Evening star., 1938-08-05
BROWN IS SEEKING
STREETS TO CLOSE
FORPLAYGROUNDS
Major Orders Survey in
Another Move to End
Killing Children.
SCHOOLBOY PATR0LMEN
WILL BE ASKED TO HELP
Death From Accident Week Ago
Raises Toll to 58-Three
Motorists Exonerated.

Unimpressed by a one-day truce"
between motorists and pedestrians-
giving the Capital 24-hour record
that showed not single serious trafhc
mishap-safety advocates today were
formulating further plans to make
the streets "livable"
The outstanding development was
launching Of survey of streets that
possibly may be barricaded and used
as emergency Fairgrounds"
Maj. Ernest w. Brown, police super.
intendent. who yesterday ordered that
children found playing in the street
should be taken home to their par
ents, issued q second order to precinct
commanders to have the survey made.
Pointing out he was aware Of the
shortage Of regular Fairgrounds and
the fact they are not easily accessible
to many youngsters, Maj. Brown said
"dead-end" streets and those little
used will come in for consideration as
temporary play places.
1t is tentatively planned to have
schoolboy patrolmen watch over the
street Fairgrounds even though they
are blocked off,
Commissioner Melvin c. Hazen in.
dieated he would support Maj. Browns
plan if the streets to be closed are iso-
lated ones and it is shown there Is
need for play space in the section.
He said. however. he did not favor any
wholesale closing of streets.
He pointed out there was a legal
question involved in barricading streets
permanently, but this is not the idea
Of Maj. Brown. who merely wants to
establish the emergency Fairgrounds"
during the summer.
Children Ask Action.
While Commissioner Hazen was dis
cuSsing safety measures with Commits
sioner Dan I. Sultan and reporters. .
delegation Of a dozen youngsters called
on him to ask that streets in their
neighborhood be roped of for play He
said he would investigate the need
before deciding.
In ordering precinct commanders
to make the survey Maj. Brown said:
In the program Of this depart.
ment for affording protection and
safety to the children at play you
will make a survey of your precinct
where there are insufficient play.
grounds to care for the children and
determine by your survey if any Of
the streets in your precincts could be
closed and utilized as play streets.
In making this survey you will
give consideration first to streets that
carry very light trafic. where the
closing of these streets for a tenn
porary period would not interfere with
vehicular traffic and. second, to
residents or businesses on the streets"
Although concentrating on the re-
cent Slaughter and manning Of
youngsters. police. District oficials
and motor clubs will at the same
time strive to keep the adult popu-
lation conscious Of the perils of the
an average of nearly two lives week
this year.
Another Death Today.
Another fatality was marked up to-
day, but it was due to a week-old ac-
cident. 1t was the death in Emergency
Hospital of William Baylor. 6s, coll
ored, 324 c street S.W., who was
struck by an automobile July 30 in
the 200 block of Fourth street S.W.
1t brought the 1888 toll to 5s-just S
short of the number for the same
period year ago.
At three inquests yesterday into
traffic deaths. two of them children, q
coroner's jury exonerated the motor
lists. The cases were those of 4-year-
old Mary E. Robinson, 3205 Seventh
street N. E., crushed beneath a truck
at Eleventh and N streets NV;
| Winslow Minor Coles, IA, colored. 1922
(See SAFETY, Page A-3.)