The Detroit times., 1912-07-01


losing his wife at Fort and Seven
teenth-sts. The lists printed, OF
course. do not take into account the
hundreds OF accidents where people
are injured more or less seriously. but
not fatally, by street cars and autos.
These accidents are OF daily occur
renee. and have been particularly fire.
quent or late.
or the four slaughtered by auto.
mobiles. three were children. run
down while playing In the street near
their homes. In one instance, that Of
little Harry Ray, the driver OF the
car which killed him. didn't stop. No.
body got the number OF the machine,
able 10 get any clue az TO the iden-
tity OF the driver.
Coroner Burgess told The Times
that he was convinced that many OF
the street car victims were largely to
blame themselves for being run down.
Several of those In the list OF
those killed by street cars" said DR..
Burgess, walked around the rear end
OF the cars from which they alighted
and crossed right In front OF cars
coming In the opposite direction.
Now the d. u. r. can hardly be held
entirely responsible In such cases.
The company, however, Is partly 70
blame In many cases OF this kind, for
the motormen do not observe an or
dinance which provides that a car
shall not go faster than three miles
an hour while passing a car which
is standing to take on or let on pas
sengers. The fact 10 that few, II any,
motormen pay any attention to that
ordinance.
The pedestrians, on the other
hand, do not exercise enough care In
the streets, particularly on leaving
street cars. They don't stop to think
that another car may be coming in
The opposite direction or another
track, over which they plan TO cross.
I'm regard to the auto accidents,
20 one is to blame but the drivers or
the machines. They are driving now
adays with reckless abandon. owners
OF machines as well as testers, and II
is almost a physical impossibility for
people TO escape them In their mad
rush. It Is little wonder that some
der OF II all Is that there are not
many more victims than there are,
Something should certainly be done
TO check them In their slaughtering
pace"
J. w. Smith, OF the Wolverine
Manufacturing Co., who has been car
rying on an agitation for some time
TO bring about better protection for
the public from street cars and auto
mobiles, offers the following sugges-
lions as. safeguards:
Place signals at dangerous
points OF trafic-a white column
or flag for day and red light for
night.
Prevent street cars from start
ing up rapidly at street crossings.
Equip every second or third car
on each line with jacks,
Take license away from auto
driver after a third conviction OF
ordinance violation.
Periodical tabulation In the
press OF persons killed by street
cars and automobiles.
Church campaign against reck-
less auto driving and careless
street car operation.
1T has got 80 now" said Mr.. Smith,
that we have got to kill people In
punches before the authorities will
act. Why didn't the powers that be
take action against the ocean liner
companies long before the Titanic
disaster? They knew that these
liners were racing all the time. The
automobiles and street cars OF the
country are killing 400 people day,
almost twice as many In week as
were lost In the Titanic wreck, but
you don't hear any protest from the
authorities, simply because the vic.
Tins are not killed In lunches
There are many ways in which the
public could be safeguarded at a
small expense. Instead of having