Evening star., 1912-07-20
Dangerous Street Car Crossings.

1eSterdayS street car accfQent al Cne
corner Of 9th and U streets is attributable
directly to a faulty system of junction
management by the local street railway
companies. This point is at times almost
as badly congested as some Of the busy
downtown street car crossings, cars of
two lines using the L street tracks jointly
between 7th and 9th and separating at the
latter street. There is danger there at
all times Of the day, and especially when
b. reason of the large crowds that use
these lines in going to and from the base
ball games the tracks are closely oc-
cupied by cars going in all directions.
Certainly at such times there should be
signalmen on duty to direct the move
ments of the cars. but the companies have
persisted in depending upon the signals
OF motormen, a method of junction use
that has been repeatedly demonstrated to
be untrustworthy.
In this case ii is a wonder that more
than one life was not destroyed by the
collision between the two cars. Conditions
were ripe for the killing of many people,
for the car that was struck on the curve
was not only completely filled within. but
carried large number of passengers on
the running board. 1t Is matter simply
OF good fortune that a wholesale slaugh-
ter did not result from the misunder-
standing between the motormen which
permitted a Capital Traction car to be
sent forward at good speed while 9th
street car was rounding the curve.
A regulation was adopted by the inter
state commerce commission less than
three months ago to forbid street railway
companies permitting passengers to &C.
cupy the running boards of their cars
This is one of those reasonable regula-
tons in the interest of safety that LITERAL
~ cannot be enforced. On such occasions
as yesterday afternoon, with several
thousand people seeking transportation
at the same time from given point, the
use of the running boards is absolutely
unavoidable Conductors could not pos
sibly prevent persons from clinging to
the ears OF the open type, and their ef-
forts to do so. with refusal to start their
cars as long as passengers stood on the
running boards. would result in long de-
lays in the working of the lines.
Yesterdays accident was in no way due
to the violation Of the running board rule,
save that the victims, one of whom was
Immediately killed, were standing on the
prohibited space. The cars would have
come together in the same circumstances
il that rule had been enforced, and it
would have required merely little more
of q shock in the impact to kill several
of the persons within the open car. How
ever the courts may view the matter Of
personal responsibility on the part Of
those who stood upon the running board
in defiance OF the rules laid down by the
interstate commerce commissioned which
doubtless most people are unaware-it is
impossible to disregard the fact that the
absence OF starter. or signalman at
this point permitted the cars to come
together.
The street railway companies maintain
starters already at several places in the
city. notably 9th and F, 9th and G. and
10Th and New York avenue. These are
points. however, at which the lines of
single companies cross. At other places
of equal congestion, where the lines Of
the different companies cross. no flag
men are maintained. such places for in
stance. as 9th and Pennsylvania avenue.
eth and + streets. 9TH and G streets. 14th
and G streets. 14th and L. streets, and
conspicuously 14th street apd New York
avenue. At the last-named crossing three
different lines are in action, though only
two intersect, two others crossing at q
short distance to the north. That COM
paratively few accidents have happened
at these crossings through car collisions
10 matter of good fortune but there
should Le no further dependence upon
chance. No time should be lost TO COM
pei the establishment OF signalmen at
all intersections where the traffic is SO
heavy as to bring cars into competition
for the right Of way.