Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-04
FIR. I. WORSE THAN
BONNEVILLE CAR
Trolleys Can't Go and Won't
Be Pushed, Says Indig-
nant Citizen
ONE MANS EXPERIENCE
Suggests Trailers or Jitneys to Help
Out Present Dilapidated
System Here

The worst thing about the whole
transit system In Philadelphia is no,
that the cars are too few nor that the
schedulct are irregular, but that there
is no telling how much progress one is
going tomake even after one has been
lucky eDugh or resourceful enough to
get insie a car" correspondent writes
to the EENrNo PUBLIC LEDGER
'Taikabout the bonneville Trolley"
said anther whose thoughts ran in the
same camel and whose evenness OF
temper lad been sadly thrown out of
kilter b, his recent experiences with the
trolleys That man Fox that draws
the 'Tonervilie Trolley pictures must
get n X OF his idese in Philadelphia.
| II wated TO get any place in a hurry
| woun rather take chances with the
old alSiper OF bonneville than with the
n. r. l skippers. The passengers can
get outand push the bonneville Troll
| lev hi they couldn't push these T. r.
I. cas- They simply wouldn't be
pushed I have come 10 the point OF
placnnbsolutely no faith In these cars.
[ sec snebody calls them banana cars
becaus they come In punches, but lots
Of theime they don't come at all lots
Of thetlmc they just stay where they
are.
"I bad TO go out and see my chief tho
other hight at his home and was sup
posedp be there at 1880. lie wanted to
give nc some instructions on things
that wre coming up or might come up
whilehe was out of town. He lives on
Sprint Garden street not far from
Twendtth.
Il vas at Sixth and Market streets
wathg for a No. 16 car at ten minutes
Of lind thought had plenty of time,
for Eonly takes about twenty-five min
utesp run out there--or, rather, that's
whait used to take.
Twaited until O'Clock and no No.
16 onc. Then I made up my mind I'd
taksi 21 IL 1t came along first. That
woud go out Eighteenth street and I
couM walk over. waited five minutes
NOR and there was neither 16 nor
81. There was nothing to do then, I
thought, but take taxcab, so | started
to walk to the Reading Terminal for a
Ia xicab. 1t just happened that there was
nom there and while l waited along
CANT Fl car. ! took II, figuring
would not lose much time, since would
have to walt for a taxi anyway.
7 was congratulating myself on be-
ingwetty lucky after all when we turned
up INTO Eighteenth street and stopped
There were two cars ahead of us. The
car Just ahead Of us was disabled and
ii seemed that the crew Of the car ahead
OF that was trying to help fix II. No.
body knew what was the trouble. The
car In the lead had been in trouble and
the second car had had to stop. Then
they had tried TO push the first car with
the second and the second had gone
dead. Now the first was all right again
Now 1t was useless to get q taxicab,
because ] could save very little time. so
just got off and walked. ] got there
twenty-five minutes late. I would have
been better off II there had been no cars
at all. Then I wouldn't have depended
on them at ALL"
Some citizens are suggesting emer-
gency jltney legislation to permit the
operation of jitneys until the p. r. T.
can provide adequate facilities. Some
20 so far as to say the trolley cars
should be forced of the streets and the
tracks reserved for jitheys, the automo-
biles taking tho several routes the cars
now take.
Another suggestion, often heard, Is
that the p. II. T, Company use its dis
abled cars--of which there are $50,
according to President Mitten, of the
?. r. T.--as trailers.
They claim they can't get the cars
repaired" said one man. well. the way
Il works now there are no cars for a
while and then a string OF them, run
ning so close that they almost run into
zach other. Instead Of having every
,ar run under its own power let them
hitch a disabled car onto each car that
AN move. In some cities they have that
'ystem regularly. II saves power. They
,ave cars that are not equipped at all
or moving themselves, They are made
or trailers. That would at least relieve
he situation a little