Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1920-05-12
Make the Auto Make a Noise.

Make the Auto Make a Noise.
Mr.. Mrs. or Miss Lawmaker:
Please listen while / plead the cause
of many innocent victims, mostly
children, being constantly run over
and killed by automobiles. 1t Is no
uncommon thing to take up a daily
paper and read of three children run
over by autos or trucks. / confess
that it angers me clear through. Who
lis to blame for this condition of
things? Must it continue? Is there
no help for it? The combination of
speed and silence makes the modern
automobile great menace to life
Many laws have been passed to regu-
late speeds and signals; only to be ig-
nored or scorned. How many drivers
viii slow down for a 10 miles an
hour" limit sign? How many sound a
warning when passing the junction OF
side streets, or while passing around
dangerous curves? Do any of them
give warning of their approach TO
team or pedestrian, at any decent
distance away? Our observation Is
that laws limiting speeds are almost
wholly ignored; while signalling by
klaxon, if done at all, Is done at so
close quarters as to scare people. IL
you are driving up a hill with a horse
team, single or double, the chances
are you will hear not far behind,
Damn you, get out of the road" the
same several times repeated. Ii that
is not what the klaxon says, then !
beg your pardon. Why must those
things be made with such snarling,
disagreeable sound? What chance
has a pedestrian, walking along any
country road where there Is no side
walk? He must expect to hear that
horrid sound within few feet of him
any minute, and the next moment
have two automobiles trying TO pass
one another just abreast of him. To-
day no person can step suddenly into
any street or highway, or even by
way anywhere, without the risk of
being hit by an auto. And yet that
quick lodging about is just what
childish nature always has done and
always will do.
And now, autoists, hold up your
hands in horror, II you must, while
suggest my remedy for some of these
ills Make the auto make a noise
automatically, that can be heard by
any pair of normal ears, at least
six rods away, ten rods would be SAT-
er. If you will put a string of
sleigh bells across the front of your
auto and attach an automatic shaker
to them, you will not run over peo-
pie. Why do the Canadians compel
the use of sleigh bells? Answer that
question if you can 1t certainly
must be to warn people, that there is
"a horse and sleigh coming. And yet,
will lie down and let six horses
and six sleighs run over me
rather than one auto. / read that
there are nearly 5000, 600 autos and
auto trucks in the world, of which
1 {, 800, 900 are in the United States. If
these were equipped with bells; 1t
would save thousand lives in a year.
IL | did not think SO / would not be
writing this. Besides IL would re-
lieve a great deal Of anxiety, fear and
even terror. First, it would greatly
relieve the driver Of the auto, who
nov. has 10 keep his eyes glued to the
road ahead of him. The same with
the driver of a horse, who If he takes
his eyes off the road, Is very liable to
find his horse in the ditch, over the
end OF sluiceway or climbing a bank,
with never q sound heard. But the
greatest relief would be to those whc
must forever trudge on afoot The
Great Designer OF human bodies plac-
ed a pair of eyes in front of every
face, to see CUR way In front; but he
placed pair Of ears, one each side of
every head, to LISTEN for danger
coming IN either direction or in any
direction. But under present condi-
tons, / am denied the use Of nv ears.
A rev auto or an old one coasting,
cannot be heard. If The Great De-
signer were to meet present conditions
/ our ears would be changed to ewes.
and another one or more put in the
back of our heads. People would gen
eraly get out of the way of autos, If
they could know in any reasonable
time that they were coming. A team
provided with bells is located by the
ears, Its direction and relative speed
Indicated, ard you are ready to let it
pass when 1t reaches you, with
scarcely turn of the head. So diff
Ierent from the scare and Jump, and
tnen the cuss in thought if not in
word A lady has said to me. 3I
hate the automobile as bad as voT, do
Ihey pass me at sixty miles an ho1,r. ,,
one drives a horse and buggy. Ad-
niIIlng that nine out of ten men who
eTlFe automobiles are gentlemen. Il
IS the tenth one that the law has to
eaten III 1t can, and he is a selfish in
human brute The feeling that one
can not be master of his own safety
without constantly looking about for
mat fellow IS exasperating. There is
absolutely no dependence to be placed
on his warning me, until he is right
on top OF me- | often think that there
Is KIND OF intoxication begotten by
agto driving And ike all intoxicaf-
ed persons he comes to feel that he
owns the earth; or at any rate, all Of
the road He gets so used to speed. a
not 10 realize that he is going fast
ne Starts at his own regular gait, and
e emy .nlhg mat hinders his speed for
wen q Few moments. is conside-ed az