Evening star., 1955-04-12
[ Letters to The Star.

groups Of twos and threes and more.
One family Of five were on bicycles with
their lunch carried in basket on the
front Of one. They seemed to be having
a great treat
The canal has great possibilities as
a recreation area and should be kept as
such. No road should be allowed nearer
to the canal than the Cabin John car
line.
Those interested should write to
Senator Carl Hayden, chairman of
the Interior Department Appropriations
Committee, and ask him to prohibit
funds for use Of parkway construction
on the George Washington Parkway in
Maryland. pending a restudy by the
National Park Service with the aim of
finding traffic solution that will not
irreparably destroy the unique natural
and historical character Of the canal.
Edna S. May
OLD TURNTABLE LAW
An order came from the District
Building one day to stop painting the
word danger" on highway department
signs. When asked why. was told
that when persons were injured the
District of Columbia was admitting it
had a dangerous situation where the
sign said so-the old turntable law.
Bad boys remove bricks from side
walks leaving holes or other loose
bricks. II an elderly person should
fall when the loose brick turned over,
who would be liable for damages? The
District or the nearest property owner.
or both jointly.
A curious situation arose in Connec-
ticut where a well pump was stolen.
The farm had been purchased by
New Yorker who wanted quiet week
ends. On his second visit there was
no water and he called police. They
located the thief, who had broken
his leg in making his getaway
and was in hospital. He admitted the
theft, and had talked to a lawyer. The
pump was heavy and in running away
he fell into a hole on the farm-a dan
gerous situation-and his attorney had
suggested that he might recover dam
ages under the old turntable law.
Certainly he was due to be prosecuted
for stealing the pump. And also might
have to pay a $40 fine for trespassing.
But the farm owner had no right to
have a dangerous hole near the well,
and the heavy pump fell on him break
ing his leg when he stole 1t. But the
court might let him off on suspended
sentence. seeing that he was poor
down-trodden citizen, Disseminated
against and all. and where would the
New Yorker be? The attorneys met
and decided that, since the thief was
apt to sue for at least $4,000 damages
or more, the best thing to do would
be to settle out of court. So he paid the
man $500 to cover the hospital ex-
penses or help out on the expenses at
any rate, and settled the matter out
of Court. But the thief kept the
pump.
The old turntable law was first used
against railroads. Children playing
around turntables where steam engines
were turned around. fell into turn
table pit and couldn't get out. The
court held that the railway was negli-
gent: that they had no right to have
an open pit unless it was protected
by high fence. and that the children
should not be permitted to play around
such dangerous places. The same situ-
alton as the abandoned refrigerator.
where children crawl inside and the
door locks behind them. Some States
already have law against that, un-
less the doors are removed!
1t might not be good idea to adver-
tise this turntable law by publishing
it but it would be good idea If the
District of Columbia should instruct
its employes-who pass torn brick
'sidewalk-to report the thing to the
highway department in order that it
might be repaired before the hard
pressed District Government has to pay
somebody's hospital expenses and per-
haps heavy damages to boot.
E. III. Alexander.