Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-07-06
MORE ABOUT GRADE CROSSINGS.

MORE ABOUT GRADE CROSSINGS
Strange, isn't it, how we all 81
on talking about those horrible grad,
crossings and yet do nothing to abol
ish them? We read of people be
ing killed nearly every day and We
feel sorry. Or If the victims hap.
pen to be some of our loved ones we
are overcome with grief. But we
never take a step to remedy the evil
that brings SO much sorrow into the
world.
The EVENING NEWS has fire.
quently commented about the grade
crossings. The last time was when
two men were killed near Wood
bridge recently. Previous to that we
called attention to these death traps
at the time a local man was hit by
a train at Colonia.
Recently a frightful accident oc-
CURED at Valley Stream, Long Is
land, in which two young women
were killed. All the New York
newspapers have commented upon
this. "How long will the people of
this city and state continue to toll
lerate the murderous grade crossing
of railway with public street or high
way?" asks the New York Herald.
are unable to answer the ques-
ton. 1t is a mystery to us. There
surely have been lessons enough as
to the danger. Why the people
hesitate to have them done away
with, we are unable to understand.
But New York is more fortunate.
than New Jersey in -Irafficuiar.
NewS6rk has a law providing for
the abolition of grade crossings. In
most instances the cost of changing
the grade is borne In certain pro-
portions by the state, the munici4
patty and the railway concerned.
binder the law" says the Herald,
.'fhe municipal authorities are en-
powered to take the initiative for
removal of grade crossings within
the city limits" The Herald COM
rs Of the slowness of the opera
claiming that at the present
rate of abolition 1t will take hun
dreds of years to do away with them
all, land meanwhile a hundred per
sons a year are being killed ant
about as many MANNED"
The Herald ridicules the so-callet
safety erected by the railroads
Discussing further the accident q
Valley Stream last Sunday 1t says
cat the same crossing, thirteel
years ago, a big vehicle conveying
party of children to a picnic wa
struck by a train, killing six or sew
en- outright and wounding more tina
a dozen others, some of whom SUB
s%equently died from their injuries.
1.-The crossing at that time wa
- L4 \ L11l which GU rxT5 ~ r
declared did not ring. In that yea
a law had been passed at Alban.
providing for the abolition of grad
crossing. Thirteen years haV
elapsed. There are still about min
thousand grade crossings In tn
State, of which more than W. thou
sand are devoid of even the shaI
Protection of gate fiagman or bel
At the very crossing that cause
the tragedy of Sunday afternoon tn
s~urotection' is t9st what it was thtr
sAan xears ago-a bell which suryi
yurs S8f this disaster, like those of 1t
dreadful predecessor, say was nc
heard to ring. In any event, a be
is useless, a flagman is little better
and as to a ~so-called gate, 1t is sui
Client to recall a very recent instanc
In which the inmates of a vehtcl
were simply trapped between tn
poles and helplessly imprisoned o
a railway track in front OF an al
preaching train.
The only thing to do with a grad
crossing is to abolish it-put tn
railway under or above the street
highway=and this is what the la
was Intended to do"
"a hear held up a Lehigh Vale