The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-03
Forum OF The People
Another Slda To Grade Crossings
the Editor of The Age-Herald:

10 the Editor OF The Age-Herald:
| Your editorial in Monday mornings Age
| Herald in regard to the abolition of grade
crossings is a subject which / think would
bring great comfort and happiness to count
less of people. And no class would share in
its benign blessings more than the locomo-
tive engineer, the one on the firing line, or
the man from the front-line trenches of mod
ern transportation. But these improvements,
like all other innovations, cannot be built by
magic; they have to come by a steady
growth, and are coming just as fast as the
owners of the properties can see their way
| to place them And in view of this situation
| there is something like 100000 of this kind of
crossings where all kinds of vehicles cross
the tracks at grade, That will give you some
idea Of the enormous outlay of money neces-
sary to separate the crossings in this broad
land. Writers bearing the Hall Mark of
authenticity mildly place the amount at
twelve billion of dollars. IN
In some cases it would cost as much as it
would to reconstruct thesifoad. And say
that we have them all separated, and it's a
shining possibility that no engine or car
could ever strike another auto then have you
solved the vexed problem of the loss of life
via the auto route? Is it, not fact that
just about as many people in this district,
as well as any other district, have been killed
by collisions with other autos, running over
embankments, running into telephone poles,
jumping the highway at the curve and roll
ing down the mOuntainside, as has been killed
by autos being struck on crossings with To-
comotives and cars? Shall you ask the high
way commission to reconstruct the profile of
their roads and take out it's dangerous noun
tain curves? Shall you ask the telephone
company to take down its poles that holds
the wires that carries on the business of this
continent? Shall you ask the county SUPER
intendent of bridges to build ratings so high
ON their bridges that no daring autoist can
knock off the side rails and prevent his super
six going to a watery graye2
Mr. Editor, the engineers on the freight
and passenger trains have front seat where
they can daily see the reckless and daring
attitude of goodly number of people who
drive motor cars as they cross the tracks at
grade. There is a great number of people
possessed of poise and good judgment that
have worn out one car after another and
have never had any crossing trouble. These
men know when they come to danger zone
and act accordingly, like careful pedestrian
following the lines of the current of traffic.
We daily see people comeiup to the track
talking to themselves others in earnest con-
versation with other occupants of the car,
anu ne 10 n very 0an-
gerous one, and that is the fellow that wants
to beat the train across where the track and
highway parallels. Mr.. Editor, we, believe
If an epidemic, or a scourge, was TO strike
this country and cause to be made 1900 new
made graves in our cemeteries, and seriously
crippled 24,004 of citizens and put badge of
mourning on twice that number of homes and
firesides in the short space Of five years. we
believe that drastic steps would. be made for
its immediate elimination. and that is lust
what the grade crossings accidents has
amounted to by eminent authority on this
subject. The engineers want to thank all of
the newspapers Of this city for the good work
they have done along this line, and we be-
lieve that the editors of great and newsy
papers like The Age Herald, with their large
and almost boundless circulation, could rem.
der their readers lasting good by con.
stsntly admonishing to be careful and alert
while in danger zones, and intoxicating into
them the golden motto
Look listen, live"
j, B.. TUCKER.
Engineer I. G. RR.
Birmingham, Ala, April 80, 1924.