Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-14
Crowded Condition on Many
Lines Shown by VOIuminouS
Report of Power Co.
MANY PEOPLE FORCED
TO STAND EVERY DAY
Railroad Commission Must Dig
Actual Wrong Out of Great
Mass of Figures.

Buried ia a heap of papers foot
thick in the Office of the Georgia rail
road commission, lurking behind long
columns of bare figures, is a story of
Auarta's street car facilities, which is
startling when dragged to light.
The figures are the traffic report of
,na Georgia Railway and Power Com
many. For a week, from February %
to March l. the company detailed "a
force Of men to take the readings of
-na rog'=ters on crosstown cars in the
middle Of the city. \ large office force
ta5uI4feI these statements. and also
the "Trip reports of the conductors ON all
lines. The trip reports give the regis
ter readings at the ends of the lines.
Page after page of unadorned figures
a. presented in response to the com
missions request. There is no COM
meut. The commission will make all
necessary comment when the figures
have been digested This work VIII
take an employee of the commission
ten DAYS Of uninterrupted study. Nhen
the digest is complete. the commission
viii study it, and, if it thinks neces-
sary will order better service.
There are 23 street car lines i'm At
anta. the report shows, Without eN-
ception. there is overcrowding on every
line during the rush hours. This is APP
parent on casual examination and WITH
out waiting for the study of the COM
mission.
Some examples are especially gIar-
i1g Car No. 227 arrived at Imam
YARDS At 7:25 O'Clock on the morning OF
February IS. which was Wednesday, ar
average business day. Car No. 221 has
a seating capacity of IS. At Inman
Yards the register showed 10I fares re-
ceiyod for the trip. Car No. 227 start
ed from White City on this trip, and,
in the center of town, Broad and Ma
retta streets, at 6:55 a, mo had OF
passengers.
Sc Coming in Town.
Assuming that all of these persons
got off at Broad and Marietta, which is
not probable. 81 persons were picked
up on the 2S-seat car to Imam Yards
At this hour the passengers are men
going to work. 1t seems a fair as
sumption that most of them rode 10
the end of the Unexpectedly all but
five or six. 1t seems equally conserVa-
tive to say that about half of them
stood up for the long ride.
On the same day, car No. 3S5, carry
ing crowd home at the end of the
days work. this time on the Peachtree-
Whitehall line. reached the end OF
Peachtree street at 6:35 p. m. with the
register showing 131 fares. Al Five
Points. it had 80 fares. This shows
that coming from West End. a 36-seat
rar picked up 10 fares to Five Points
and IS from Five Points to the END
Of the Pe7chtree run.
Even assuming that the entire load
was changed in the middle of the city
although it was not that car had use
Tor its full supply of straps.
Car No. 357, going to West End at
The close of the day, arriving at the
end Of the Whitehall run at $50 p. M
Showed 1870 fares fol the trip At Five
Points the reading was 81 fares.
brought, then, 81 persons from the
north side to Five Points, and took 50
from the center of town to West End
again assuming the entire load was
changed in the center of town, and
again remarking that the car had seats
Tor Sc.
II is easier to see the congestion in
the cars whose run does not extend
through town. The main Decatur line,
'or instance, is crowded Car No. ia,
arriving in the center of town at 1875
q. Ia. Wednesday. February 26, brought
on Lassengers. 1t has seats for 81. Car
soing out. arriving at the end OF
.F me at 6.45 p. m. carried SO pas
$lserS. 1t has seats for As
Continued on Pace Two.