The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-04-21
OLD CARS AND FLAT WHEELS.
CONTINUED from Page IL

| dozen directors were present and ali
| of them agreed that something should
| be done about the condition of the
road.
Charles R. Crosby complained of the
noise, which he described as the q gen.
eral rattle,' bothering him and his
Office employees. He had noticed it for
two years. He had spoken to the news.
papers about it several times. The
cars look disreputable, he said, are not
painted and are not sufficient to care
| for all traffic.
Fred A. Betterley, lister, said that
his father was injured by being thrown
from his sleigh at the corner of HIGH
and Oak streets last winter. Guard
planks had been placed there since the
accident. The guard rail on the curve
at that point was considerably higher
than the rail. His father was not in
condition to be present at the hearing
w. E. Bartlett of West Brattleboro,
an insurance agent, said that his wife
was unable TO ride on car No. 5 b.
cause of the effect of the swaying mo-
ton. He complained also of the poor
ventilation and fiat wheels He had
spoken to Supt. Trip about the fiat
wheels and attended the hearing at
the request of States Attorney
Hughes He said he heard a dav or
two ago a fiat wheel on one of the
open cars Sometimes a car had been
run with fiat WHEELS for 10 to IA days
Mr. Bartlett s testimony concluded
that offered by the petitioners.
Manager f. NJ. Adds was called as
the first witness for the defense. and
his testimony had considerable to do
with the relation Of the company 70
newspaper interests in town.
He read from notes that during
1914 the company had replaced IS
wheels on cars. 1t cost. the company
So, HAP to maintain the roadbed in
1918 and $3,458,S2 for the same pur-
pose in 1914 This was exclusive of
the cost of removing the snow, which
cost in the winter of 1874 1924. 50,
and last winter $429.S5. In addition
J to revenue from transporting passen-
gers the company receives small rev
: enue from carrying packages. The
cars start from the terminals at 6
clock in the morning and on the last
, run at night at 1890. The crews of
the last cars are instructed to wait on
2 ME bridge switch on Main street until
lilo D. IN. for the late train from the
south if it is not on time. Cars are
always provided in both directions after
performances in the Auditorium. The
second car which for a time was run
to accommodate mill hands at 0 CLOCK
at night has been discontinued because
so many workmen have been laid off al
|. plants in town that there is no call fol
! He admitted that there were time,
, when the cars were crowded, but thost
occasions were almost always when
they could not be anticipated Day il
I and day out the company will average
/ five vacant seats in a car for. every
! one that is occupied.
He said that the company carried
from July l, 1913, to March 81, 1914, ;
total of $50, 300 passengers and be
tween similar periods ending March 81
: 1915, a total of 27,749, or 1851 les
[ for the same period of time, net re
duction in the revenue of $1,277.55
No complaints ever were made t
! him, he said, about poor ventilation
scarcity of accommodations, or roa,
bed. He had received complaints o
fiat wheels and they had been replace
as soon as possible. He explained tina
9 thew were sent to the Griffin Vince
! Co. to be replaced and that sometime
!. it was considerable time before tn
I, /, ones smoothed down and returned. H
y had received no complaint of lack o
!, guard rails or planks at crossings.
On cross examination by Mr. Hughe
! he said that he frequtnely rode TO &c
! dar street on the cars, but he seldom
: rode inside as he preferred all the out
side air he could get after being con
\ fined to the office all day. lie did no
:, know of general dissatisfaction i
! town over the service and poor con
o dition of cars and roadbed.
The company bought q new car j
eel Philadelphia last fall for use next win
o ter. 1t cost about $500 for the body
n The trucks were not considered in tn
l. deal. It was intended to equip III
{ car with new trucks here, the old one
being left on to facilitate the loadin
e and unloading of the car for transpol
D, tation. The body is the cheapest par
d of car and he did not care how Ion
h the car had been in previous use 5
long as it was in good physical cond
e ton. 1t is not Anticipated and it
&c not of the latest design.
/ The company carries three axles 0
r hand. He admitted that it was
e proper deduction to make that If tn
company carried more there would no
U be the necessity sometimes for tn
waits for the return of axles an
q wheels sent away to be repaired.
He admitted that on the car o
which he usually goes home at night
that leaving the street at $40, man
frequently stand up. The car leavin
: the street Just after 6 O'Clock he doe
not consider is generally so crowded
This was the first winter during whic
IS the company had had only three close
cars. Not a single trip had bee
missed by reason of car breakin
is down on run.
n Mr.. Daley then took up the exam
D ination again.
If ''Did you hear anything of all thi
= complaining before this petition wa
Et started?'