The Washington herald., 1916-10-29
THE OPEN FORUM.
THE DUST EVIL.
Raymond j. Bour, Jr., Complains
About street Conditions Here.

ABOUT street CONDITIONS mere
Editor The Washington Herald:
( Again the beauty OF the falI-more
lovely in this city than perhaps any
other PLACES marred by the recur-
renee Of what is nothing less than an
outrage.
And that is the clouds of dust that
are sent whirling into the eyes and
lungs of passengers and pedestrians
| by the street cars as they run along
the streets churning up the sand that
has been dumped more than copiously
on and near the rails on some recent
rainy day in order to give the wheels
Iof the cars a hold on the slippery
tracks covered with wet leaves.
l do not deny the right of the street
railway companies to make use Of
neutrality-suspicious. I cannot under
stand why these companies are not
compelled to sprinkle their road-beds
or rights-of-way on dry, clear days, in
order that the very dust which they
have created may not become a very
dangerous and unhealthy thing and a
great public nuisance
This very morning, after a shower Of
dust had been deposited on me upon
alighting from a street car, I was I'm
pressed more than ever with the in
justice Of this unnecessary evil condi-
tion by noticing that the street had
been carefully sprinkled by the Dis
trict of Columbia on both sides Of the
roadway, from the curb line to within
two feet of the car tracks, while the
middle Of the street Occupied by the
car tracks and right-ofway) was alb
solutely dry and full Of sand and dust
Is this right? Should the people
the very creators, the source and the
Foundation of our gOvernment-should
the people. who have given the Dis
trict of Columbia the right to use the
streets and avenues as public high
ways and who primarily have given
the car companies the right to operate
their systems over the streets and av-
enues, be compelled to suffer thus at
the hands Of public utility corpora
tiOnsg The very meaning Of the word
utility" should be all the answer
necessary for this question.
I have stood on the back platform
Of a crowded street car for about
twenty-five blocks and seen my fellow
passengers and myself so covered with
dust that we resembled millers in a
busy flour mill. And the conductors.
one poor fellow on a pay-as-yoU-enter
/ car with an open rear entrance said to
me this morning that he felt ashamed
! of his appearance; that his uniform
was absolutely ruined and that he
simply could not brush the dust out
of it And his eyes and throat were
full Of dust and would be all day.
Again I ask, is this right?
In other cities (fOr example, Cleve-
land, Ohio a water car, operated by
the street railway company and run
on its tracks, passes along each and
every street about every thirty min
utes during the entire day except
when il is raining hard) and sprinkles
! the roadbed Of the railway company
the entire right-Of-way-and the paw
! ing Of the street for about a foot on
each side of the car tracks No dust
| is allowed to be formed. As soon as
the water sprinkled about by the pre-
along comes another water car and
sprinkIes the right-of-way again. The
citizens OF these cities are not both
cred and made sick with dust stirred
Iup by the street cars.
Now. if the street railway COmpa-
! nies can be compelled to sprinkle their
/ tracks in other cities, 7 ask you why
it is that the same action is not, or
! cannot be. taken here l am sure that
! the local government Of the District
/ Of Columbia has more power and au-
ment Of any city In the United states
| in an executive capacity. And. OF
course. the public utility corporations
! have no greater rights, and are not
! less ameuuble to governmental control
! here than in other cities
RAYMOND J. BOUR, Jr.