The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1919-09-13
SAFEGUARDING
FERRY BOATS
DISCUSSIONS AS TO WHAT
MIGHT BE DONE TO PRE-
VENT ACCIDENTS
Spokane Papers and County Fire
Warden Give Expressions Of
Opinion on Safeguarding Plan

The two drownings in the Column
bia river recently, wherein autos
with passengers plunged from ferry
boats into the stream, have caused
considerable comment. The Spo-
kane Chronicle and the Spokesman
Review took occasion to comment
editorially on these deaths as fol-
lows:
Spokesman-Review: Must other
precious lives be sacrificed before
ferrymen along the Columbia and
other dangerous rivers will take the
dreadful lessons to heart and employ
every possible device to make the
river crossings safe to automobiles
and other vehicles? The public will
wonder. too, if the responsible state
and county officials are sufficiently
awake to their obligations.
Chronicle: Two deaths within ten
days on Columbia river ferry cross
ings, forcibly calls for radical and
quick action in devisng safer methods
for transportation across the river
The old ferry boats. in most in
stances cheaply constructed and lacks
ing proper railings to prevent auto
mobiles from backing or tipping off
aud often with worn-out motive
power, have become primitive means
of transportation. The two acci-
dents--one the death of woman
and the other that of a seven-year-
old girl--botb victims by automobiles
falling from ferries, demonstrate the
danger to which travellers are subject
1t is time for the commissioners of
the counties bordering on the CO.
lumbia, and for state officials to de-
wise plans at once for the building
of substantial bridges, the only safe
way to prevent recurrence of acct
dents: or in case where bridges are
not practicable to see that larger and
better built ferry boats are used
Constant vigilance and rigid inspec-
ton of these craft are needed at all
times that other people shall not lose
their lives through carelessness or
lack of proper life guards on the
boats.
The above articles, together with
much comment on the part of citi-
zens generally, show that there is a
genuine desire to prevent such ac-
cidents in this county. Yet in the
very county in which the above edi-
torials are printed there is appar-
emily little effort being made to pre-
vent automobiles from running wild,
killing people, endangering others,
or destroying property. And the
reason lies in the fact that under
present laws there is really little
opportunity to prevent tragedies.
1t is possible to build castiron
fences around ferry boats, and it is
possible to chain autos to the bed of
the felryboat. But it is also pos
sible to build iron fences along both
sides of the Apple Way in Spokane
and thus prevent autos climbing
telegraph poles as they are credited
with doing right along in the papers
which printed the editorial observa-
tions. 1t is possible to attach
dragirons to cars in the Spokane
streets, as the groceryman used to
do with his delivery wagon, and
just as reasonable as to ask ferry
men to do so with autos. 1t is
possible to build solid stanchions at
the road crossings in Spokane coun-
ty, where so many people are killed
and injured by autos, but Spokane is
not doing it. and the Spokane papers
are not advocating it. Yet in Stevens
county it is suggested that things
be done which the millions of money
in Spokane COULD do but do not
do.
If it is possible to build bridges
across the Columbia, the money pre-
sumably to come from the counties
which can't even pay their current
expenses, it is certainly possible
for Spokane to build bridges over
the streets in Spokane county where
traffic is so congested that people
are being injured or killed every
WEEK, instead of one in decade
on the Columbia.
Viewpoint is everything in life,
and the errors at home are often
unnoticed while casting advice upon
matters which are not even under
stood.
The following statement from
John Welty, Stevens county fire
warden, sent to the Spokane Chron-
icle, is an interesting statement of
fact in connection with this SUBJ
ject:
Letter from Fire Warden
meyers Falls, Sept. 8. To the
Editor of the Chronicle: Permit me
a little space in your valuable paper
to answer your editorial of the 4th
concerning the two accidents that
occurred on the ferry boats at Boss
burg and Marcus.