The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-07-21
PETERSBURG
MANS INVENTION
Has Ingenious Device for Better Pro-
lection of Trafiic oficers In Their
Exposing Work.
UNIQUE HoPEwELL HAPPENINGS
Policeman Relieved of His yaluabies.
While Man In Beer Joint Has His
Trousers Stolen While He Slept.

Petersburg, Va, July 20.--F. l.
Temple, former well-known young
resident OF this city, for several years
connected with the furniture house of
c. q. Robertson. in West Bank Street,
has invented an awning device for the
use of traffic officers.
Mr.. Temple left Petersburg several
years ago and engaged IN business in
Suffolk; later he removed TO Roam
oke and engaged In business. This
afternoon three of the devices which
MIR. Temple has pafened were placed
at Sycamore and Washington, Syca-
more and Bank and Bollingbrook and
Second Streets for the officers station
ed at these points.
| The awning device is so arranged
as to protect the officer from both the
sun and rain and to assist him in pre-
venting accidents. at the same time
relieving him of the ardorous duty of
continuously waving his arms in the
| direction which he orders vehicles
to proceed.
| The awning, where II Is possible,
is placed between the street railway
ftracks at intersecting points and by
pulling a ring attached to cord one
side OF the awning lis raised for traffic
to proceed in one direction and an
other Is raised for traffic in another
direction. A wooden platform Is pro-
vided of sufficient height from the
pavement to make the officers duties
more comfortable than standing upon
asphalt or cobble stone pavement.
/ The use Of the invention has been
approved by Superintendent John f.
Harvell Of the Virginia Railway and
Power Company, who has expressed
his intention of placing beneath the
II - - G4.f.
ficient size to keep the officers feet
warm in cold weather; also to place
red and white lights upon the metal
frame of the device for use after
darkness.
Mr.. Temple, the inventor, expresses
his intention Of further improving the
device by means of placing about II q
!; cover reaching several feet above tht
pavement for the protection of the
, officers clothing against the splash
ing of mud and water caused by pass
ing vehicles or street cars. He Is &C
companied by r. B. Jordan. of Nor
folk. sales agent for the South,
The device has been adopted bI
the police Department of Norfolk anc
other cities, and it is expected tha
! 1t will prove the means of reducing
accidents at street crossings to min
|, limum, because of the fact that 1t II
impossible for street railway motor
, men going in opposite directions Il
mistake the signal given them by thu
a Itraffic officer.
! The inventor has been the recipi
j. . ent of many CONGRATULATIONS by nj
former friends since arriving u
= Petersburg for the Ngenius which Il
manifest In his device.
Work OF Common Council.
Tho Common Council at an ad
iourned session last evening, in add
ton to receiving bids for a franchise
" for the construction of an electric rail
way on Boilingbrook and other street
in the eastern section Of the city as I
terminus of the proposed Petersburg
to City Point electric railway, trans
acted all other unfinished business o
= the preceding meeting and adopted
numerous new resolutions for stree
improvements. etc, which included
APPROXIMATIONS of $3.50 to aid in car
3 ing for stranded women and children
sl25 for planting trees on Myth
al Street to obstruct from view the un
: slightly city dump, s13s for sidewall
on the west side of CampbelPs Bridge
between this city and Ettrick, an
r. SIS. 600 for the completion OF the A. F
r Hill School,
6 A communication received from
! Mayor CaDdnlSS relative TO SeeEeBdt
. Ing the white and coiored races Il
/. certain portions Of the city parks. WA
referred to the Parks and Market
= Committee. A resolution was intro
. duced by Chairman Chandler. of tn
:, Parks and Markets Committee, pro
viding for the esta blishment of sep
arate park for negroes and was re
serred to the Public improvement
Committee. An appropriation of $50
9 to defray the cost of drawing plan
!, for the Bishop Bridge was laid owe
until the next regular meeting, as wa
G action on the petition of numerou
d business houses, requesting that tn
d resolution to permit the Norfolk an
Western Railway Company to chang
e its tariff on the City Point branch.
t Situation at HOpewell.
S Notwithstanding reports to the ef
e feet that the Business Mems Associa
: ton OF Hopewell has succeeded in sup
:, pressing practically all lawiessness 1
n that village. II was reliably stated her
q today that a man who had gotte
I e. H. - - ATT