Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-07-10
WANT PARK BANDS
AND SAFETY GATE
Highland Park and Garvanza
Send Petitions to the
City Council
CITE MANY CAR ACCIDENTS
Requests Are Approved by Other
Improvement ASSOcia-
tons of the City
CITE MANY CAR ACCIDENTS

Four Improvement associations have
approved the appeal of the city councli
by citizens in the Highland Park ana
Garvanza sections for band concerts
in the various parks OF the CITY anu
adequate safety devices at dangerous
railroad crossings. The appeals nave
heen transmitted 10 the city council
by a committee consisting of d. M.
Cuthbert, T. J. Kelley and Frank >;
Adams, representing the Federation OF
Improvement associations. The Hlgh-
land Park Protective and Improvement
association. the Garvanza improve
ment association and the North, North
east and Northwest Improvement as
sociation also have approved the petit
lions, which follow;
We respectfully ask that in your
consideration in employing band
for the coming year to play In the
city parks the bands instru-
mentation be so selected ana ar
ranged that it can be divided into
two bands of eighteen or twenty
pieces each, and that at least three
DAVIS of the week, namely TUESDAY,
Thursday and Saturday, they be
assigned to play in the different
parks of the city, so that the resi-
dents of the different localities may
have the benefit of the concerts,
and at the same time the people
NAV become better acquainted with
the beauty and usefulness or our
city parks.
THE BAND PETITION
The petition regarding safety devices
at grade crossings is as follows:
We, the people of Highland Park
and Garvanza, who, in attending
our daily duties in the city, are
compelled to use the Los Angeles
RAILWAYS Garvanza cars, realize
the great danger to life and limb
to which we are constantly sub
jected every day at the grace
crossing of the Atchison, Topeka
& Santa Fe railway and the said
street car at the crossing on Ave-
nue. 20. We have previously petit
toned YOUR honorable body, our Pc
tition being referred to the utility
commission, but so far there mas
been no report or any action taken
except that in some places they
have recommended that gates be
installed at certain crossings.
The above petition did not ask for
nor recommend gates, as they are
not an absolute protection to pas
sengers on street cars at grade
crossings, but said petition did call
for and ask that the fnterlocking
block signal derailing device be in
stalled, which absolutely protects
grade crossings, that being the sys-
tenn now in use by the steam and
electric roads in many places In
and near this city. No accident has
ever occurred at any grade cross
ing in this locality where the de-
railing devices have been Installed,
while on the other hand several &C
cidents have occurred at grade
~, oil
men or gates have been installed.
ONE OPERATION
We see no objection to both the
derailing device and gates being
installed, and would recommend
that such be done, for the better
protection of the public. Both
could be operated by the same OPP
orator The gates would protect
the team traffic while the derailtng
device would absolutely protect the
street car traffic against accident,
should the brakes fail to work or
should there be a misunderstanding
of signals between motormen and
conductors, and further, there
would be a saving of both time and
expense to both railroad and street
car companies.
Had these devices been installed
the accident that occurred on Macy
street some time ago, when the
brakes failed to work on a Brook
lyn avenue car going east at the
Alameda street crossing, the car
breaking through the gates and
colliding with a Southern Pacific
train that was passing at the time,
would not have happened. Also,
they would probably have prevent
ed the accident at the crossing of
the same line and the Salt Lake at
yK1h
was killed and others injured. Both
these crossings have gates in
stalled. Also, both the accidents
that occurred at the Salt Lake
crossing on Also street at the east
end of the bridge last winter, where
two fagmen are stationed, would
undoubtedly have been prevented
had the derailing device been in
stalled.
BLOCK SIGNALS
These block signal derailing de-
vices have been installed on the
Pacific Electric line at the cross
ings of the Southern Pacific in
North Alhambra, also on the Long
Beach line and Southern Pacific
crossing to Santa Monica, the
Santa Fe crossing to Redondo and
the Southern Pacific to San Pedro,
and at most of the crossings of
steam roads in Southern California.
These poorly protected, and in
most cases entirely unprotected,
grade crossings are not only death
traps that every so often claim
their victims, but they work a
great disadvantage to portions Of
the city where people reside who
must necessarily reach the bust
ness section Of the city by street
cars over these grade crossings, and
they have a tendency to restrict in
Vestment in these localities.
In view Of the facts and existing
conditions we humbly ask that your
honorable body appoint a special
committee to take up the matter
more fully of protecting the grade
crossings of street cars and steam
roads, irrespective Of gates, as ii
has been demonstrated that gates,
while protecting teams, are not
sufficient protection to street cars,
and as 80 per cent Of the travel
into and out of the city is done ON
street cars we humbly pray that
YOU will give this your immediate
and careful consideration at an
early date and take the necessary
steps to require the street car COM
panies and the steam roads to pro-
tect the public against accidents at
said crossings.