The Union County journal. [volume] (Marysville, Ohio) 1875-1951, 1950-04-24
The Carnage Continues


AT a corner of the New California highway crossing stands a soldi
es' monument. While no triumph of the sculptors art, many Jerome
township folks take considerable pride in the monument because it
commentaries the fact that Jerome township furnished more soldiers
during the Civil war, per population, than any other township in
Ohio. At the very base of this monument has occurred a greater car
mage than the prototype of the soldier on the memorial ever saw in
the war between the states
Three informed men recently estimated that in the last ten years
81 people have been killed at this crossing. These men are a long
time official of Jerome township and two Plain City men, both of
whom are engaged in businesses that have called them into drct con-
tart with the results of most of these accidents. While their figures
sn hardly be disputed, it would seem there must be some error in
the time element Yet, when we recall that, back in the Vic Donahey
days, when a little white cross was planted by the roadside where
ever a traffic death occurred, there was a small flock of these white
crosses at New California, 1t can hardly be doubted that at least SIX
ty or seventy traffic deaths have occurred there. 1t is Ohio's most
dangerous crossing.
These deaths have continued on down the years and it is grossly
unfair to blame any one highway administration. Our own Bob
Beighter was the district highway department engineer in charge of
the constitution when the first hard-surfaced road was built through
New California. Later he was state highway director and as a citizen
of Marysvine passed over this crossing thousands of times and knew
the hazards. All the other highway directors have known of the peril
al that place.
The main cause of all this slaughter is the fact that this is a blind
crossing. That is to say there is at the northwest corner, juting-clear
n the highway right of wav (which itself is toe wide) an old
shed, which we understand once housed the ilage blacksmith shop
Directly across, on the northeast corner, for many years stood the
village store, now a residence, which also extends out to the highway
Ight-of-way. Car drivers approaching from Marysville or Columbus
on Route 33 and from Delaware on Route AZ, cannot see what is APP
preaching on the other road until they get to the crossing and get
halfway across the crossing.
Most of the deaths there would probably never have occurred if
the drivers had had a fair vision of the traffic approaching on the
other cross highway.
The obvious thing to do therefore, is to remove the old she'd on the
me corner and the residence on the other corner. The shed is hardly
worth the cost of demolition, but the purchase r removal to a new
location of the residence would be a more expensive proposition. The
cost would not be S great, however, as the value of the life of a
single human being.
Highway administrations know from experience that highway
money spent for real estate and rights of way often produce antagon-
ism and often litigation. Therefore, they hesitate to spend state funds
for the removal of real estate hazards on private property But in
Rev California there is nothing else to do. There's the cause of the
unparalleled death record in New California.
The red and green traffic lights have been found the most efficient
device yet used in cities, where there is ample police power, in pre-
venting accidents but traffic engineers are none too confident of the
eiticacy OF traffic lights on country crossings Careful studies IN all
states have proven that a surprisingly large number of drivers will
speed up to beat the green light before it changes, while drivers
with the red light ahead will slow down in order not to change
gears, then speed up the second the light begins to turn. Take
two drivers of this kind near a blind crossing such as at New Cal
ifornia, and you often have death. Then there the danger that traffic
lights may not always be in operation.
In addition to the removal of the buildings which now obstruct all
view of approaching traffic, ample warning signs should be erected,
and a % mile speed limit for the village of New California should be
enforced.
We would also suggest that the state highway department revive
Vic Donaheys idea of the little white crosses and plant a row of 60
OF 20 of them on each road leading into the village. There's an idea
that wouldn't be approved by the automobile interests and possibly
might not be approved by some of the good people of New California,
but it was surely the most effective warning device for careless driv-
ers ever thought of How many thousands of lives Vic Donahey saved
with his little white crosses, no one can know, but it must have been
Ina9y.
A few days ago a letter to the editor appeared in the Ohio State
Journal on this subject, written by a citizen of Marysvile whose
identity we do not know. Whoever wrote the letter knows his subject
and we reproduce his letter, as follows:
Death Trap
Editor Ohio State Journal:
a tragic accident occurred again at New California Saturr
day night, Apr 8, when three lives were snuffed out under
the wheels of a great Semi-traier.
Whether there was negligence on either drivers part in
this particular accident is not the question. The fact is that
the unofficial total of people killed at this dangerous cross
ing numbers approximately 80.
This unusual number of lives lost as this corner points to
conditions other than just negligence. 1t indicates negligence
on the part of the state of Ohio for allowing such a condition
to exist.
The location of New California is at the junction of Routes
33 and AZ nine miles from Marysvne. The crossing in made
especially hazardous because of the proximity of buildings
to the corner, thus making visibility of the adjacent highway
impossible until one is practically in the middle of the cross
ing, then it is too late, especially if the stop light is erratc,
which it is.
People unfamiliar with the peculariies of the light and the