The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-10-18
CHILDREN ARE
IN DANGER IN
WALKING TRACK
Coast Line Safety Committeeman
OrreII Calls Attention To
Safety First Rule

OdlGl1 III st. anu alive - 10 lut
slogan of the employees of the Atlantic
Coast Line from the highest official
TO the most humble worker. In line
with that policy A. L. Orrell, safety
committeeman of the A. c. LIS Lake
land district, has addressed an iden-
tical communication tc Professor &
E. Everett, supervising principal Of
the Lakeland schools and to Principal
Donoho of the Lake Morton school,
calling attention to dangerous prac-
tice, that of school children crossing
the Coast Line tracks appoints other
than at railroad crossings. Mr.. Or
rell also comments on the danger
chi dren are subjected to in crCssinA
the public streets because Of the reck
ess driving of SO many autoists. He
says:
| Serving in my capacity as safety
committeeman for the Atlantic Coast
Line, Lakeland district it has cone
under my observation that the chill
dren going to and coming from.
school, are in great many instances.
not combining themselves to the cross
ings at the street intersections, but
are taking short cuts through the rail.
road yard between Kentucky, Tennes-
in some instances from the southwest
side, are using the main line track
as far south as Lake Buelah, instead
of walking the streets.
Our trains and switch engines are
almost constantly at work through
the yard and the presence of the chill
dren is hazardous in the extreme, for,
naturally, they are not so well able
to look out for themselves as an older
person would be. (Only last week one
of our yard foremen had to take
child off the track to keep it from
walking into some moving carsl
my purpose in writing you gentle
men is not for the children to BE-
blamed for this state of affairs but
to seek your aid and through you. the
aid of the different teachers in the
two schools, toward placing our
| SAFETY FIRST slogan so firmly in
the minds of the school children that
| it will become to them second nature
to be on Their guard against accidents
| make this feature an educational
| one and while they are improving
| their minds in other channels, carry
the SAFETY COURSE along with
| them. Their watchfulness should not
| end after they are safely across the
| railroad tracks. On the other hand,
their lives are in more imminent dan
| ger at every street crossing in the city
than while they are on the railroad,
| for the simple reason that railroad
1 employees are constantly on the alert
to avoid accidents to themselves and
H others, while the automobile drivers
H to great extent are intent only in
getting somewhere in the shortest
possible time regardless of conse-
quences and are constantly violating
traffic laws, as any one who observes,
can readily see The children, in
H their eagerness to get somewhere, al
so, unthinkingly, and without first
looking in all four directions for APP
preaching cars go down into the
street, unmindful of its dangers.
which dangers are constantly in
creasing, due to increase of street
traffic. A simply and easily acquired
habit is that of observing in all di-
rections for approaching traffic be-
fore going down into a street. When a
\ vehicle is seen approaching. instead
of trying to get across ahead of it,
wait until it goes by-certainly a
manned body is not worth taking the
chance, neither is anyone's time so
precious but what that minute cannot
be lost for the sake of safety
H my further observations have been
that most of the younger children do
not seem to realize the right from the
; left sides of the streets, especially
those riding bicycles. One has but to
note the little chaps on their way TO
and from school, to see what risks
they are taking with their little lives
and all unconscious of such risks
certainly Divine Intervention keeps
some of them from being manned or
1 killed every day on the streets.
4 81 feel that a condition of this kind
can be overcome only by constant eff
fort and it is only my feeling for the
innocent and possibly uninstructed
childhood of our city, that | am bring
ing this safety movement to your at
tention, hoping that you will see it
in the same light and determine that
none of our children are going to be
) broken up, when effort on the part of
, their instructors may prevent. by let
ting this movement enter into their
, daily Instructions, that they may be
, on the alert against danger. urging
them also to observe and instruct
, their playmates along the same line
81 would ask that special stress be
laid on the fact that when gates are
down across sidewalks at railroad
crossings, it means that danger lies
| beyond in the form of approaching
/. trains and gates are not to be passed
under or around People should wait
for them to be raised.
May we ask your cooperation for