The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-09-20
BETTER PROTECTION AGAINST
TRAINS AND AUTOS

BETTER PROTECTION AGAINST
TRAINS AND AUTOS
Steps should be taken at Black
foot to more fully protect the public
and especially the children, from
accidents due to automobile and rail
road travel.
We mention auto travel first, be
cause it is the greatest menance we
have. Railroad operation comes
second, and the three elements re.
sponsible and able to improve con.
ditions are the public, the auto
drivers and the railroad operating
department.
We mention the public first be.
cause the public are the most al
fault for existing conditions, and
have 1t in their power to make the
greatest degree of Improvement for
safety.
We mention auto drivers second
because, in our Judgment, there are
more acts of criminal recklessness
among auto drivers than among OPP
orators of railroad trains.
We mention the railroad operat-
ing department third because it may
be advisable for them to add flag
man or two in Blackfot and to be
more strict with the engineers of
passenger trains, and have them
come into town at slower speed.
The public demand swift trans
portation, and they grumble about
the slow trains, but they also OBJ
corvo &hof cnood IN Oroc nc <ho do n uor
at street crossings.
Driving School Wagons
One more element of danger to a
part of the public is the drivers of
school wagons, who sit in their COW
cred vehicles peeping out thru a
small window, where it is difficult
to see an approaching train il they
watch, and individuals who have OBJ
served their acts in driving across
tracks dangerously close to moving
cars declare that there is. not the
watchfulness there should be.
Analysing the situation back from
the least to the greatest we believe
the drivers of school wagons will
never give adequate protection to
the children until they have a seat
on the outside Of the vehicle, where
they can see freely on both sides
as we'll as in front.
When the railroad company was
asked ITO put fiagman at the cross
ing of Bridge street IAN agreement
was made to the effect that school
wagons should all cross at that
street. This agreement is said to
be violated frequently.
Town Made its Choice
BlacktOot has chosen to build on
both sides of the railroad tracks, and
to have its businessblocks and school
houses so situated that people must
do great deal of crossing. They
have been accustomed to the luxury
of many crossings, and that secures
greatest convenience to the public,
but increased danger. 1t handicaps
the operation of the railroad, and
six years ago when the town wanted
a depot. the company built it where
the people wanted it. An agreement
was made about closing couple of
streets to vehicles and one street to
pedestrians. The depot was built |
and streets closed per agreement and |
within year after the work was
completed, some alleged leading peo-
pie of the town began an agitation
to get the railroad company to again
open the streets. The railroad COM
pany doubled the size of their park, |
and people who never keep any park
ing around their own places, fire.
quently agitate to try to get the COM
pany to park clear thru the town. |
We mention these things at this |
time to show how dishonest and un-
reasonable some of our public are |
in their relations with the railroad, |
and we do it at this time because it |
is suitable time to eliminate dis |
honest and unreasonable people in |
getting at an honest reasonable and |
effective adjustment of present |
wrongs and mistaken methods. We
have no criticism to make of the |
people who have been wrong and |
have gotten right, but only of those
who, after being shown to be wrong,
have presistently remained wrong.
Railroad Violated Agreement
The railroad company have vio-
lated an agreement they made with
the town in this respect: In con-
nection with the agreement made in
1912 for the closing Of street cross
ings when the new depot was To-
Gated, the company proposed that
there should be only one track ex-
tending for some distance above, be-
low and adjacent to the passenger
depot. They have since extended
the sidings so they connect there,
and on this siding the accident of
last week brought the holocaust. 1t
may be said by certain citizens, that
they have clamored for the reopen
ing of the crossings because of the
of the sidings. If that
were true 1t would only be trying to
right one wrong with another, but
1t is not true. The agitation to re- /.
open the crossings was commenced
soon after the depot was completed, i
and before the siding was extended.
In defense Of the extension of the I,
switch past the depot, it is said that I
he growth of business and lengthen- {
ng Of trains made it necessary to .
lave a longer switch for the reason {
hat many freight trains were longer
han the switch before the extern
zion, and trains had to take the sid !
ng to let others pass. The switch !
outh of the depot had to be ex- {
ended to the BlackfOot river to &C. G