Evening journal., 1915-12-24
HORSES. AuTOs ANp srREErs.


r n this day when there is such widespread demand
for good roads and good Streets it is surprising
TO hnd in local newspaper letter expressive OF the
following sentiment:
Editor OF Delmarvia Sunday Star:
Dear Sir; Would that way might be devised by
the Street and Sewer Department to give Wilmington
street beds which good for horses and wagons
as they are for automobiles?
Smooth eyen-surfaced streets look pretty
add greatly to the comfort Of automobss riding over
them, but to the horse, not sure-footed who
slips falls and possibly breaks leg while passing
some of them
In the best Of weather there ara some of the smooth
er macadamized streets which are very treacherous
TOT horses Especially do find this to be the case
with farmers who from surrounding places IN
stand in King or Madison street market Several
times the Boulevard and on other stroete which
nave smooth surfaces their horses narrowly es
capped falling and believe that in bad Weather there
are times when some Of the farmers will not come to
market for fear that their horses will fall while pass
ing over these streets
We like smooth street beds but the kind that AFFORD
some foothold TO the horses which are driven over
hem. Very truly Yours
Dec 10, 1915. IRA e. sHARPLEY.
The humane thought underlying that letter clearly
apparent Il is crediable to the writer Unfortunately
however he has permitted his sympathy for the horse
to cause him TO lose sight OF important facts One
is that the comfort Of now, always has been and
always viii be paramount to the comfort OF a horse
Another is that IT is practical mpossiblty for the
Board Of Directors of the Street and Department
to provide in thoroughfares OF the width we have
in this city smooth street surfaces for the use of
automobiles and light horse-drawn vehicles and rough
street surfaces for heavy horse-drawn vehicles.
We also would remind Mr.. Sharpley that there are
many streets in city which are so paved that no
intelligent horse which uses them has anv excuse for
not keeping his feet Those roughy-paved or un-
paved, streets lead in all directions Their use by
drivers OF horse-drawn vehicles would reduce TO a
minimum the evils complained Of by Mr.. slarpley In
addition, it would do much the surfaces of the
improved streets, which are damaged every time a
horse digs its toes into them II Mr.. sharpley has
studied the street paving situation here he must
be aware that it is infinitely better for horse traffic than
for automobile traffic and that that constitutes the great
source Of public dissatisfaction with it,
Mr.. Sharpley must realize that the automobile is
here to stay. His observation must have shown him
that is suppantng the horse for purposes Of pleasure
and business. In few years, If the spread of the
use Of the auto and the auto-truck continues the
horse will disappear. TO all intents and purposes and
even the farmers for whose animals he evnces so
much solicitude, will bring send their stuff to mar
ke in auto-trucks many of the more progressive of
them are doing today The auto is coming the horse is
going. The auto requires smooth streets; the horse
requires rough ones It is for the coming method of
transportation that adequate provision must be made
Sympathy for the horse, matter how commendable
it may be from humane point of view, must give way
to practically in tho matter OF street road con
structon 80 we may take OF the constantly-n-
creasng volume OF automobile traffic
We also would remind Mr. Sharpey that Wilmington
evnces much sympathy for horses than is shown
in many other progressive communities Here the
owner Of horse may rough or equip the shoes with
steel calks which, while they assist the animal in
keeping its feet and pulling its load inevitably cut holes
in the surface Of the street used In New York City
il is against the law a roughed or calked horse
on the street. The animal must smooth shoes dig
its toes in best it may and in sleety weather skate
md 11oec of to
II must be clear to Mr.. Sharpley therefore that the
horse in Wilmington has two great advantages Ono |
is that it may roughed or calked shoes;
the other that there OF streets so roughly
and so poorly paved that they are fitted better for
horse traffic than for automobile traffic In fact that
is one OF the chief complaints made by the public
against our paving system II will not be done away
with even when the 100000 street improvement |
fund has been spent