changes
would be made and the crossing made
safe. He hoped that the ordinance
would not pass.
Omaha Will Assist.
Superintendent Shaker said that his
road would have it's gate man do all
he could to facilitate travel, provided
the Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul
train men are instructed not to cross
when the gates are up. The gate man
has erred on the side of caution if at
all. More instructions have been given
the trainmen about Mankato and the
Main street crossing than about any
other part of the division. He hoped
that the ordinance would not pass,
as it would seriously cripple the road.
Roadmaster Hines said that the ordi-
nance would knock the Milwaukee out
of doing business in Mankato.
Trainmaster Perkins spoke briefly.
Mr.. Shaker said, replying to a ques-
ton by Mayor Andrews, that the gate
man was instructed to raise the gates
the moment a train passes. !
Mayor Andrews said that this in
struction had been frequently violated.
Mr.. Shaker said that this occurred
during switching, when the gate man
did not feel safe in raising the gates
when he knew that the train was COM
ing right back.
Company Should Furnish Man.
Aid. Atchison thought that the rail
road company should furnish a man,
and not the city policeman. He took
the part of the gate man, who had
difficult job.
J. B. Richards, chairman of the Com
mercial club bridge committee, recon-
mended that the ordinance be laid on
the table for the present, for the best
interests of the city. He also spoke
as tax payer in requesting this.
The railroads would assist largely to-
ward a new bridge.
Aid. Atchison thought that the
bridge matter would be the solution of
the matter.
The motion was carried unanimously.
Yesterday members of the council
and the Milwaukee railway officials
spent an hour and half on the Main
street crossing, and during that time
Aid. Gary gave the signals for the
gate man whenever teams approached,
and the gates were raised and the
crossing cleared, and there was no de-
lay to travel, nor in the switching op
erations. Everything went like clock
work.
Aid Atchison Yesterday asked City