The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-10
TROLLEY LINES CARS
FORCED OFF STREETS
Manhattan and Queens Com
pany's Outfit Too De-
creDit for Safety.
PATRONS MAY WALK TO-DAY
Officers Sa. Sc-vicc Board
Wouldn't Let Them
Raise Money.

/ The Public Service Conn 10 'ion came
! down OH the Manhattan and Queens Trac-
ton Corporation yesterday wit an order
! to discontinue the running Of cars at
, midnight last night. The reason was that
the eighteen cars Of the company are too
decrepit for safety. 1t was the hrst o-d"-
to stop operation that the commission has
ever given.
| No sooner had the commission sc we'd
] it's papers on Robert S. Sloan. president
of the company. than II was announce'
| that the condition OF the cars was tot
commissions own fault.
II appears that the company. which
was represented by william r. Wilcox,
| ex-chairman of the Public Service Com
mission. asked permission last March to
| issue securities, which among other
| things should cover the cost of thirty
! new pay az you enter cars. A few hear
| ings were held on the application, but IL
has lain dormant since last september.
| The order served on Mr.. Sloan provided
J that the cars of the company should not
| start again until they are prope1y
equipped with brakes and other safety
devices. The company was obliged TO
reply before o'clock last night, saying
whether or not II would comply with the
| order
Order IL Nodded.
| Mr.. Sloan decided TO answer i'm
mediately He and Harold +. Weaver,
| vice-president and general manager. and
A. e. Hume lawyer for the company, had
| q talk with the commissioners and the
| upshot WAS that the order will not become
| effective until midnight on Sunday.
But the Commissioners insisted that
Public Service inspectors should go to
work last night on the lines of the COM
pany and that no cars should 20 out on
1 the road unless they passed inspection.
| IN hn ~ Df
Wilder. engineer OF the Public Service
| Conmis sion, that proviso left the road
| at midnight with only "A single car ne FOR
, III. rails The officers OF the company
! hoped. however, that their mechanics
! could IN up several more cars during the
| night so that the part of Queens county
| which IL served by the road would not
have to walk TO work this morning.
The Manhattan and Queens Traction
CORPORATE ton is the successor To the South
| Shore Traction Company. the paper troll
| ley line which Joseph q. Robin used
! IN his Northern Bank financial opera
tons. Tho South shore franchise was ac-
CURED by the Manhattan and Queens
corporation and Macarthur Bros, rail-
way contractors. began to lay tracks from
greensboro Bridge plaza out Thorn
son avenue.
During the winter a year ago the com
pany's cars ran back and forth on the
greensboro Bridge from Second ave-
nue. Manhattan. to the Bridge plaza In
| Queens. But real operation into Queens
county began last spring
Run 90 Nswtowu.
! BY midsummer the Macarthur Bros.
! had carried the line az far as Grand ave
nue. Ncwtown. about four miles from the
| bridge They were stopped. though the
franchise provides for carrying the line
| on to Jamaica.
The Macarthur. also refused ia pro-
vide the thirty new pay as you enter
cars. becaus. no payment was in sight
! SO operation was maintained with
| eighteen single truck cars. bought sec
ond hand. Traffic was heavy. In three
! months. from April ! to June 30. the re-
| port 20 tho Public Service Commission
shows. the line carried 927.6a0 pas
| sengers and the line was only partly
| built
For the little cars and the big loads
travel WAS very dangerous. At one point
| the Long Island Railroad put in tent
, porary timber bridge In place ~ grade
| crossing The grade was per cent,
sometimes the brakes on the cars
! wouldn't hold and the cars would slide
down the steep slope In way that
! frightened the Public Service inspectors.
hence the order yesterday.
| When the company made its application
To the commission in March 1t asked for
! the authorization of u sl0.ooo.000 mort
gage which should be security for bond
| issue. The company asked permission
to issue 81. 500. DOC in stock and the sam"
amount In per cent. forty year bonds
| Under the mortgage plan the MacArthurs
! were to get all the bonds and all but
$50. 600 OF the stock rs requtal for their
money outlay In building and cqupping