Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-26
REGARDED AS HARDSHIP
Directors Declare Cost Of Equipment
Will Be Burden.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Commissioner Rudolph Reads Com
parative Statement of Accidents
Occurring at Night

Protests against the carriage and
wagon lighting regulation which the
Commissioners have determined TO en-
force were crystallized into arguments
at a board meeting at the District
building this morning. the cost OF
lamps and oil being the main subject
Of the argument.
Only a single reference was made to
the fact that accidents do sometimes
occur at night. and Commissioner Ru-
dolph was ready with figures from the
police department to show that twice
as many accidents fall upon horse
drawn vehicles as upon automobiles
The only suggestion toward a COM
promise in the hearing was made by
George J. Mueller, who suggested that
the regulation should specify that GER
tain well lighted streets should give
horse-drawn vehicles the opportunity
Of going without lights.
Blames Automobile Owners.
w. g. Knox opened the hearing with
the remark that Washineton's streets are
In general SO well lighted that vehicles
do not need lanterns.
This thing Is instigated by the auto
mobile owners. and II is a hardship upon
the owners OF teams that a regulation
should be adopted for the benett OF Joy
riders" he said. 1T Il sometimes impos-
sible to tell when a commercial team il
going to be caught out after shutdown.
Especially In wintsr would this be hard
ship. when the days are short and dark
ness comes soon after 4 o'clock.
Jackson H. Ralston, who represented
many Of the protesting team owners, real
letters from several cities to tine effect
l L.
either not necessary or not enforced.
Drag on Commercial Interests
This thing would be a drag on the
commercial interests Of the city," he said.
1T would put these business men 10 \
large expense and a needless expense. To
give a light to the individual team that
might be out after dark IL would be
necessary to equip all the teams OF large
express or ice company with lights at
high cost. Take. for example. the lbs
teams OF an express company represented
at this hearing.
Il should say the ordinance would place
q heavy burden upon them. say in the
neighborhood OF $500 for lamps alone. In
addition to this there would be the ex-
pense of keeping the lamps In order, nlled
with oil and with wfcks trimmed. Per-
haps one, two or three men would have
were always In order.
Furthermore. how about dump carts
or coal carts OF the kind that tip UP and
empty their load. / don't know OF any
way that they could carry a lamp at ali.
II would be unfair To the driver OF
cart that cannot carry q light to have
him arrested because he Is out after dark
and not carrying q light. Another thing.
storing oil around stables endangers the
building and hampers insurance.
II am told that certain wagons carry
a great deal of scenery. and a light On
them would be very dangerous
Material Is Fireproof.
piece of scenery that comes to Washing.
ton is fireproof and tested.
But the properties are not. The
baskets and laces and things OF that sort
are not fireproof," continued Mr.. Ralston.
Mr.. Ralston spoke of accidents. saying
that while he had no figures he believed
that there were fewer accidents at night
to horse-drawn vehicles than to auto
mobiles, or at least to teams owned by
this Commissioner Rudolph replied by
presenting the following figures for nine
months ending March 81: Automobiles
Accidents resulting I'm death, q: I'm serious
injury, 81: I'm slight injury. 1879. in prop
erty loss alone. ISL; in no injury or loss,
81. Total, 371- Vehicles drawn by ami
mals-Accidents resulting in death. ): in
serious injury. 81: in slight injury. 49,;
in property loss alone, 20; I'm no injury
or loss, So. Total, 735.
James NJ. Hoge made the suggestion
that the city should light all the streets
brilliantly, SO that lights would not be
required on wagons at night. He spoke
of the price of lamps as "a tax" and
said that Ii would be a cheaper tax for
the people to get the District to put UP
more street lights.
Plea for the Farmer.
There are many farmers who come
into the market section early in the morn
ing and leave late at night who would
find this ordinance a hardship" he said.
'Hay wagons have no place 10 hang
lamps. and a lamp would be dangerous 10
a load OF hay. That goes without saying"
After hearing these arguments Commits
sioner Rudolph announced that he would
take the matter under consideration and
later decide whether or not the regulation
would be enforced or withdrawn.
CEVERE QT0RN TN MICHIGAN