El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-01-23
ONE CAR MAKES
4 RECORD TRIP
Passenger, Fearless Of Elee-
trio Co. Rules, Makes
Mad People Glad.

Government Hill junction At COpld
and Hueco streets. for a street car.
the two passengers who were able to
crowd on the first street car that
came were surprised Wednesday
morning to find themselves hurried
down town in exactly II minutes
It's a long story and exemplifies the
saying that 'it is always darkest be-
fore dawn" Here it goes:
The writer, at about 1885 o'clock,
went to the corner Of Copia and Bis
bee streets to wait for an incoming
Fort Bliss car. After about ten
minutes standing an outgoing car
came along. The track is entirely
single there and that meant there
would be no incoming car for some
time to come. The prospective Pot
ter-jitne passenger then walked to-
ward Bliss street, hoping there to
find a friendly jitne bus that would
arrive before a ear, Dut about dozen
other persons had beat him TO this
corner, where in the good old jitne
days the nickel automobiles came
along about one every two minutes.
Grocer Keeps Passengers Warm.
He walked to the junction, one
block beyond, and there found about
! so people waiting to be conveyed
down town. 1t was cold outside and
the proprietor of grocery at the cor
ner invited every one TO wait inside
his warm store. The writer was told
that numbers OF other persons had
tired of waiting and started 10 walk
down town. Others were in the gro
Gerry telephoning their employers that
they would be unable to get to their
work on time.
More Coming, Says Conductor.
At exactly sos a Fort Bliss car
came and those who had waited
longest said they had been there over
an hour at this time. The car did not
stop, being crowded to the rails. but
the writer jumped aboard it on the
fly Passengers were packed in the
conveyance like sardines- The con-
ductor siad further down the line a
car was off the track and that other
cars. four or five would be right be-
hind him
Passenger Handles Bell Cord
The other SIDE of the story began
shortly when a passenger believing
he could run the rear end of the car
better than the conductor, who had
rules to follow, took charge The
conductor was relegated TO standing
room and the passenger took charge
OF the bell rope, giving signals IN
such prompt fashion that when he
reached his destination. in the neigh
borhood of the E. 2. & s w. office
building, it was SIS o'clock Every
body was smiling, despite the fact
that there had been such q long wait
before.
No Seats; Boys Don't Pay
The car being so crowded. the
writer was unable to get to this
friend at the helm and ascertain his
L a.. II - 10
should have been a traffic manager
fc> the street car company. He had
sense Of justice. too, Tor at one time
one or two boys boarded the car and
started to pay, and the writer over
heard the self appointed conductor
say, Save your money, you're not
getting a seat"
Traffic Bunehes at PiedraE.
Equal to two carloads Of passengers
waited at street corners for inbound
street cars and jitnes upward OF an
hour in radius OF four blocks east Of
Piedras street, between Alamogordo
and Bliss, Wednesday morning, many
walking to Boulevard. while three
street cars went eastward, but none
toward business places At about s
o'clock hand brake car 81. a Boulevard
only, took a load from the Piedras
corner. but took on standing passen-
gers at more than half Of the corners
.
car later picked up others coming to
the business district Dozens Of en-
ployed persons were an hour late
reaching their places Of business
Fort Bliss Jitnes Empty.
What few times there were in sight
were loaded far east Of Piedras on
Bliss and Montana. One man reported
seeing two Fort Bliss rs cent titnes
bowling along empty. because. as he
said the council doesn't allow them
to pick up passengers inside the city
limits. except at the Carnegie square
station. outbound
What good is double tracking the
electric system going to do when
there are not sufficient motors and
trailers on the rails to give more fire.
Quent serviceg' queried one passen-
ger. whose toes had been freezing
nearly an hour.
Loose Wire Ties Up Motor.
Loose barbed wire, caught by the
wheels of an outbound Fort Bliss car
at a point between the Altura Park
sub station and Grandview. was the
cause Of the tieup Of cars on the post
line, Supt W. E Wood said Wednes-
day morning The wire rolled around
the car axles and gear and short
circuited the electric current caTsing
the motOrman considerable trouble
before he finally drove the motor to
Fort Bliss. where he was able to let
Olner cars DF.
I'VE gave regular service on Boule-
ward from Piedras into the city" said
Mr.. Wood. "and regret that the delay
came at such a rush hour around
Government Hill junction. The
trouble crew was hurried to Grand
view as soon as we heard of the bad
order motor"
Judge Late Opening Court.
County Judge W. P. Brady did not
get to his court until $50 Wednesday
morning. He left his home at the
corner Of Grant avenue and Rosewood
street at o'clock and waited the
rest of the time at the corner Of Rose
wood and Boulevard for a street car.
Court should have opened at $3.50, but
the judge, who had counted on max
ing the trip in half an hour. failed
to make it, owing to the street car
delay.
II Won freeze yOur cylinders take