Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-16

whose duty it is to look after things
there and attend to trouble happening
elsewhere. In order to be able to do
this last there is a telephone in a corner
drug store to which Is attached a bell
with an almost warlike ring to 1t. In all
F street are also familiar with the bell,
but have mistaken 1t for fire gong, au-
tomobile bell or some other terrifying
piece Of mechanism. All these prepara-
tons are made for everyday contingent
cies, while when a greater demand than
usual Is going to be made on the COM
pany extra cars are put on the mostly
Travelled lines, extra trouble men nut on
duty and special emergency wagon
stationed somewhere along the line of
greatest travel
The trouble which can happen to a
street car is, properly speaking, of two
kinds, and this division has again to be
split in half. The first division of trou-
BILE Is that for which the company is
directly to blame and that over which
the company has no control. Instances
of these two classes Of trouble are found
in the pulling Of the pillow, which results
generally in the car having to be pushed
10 the barns. That is something the
company has control Of The other is
when. as an official of one Of the COM
panies expressed 1t. some man takes the
middle OF our tracks to have his wagon
fall down on That is in no wav The
fault OF the company, for 1t does not
always result from collision, but means,
nevertheless. that the car has to wait
Cor the way to be cleared
The second division is in the class Of
trouble OF which the passengers in a car
are aware and that of which they are
not When. as mentioned before, a pillow
Is pulled the passengers are sure to know
about it, for considerable trouble always
results, and sometimes the emergency
wagon has to be called in addition to
the car being pushed in. But there are
many things which can happen to a car
which impede its proper progress but
winch are known only to the motornan
and perhaps the conductor. and which
do not necessftate the car being pushed
10 the barns, but which mean, however.
that ii has TO be repaired upon its arrival
there.
A monthly list OF the troubles occur
ring on the various lines Is kept by the
companies This list contains the names
OF the majority of troubles which can
happen 10 car, and the total is such
as would bring establishment to most peo-
PIE unfamiliar with the inside workings
Of street car company OF all the trou-
bic that happens that caused b. or hap
pening TO the plow is perhaps the worst
The pillow, as might be imagined, has
nothing 10 do with farming. but Is that
part or the car apparatus which conducts
the current from the underground cables
10 the car Naturally. when anything
goes wrong with the pillow the current is
likewise affected. Some of the things
which can happen to the pillow besides
being pulled are being grounded, having
the pillow lead damaged. the plow fuse
injured. the pillow hanger broken. the pillow
shoe pulled on or broken. the plow spring
broken or the body lead OF the pillow in
capacitated. All these things sound tech
meal. but IL you have any uncertainty
as to the probability of their happening
lust ask the first motorman with whom
YOU may chance to ride.
The pillow Is an important factor in IT,.
going arrangement of a car, and when
il Is injured II IL enough to make not
only the motoTman wax wroth. but all
those vino have TO aid in its repairing
Suff1ce IL to say that.in many cases the
pillow has to be disconnected from the car
AT the scene Of the trouble. while in other
cases the car can still be gotte nto the
barns without aid. but whatever hap
oens, new pillow has TO be put in place.
This piece of work is not as dif1cult as
would seem. considering the pillow Is
directly under the middle OF the car, but
AN be completed in about fifteen Sec
onds This information was obtained
from railway Official, who accompanied
his remark with an airy wave OF the
hand. which was probably meant to dis
pei the very evident belief OF the ques-