The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-10-01
Twelve Death Traps, All Dark
at Night, Discovered by The
Times.
FLARE LAMPS ARE RESULT
Automobiles Forced to Use
Dangerous Apparatus to
See Treacherous Curves.

II Maryland would spend a few thou
sand dollars erecting strong arc lights
at the bad turns and dips In the WASH
,nston- Baltimore boulevard. much of
the danger to automobiles using that
popular highway at night would be re-
moved.
AT least twelve 'death-traps" uIong
this highway have been photographed
oy The Washington Times. Dangerous
as they are In daylight. they are "cn.
sioeraDly worse at night. As explained
heretofore in The Washington Times
most OF the accidents that have occurred
have taken place at night ana have
been due. In most instances to the uEe
OF Hare headlights on the machines.
AS conditions are now along the
boulevard the use OF these lights in the
osd turns Is almost imperative. Here
and there the road turns sharply to the
right or left through thick clumps of
Foliage or between deep cuts" At
other places 1t dips suddenly on a steep
oowngrade. there being as often as not
tom OF the grade.
II seems to be a feature of road build
ing that bridges are generally narrower
IMAM the approaches to them. SO that
unless an automobiles can see plainly
where he Is going, he is apt to crash
into one OF the bridge rails.
Must Use Flare Lights.
Thus 1t happens that many of the
motorists using the boulevard at night
find It absolutely necessary to use their
fare lights. The danger In their use
lies in the fact that where the roadway
Is constantly twisting their rays are sell
dom seen by an approaching vehicle
until the moment of meeting, when the
sudden flash OF the headlights frequent
~ blinds the driver of the approaching
car or carriage.
Were these bad turns and dips we'll
lighted by arc lamps. however 1t would
be unnecessary for the automobilists to
use their high-poYer lights at all.
Leaving Washington by the Bladens-
burg pike. the most popular approach
to the interurban boulevard. the first
and. in many respects. the worst curve
Is met right at Bladensburg. Here the
roadway roadway turns sharply and a almost at at
right, at an acute angle. another road
Joins the main highway.
The turn Is concealed by a thick
growth of trees. which adds to the
curve is reached and about 100 feet this
side of it, the street car track. which
has been following the Bladensburg
pike along Its left side, suddenly
swerves across the roadway to the
right.
The only lighting facility afforded at
night nj this dangerous spot is from a
single incandescent electric lamp hung
high over the roadway.
No Light at Trap.
The next danger spot Is at a point just
west of White House Tavern. where
the roadway swerves around on
grade in a figure IS" There is no light
Al Beitsviiie, near the scene Of the
accident last Sunday night, Is another
extremely dangerous turn. The main
road turns sharply to the left Just AZ
the point where Il reaches the Beltsvillc
station of the Baltimore and OHIO rali-
road. A branch road, leading to the
Agricultural Experimental Station; goes
tracks. Although the tracks are guarded
by gates, at night these gates are somo-
times hard to see.
East of Muirkirk. the road turns
sharply to the right over the brow OF
a hill. and plunges on down steep
grade. The curve is practically hidden
from view by a delapidated and aban-
doned shed.
Just west Of Savage there is another
long swinging dip to the left down to.
ward a small creek, which is spanned
by one of those narrower-than-the-r
bridges Gagged in heavy steel girders.
Heavy Mist Frequent.
Toward twilight there otter rises
from the creek a heavy mist which
floats fifty to hundred feet high be-
d, tween the hills. completely covering the
roadway and yelling the approaches to
the bridge.
As The Times photographer approached
the bridge in a Grant Six, driven by w.
A. Wenner, another car was approach
ing from the east. SO narrow Is the
bridge that II would have been ex-
tremely dangerous for the machines to
attempt to pass one another on the
structure. The Grant was stopped to
avoid an accident, though less power
full car might have had trouble negoti-
ating the hill to the east of the bridge
from a dead stop.
Without the use Of glare headlights at
night the driver Of neither machine
could probably have located the bridge.
yet In the very use of these lights one
or the other may have been temporarily
blinded.
Hidden in grove OF trees at Water
loo. q cress-road, leading to Jessup,
suddenly darts across the boulevard
point the boulevard shoots sharply up
ward to scale a hill, and the cross
road intersects on the west slope OF
this hill. Beyond the crest of the hill.
the boulevard turns sharply to the
right. There is no light, practically,
at this point.
Another Villainous Turn.
Two miles west OF Elkridge r.. e.
johnson has home located at anoth-
err villainous turn, hidden almost COM
pletely by a high bank. Further on at
st. Augustine's Church there Is anoth-
err almost rs bad.
The last death trap" before reach
ing the outskirts OF Baltimore Is at n
fork in the road as the main highway
sweeps to the left down a steep grade
toward the city. The right prong of
the fork is formed by concrete road
that shoots up to the right over the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad tracks
Although strong lights at night at
these bad spots would reduce the nc.
cidents considerably, automobilists
using the highway are Of the opinion
that at the worst of the places patrols
should be stationed to prevent motor
ists desiring to speed around the turns
on the lower edge Of the curves from
taking the wrong side OF the road.
The Automobile Club OF Maryland
has done much to minimize the danger
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