Evening star., 1936-07-14
FACTORY OFFICIAL
URGES BODY TO
EXTEND SERVICE
Describes So-CaIIed Dead
Man" Control, Air Brakes
and Door Valves.
TRAFFIC IN CAPITAL
TERRIBLE, HE ASSERTS
Declares 100 Per Cent 0ne.Man
Operation as More Successful
Than Partial Set-up.

One-man street car operation was
declared invariably more favorable"
than two-man operation by Carl Beck,
safety device expert of the Westing-
house Traction Brake Co., of New York,
who appeared as a witness today for
the Capital Transit Co. in its plea to
the Public Utilities Commission to
extend the single-operator service here.
Beck described the safety equipment
used on the one-man cars here, in
cluding the so-called "dead-man" con-
troll, air brakes and door valves. His
company supplies this equipment to
the Capital Transit Co.
Il object to the misnomer dead
man control" he said. 1T is in
reality safety control that requires
the constant attention of the operator.
He has to remain at his post all the
time and keep his hand on the lever.
otherwise the car automatically will
stop"
Calls Traffic Terrible.
Beck described Washington traffic as
terrible and admitted that it Is a
factor in street car safety.
But one-man car can be operated
just as safely as a two-man car, and
the experience in the cities having
one-man control has invariably been
more favorable than two-man opera
ton"
He also contended that 100 per
cent one-man operation is more sue
ceSsful than partial operation because
OF the benefits of faster schedules and
a reduction in accidents He pointed
out that presently designed one-man
cars can average a speed of about
2 miles per hour faster than the
old two-man type cars.
j. E. Heberle, vice president and
controller of the Capital Transit Co.,
followed Beck on the stand. the first
company official to be called.
Executives Testify.
Testimony that one-man cars are
safer more economical, and in some
cases faster than two-man cars. was
offered by a group of out-of town
traction executives yesterday.
Their statements we're placed in the
record over the objection of William
A. Roberts, peoples counsel.
Pittsburgh, Boston, Kansas City and
Cincinnati were represented. All have
one-man cars in service now, and
Kansas City has no tvo-man cars.
Operation Held Safer.
F. G. Buffe, vice president In
charge of operations of the Kansas
City Public Service Co., asserted that
accidents involving street cars have
been reduced 13 per cent per / 1000, 900
car miles travelled since one-man con-
troll became universal.
Our accident record as a whole has
been better" he asserted. and at the
same time the speed of our cars has
been improved slightly"
He was cross-examined by William
NICK, Clayton. chairman of the Pub
lie Utilities Committee of the Fede-
ration Of Citizens Associations, who
earlier in the day made an unsucceSs-
full attempt to have the petition dis
missed, and again failed to get con-
tinuance until the entire membership
of the commission Is present. Rich
mond B. Keech, vice chairman, Is sit
ting alone in the case, during the
illness of Chairman Riley E. Elgen
and the absence from the city of Col.
Dan I. Sultan, Engineer CommiS-
sioner.
Boston Experience Related.
Similar testimony was given by Ed
ward Dana, vice president of the Bos-
ton Elevated Railway and president
of the American Transit Association.
Eighty-eight per cent of Boston'S sur
face cars have one operator.
Since their adoption, Dana said,
one-man cars have had l24 accidents
per 100000 car miles, as against
228 for two-man cars for the same
distance. To return to two-man op-
Grafton, he said, would cost his COM
pany 81 900. 900 a year.
J. r. Ong. director Of research of
the Cincinnati Street Railway Co.,
said that before one-man cars were
used his company averaged 51.2 acci-
dents per 100000 miles, but last year
had only 34.s accidents for the same
distance. Slightly more than half of
Cincinnati's cars have single op-
orator.
The two types of cars are operated
on the same lines in the Ohio city
and maintain the same schedules.
E. Dow Gilman, director of public
utilities at Cincinnati, and not con-
nected with the traction company,
said that the use of the cars would be
extended there.
"I have never been able to under
stand" he said, why there Is objec-
tion to one-man cars and there is
no objection to one-man operation
of busses. The bus driver does every
thing the car operator does, and in
addition must steer through traffic"
S. r. Bowen, general counsel for
the Capital Transit Co., expected to
use all of today in introducing other
company witnesses. Roberts had
planned to offer testimony against
the proposal today, but notified his
witnesses to be present tomorrow in.
stead.
The company had asked for the
right to use Its 20 new streamlined
cars and 20 secondhand cars recent-
ly purchased from Providence. r. I,
with single operators. 1t has II one
man cars already in service.