The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-04
TIE WILLcOxIANs on DUTY.
Gratifytng Evidences or Public Service
(IommissIon Activities.

TIE UILLCOxIANS on DUTY.
G~raufyins Evidences or Public Service
Commission Activities.
The semi-centennial report OF the Publi,
Service Commission for the First Distrlc,
has Just been made public. The taxpayers
will be glad to know that all the Commis.
sloners have been able 70 draw their salaries
regularly since the first Of the year.
Commissioner walthy after an exhaustive
examination and q series Of hearings az.
tending over several years informs the
board that In horse cars the traction impulse
10 impaired 10 the vehicle by means o! so.
called traces, composed Of leather and rn.t,i
which pass from the f%orequarters of each
horse lit Is from the horse. says Commits
sioner HaItby, that the term horse car
Ia derived) to the car. The statisticians OF
the board, to whom the subject was re.
ferred, have computed that II all the sn.
called traces IN use s!soe .?3. II A:anhatia,
The Bronx, Richmond. Brooklyn, Queen,
and Railway could be taken apart and
fashioned into footgear for children ,w,
and a half years old the infants OF this
age In Greater New York, Jersey City, Union
Hill, Poughkeepsie, Syracuse and Proyi.
dence, r. t., might nave one and three.
quarters pairs of hobnail boots each. This
makes no allowance for French heels. Fur.
thermore, II all tbs copper cents that have
been paid TO the conductors of these cars
since 1923 A. d. could be collected and
worked into toecaps each boot could have
three caps and every child could be
equipped with q copper lightning rod sew
enty-two inches in length and one and Ave.
eighths In diameter at the base, having six
points four inches long.
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O'BarrolI into the reason for laying rails
for street railways has been fruitful Of
much good. Mr.. O'Barroll 10 almost con-
WINGED that the rails are laid for the cars
70 run on. He points out that the Broadway
buses used no rails. nor was the Third
avenue stage line supplied with them.
Coinoident with the introduction Of street
railway cars, however. the rails made their
appearance. Mr.. O'Bsrroll thinks that the
example set by the steam railways may have
hsd something TO do with the general adop-
ton Of rails for railways. He 10 Of the
opinion hat the original rails were laid for
the purpose Of holding down the rights Of
way. and records the interesting fact that
In sarlier days light bands Of metal. nailed
TO strips OF wood were considered sufficient
for this purpose. Since the appointment
Of the Public Service Commission. however,
heavy steel rails set in cement and anchored
firmly TO the surrounding landscape are
IN use throughout It's jurisdiction. Mr..
O'Berroll will continue his researches
further 70 decide whether. flying machines
should have 6 o'clock T rails. He is almost
convinced that some rails must be used on
these vehicles. on the promenade deohs at
least. to prevent passengers from leaning
too far over the edges and thus altering
the trim OF the oars.
Commissioner Dasset, to whom wa en-
trusted the task Of finding out why the uni
forms Of conductors are blue. has solved this
mystery entirely and announces that the
blue cblor Of the uniforms is TO be attributed
to the shade Of the cloth out OF which they
are made. Not content with this. Mr.
Dssset pushed his Investigation further
and discovered that the cloth owes its pc
culiar and distinctive color to dyes applied
In the course OF manufacture to the yarn
from which It Ia made. These dyes are
derived from various substances which
undergo chemical treatment and possess
the power Of imparting their own shade or
color to the yarn before 1t has attained ma
turity, and even thereafter II properly
applied. Mr.. Dasset suggests that this
fact clearly brings the color makers and TIA"
cloth manufacturers under the jurisdiction
Of the Public Service Commission. he
particularly the creation OF i
bureau Of the board which shall have super.
visory power over Blue Monday. the Rel.
and purple cows.
From Commissioners Ustus a con.
monograph on the dill erencc be-
tween conductors and non-conductors. NJ
points u that these have comparative
little In common. conductors being capah,'
Of Transmitting the electric current fro II
here to there or otherwise when condition.
are not unfsvorsbls and non-conductors be.
Ing oonstitutionally disabled therefrom ani
Mr.. Ustus Wa much annoyed IN
The early stages Of his search for informa-
ton o. this important and Interesting sub.
cot by the confusion III by the exist
pncs Of two Glasses Of conductors. the
properly coming under the head OF
personnel. the other being plant or equip
mont. This confusion, however, resulted
some good. for . study Of the subject OF
thuman beings employed to
oonduot) revealed the fact that these were
mostly male. and that 1855 Of them were
EQUAL in number to one thousand three
hundred and nfty-six soldiers OF the coast
1t VA also learned that II each
,f one thousand conductors should wear
en- feet. NO one Of them could enter . door
way six fest three and one-half inches in
he clear without bending forward. back.
ward or, Il the doorway were sufficiently
vide. which under present conditions is
70 be the case on the Broadway
branch Of the subway. sidsways. II, how.
sver, the doorwaya should be widened to
permit this IL II improbable that the cars
would pass through . tunnel seven feet 10
Width, The engineers Of the commission
Are investigating this subject.
Chairman Pillbox Of the commission has
carried forward his inspections Of the sub.
nays TO q point at which he feels warranted
n saying that red haired girls and white
1orses are seldom seen In j%nxtsposition in
he McAdoo tube. II is true thai at one
lime an Albino burro was on exhibition in
dubers Museum. in East Fourteenth street.
It the same time that . lady with auburn
.resses was purchasing q Merry Widow hat
n . Fifth avenue millinery shop: but Mr..
pillbox has refused to count this case, as M
Of communication existed at that
line between the museum and the millinery
hop except the telephone. and this is not
ret under the control Of the commission.
Until the telephone comes under the super
'tsion Of the commission Mr.. Pillbox be-
loves that white horses and red haired girls
will seldom be seen close together In the
underground lines unless pro vision is made
'srly for construction OF galleries therein
or the accommodation OF one or the other.
Mr.. Pillbox believes that by putting alcoves
It ppropriate distances from one another
the sldesof the tunnels and installing
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