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EXTENSION ORDER No. 703.

August 28, 1908.

An order, No. 568, having been made herein on or about the 9th day of June, 1908, ordering and directing the Pelham Park Railroad Company and the City Island Railroad Company to improve the rolling stock of their lines between Bartow Station and Belden Point in the manner therein specified on or before the 1st day of July, 1908; and the time within which to comply with said Order No. 568 having been extended to and including the 1st day of August by the terms of Extension Order No. 619 made herein on the 7th day of July, 1908; and the Pelham Park Railroad Company and the City Island Railroad Company having applied in writing on August 27, 1908, for a further extension of such time. Now, on motion made and duly seconded, it is

Ordered, That the time of the Pelham Park Railroad Company and the City Island Railroad Company within which to comply with the terms of Order No. 568 before mentioned be, and the same hereby is, extended to and including the 15th day of September, 1908.

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It is hereby ordered, That a hearing be held on the 10th day of February, 1908, at 10:30 o'clock in the forenoon, or at any time or times to which the same may be adjourned, at the rooms of the Commission, No. 154 Nassau street, borough of Manhattan, city and State of New York. to inquire whether the regulations, practices, equipment and appliances of the Union Railway Company in respect of transportation of persons in the First District are unsafe, improper and inadequate, and whether improvements, repairs and additions to cars and car equipment of said company ought reasonably to be made in order to promote the security and convenience of the public or employees, and in order to secure adequate service and facilities for the transportation of passengers and property, and if such is found to be the fact. then to determine whether additions, repairs and improvements therein, as hereinafter set forth, are such as would be just, reasonable, safe, adequate and proper, and ought reasonably to be made to promote such security and convenience of the public, or employees, and in order to secure adequate service and facilities for the transportation of passengers and property, that is to say:

1. That every car of said company receive a thorough inspection covering car body, motor and electric equipment, wiring and trucks; that all defects therein be carefully noted and the car sent through various shops and there overhauled and repaired so as, when completed, to be in first-class operating and practically new condition. This applies for illustration, but not for specification, to the following: INSPECTION.

By a thorough inspection and general overhauling of the car body and its entire equipment, it is intended that each car should be brought into the car house and placed over a pit; seats and trap doors removed and covers taken off to facilitate careful inspection, which should be made by competent engineers, and not by car house employees.

CAR BODIES.

Where the car body must be completely repainted, it should be sent first through the carpenter shop to have all defects of the woodwork repaired. It should then go to the paint shop to be properly painted.

Special care should be given to the inspection of all car bodies covering framing, flooring, moulding and panels, and in every case where the wood is not in sound condition such part is to be replaced, strengthened and made practically new; also, all metal work pertaining to the car body must be renewed if in a defective state, and the floors and parts of platforms, doors, windows, and roofs must be given the same careful inspection and renewal.

On account of the especially bad condition of the car steps which were found to be loose, bent and worn so that in many cases they are unsafe, special attention should be given to the renewal of car steps to put them in a fit condition.

HEADLIGHTS.

All headlights should be overhauled and put in a fit condition with new reflectors where necessary; broken glasses replaced with semaphore glass and lamps removed when known to be below normal candle power.

PILOT BOARDS.

All pilot boards should be gone over carefully and renewed wherever the present board is found to be defective.

WIRING.

The wiring upon the cars of this road has been found to be badly defective inasmuch that insulation is impaired and the opportunities for defects occurring which would make the service of the car unreliable and possibly unsafe, so that all Improvements possible in the present method of wiring, hanging and placing of equipment appliances should be made a careful study, and a universal system of wiring adopted. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MATTERS PERTAINING TO THE ENTIRE CAR EQUIPMENT.

BRASSES.

All brasses throughout the car should be renewed, armature and axle shafts and other bearing parts should be normal.

COMMUTATORS.

Should be turned and made in first-class condition, and when abnormally worn must be renewed.

FIELD COILS AND ARMATURE WINDINGS.

Should be tested for insulation and if found to be below normal should be replaced with new ones, otherwise they should be well cleaned and painted.

TRUCKS.

All trucks must be thoroughly cleaned and lined; all broken, weak or otherwise defective parts must be replaced with new ones, not repaired except in very minor defects, and that especially all springs must be renewed where their normal effectiveness has been lost.

BRAKES.

Should be given careful inspection and improvements made in the mechanism and form at present employed, which, in the judgment of the company's engineers, will be beneficial.

CONTROLLERS.

Should have all contact and other parts renewed that show indication of abnormal wear; connections tightened and the controller thoroughly cleaned and painted. AUTOMATIC CIRCUIT BREAKERS.

Should be tested and maintained operative for the proper load corresponding to the motor capacity of the car. Especial care should be given to this matter. RESISTANCES.

Should be cleaned, tested and any section not up to the standard, renewed, and a form of hanger used so that the resistance will not be bolted directly to the bottom of the car, and that there is sufficient space between the resistance and the ear floor to prevent danger to the woodwork of the car from the resistance becoming abnormally heated, and, also, to increase insulation as it has been found that the present form of hanging the resistance has been the cause of passengers getting an electric shock, This matter should be given immediate and careful attention. AXLE GEAR WHEELS, ARMATURE PINIONS AND CAR WHEELS.

Should in every instance be renewed when the indication is found of abnormal wear. All gears and pinions must be replaced where the teeth are worn down to less than 1/16 of an inch on top, and the lower half of each gear case should at all times be maintained not less than half full of gear grease so as to minimize the noise as much as possible resulting from the gears and pinions.

CAR LIGHTS AND WIRING.

It has been noted that the car lighting appliances are not maintained in a clean and well-kept manner, and, also that the light wiring in many cases has defective insulation. Loosely made connections, the wiring exposed in the car subject to improper handling, goes to make the lighting service unreliable, and it is recommended that all our lighting appliances and wiring should be overhauled and such part as may be necessary should be renewed.

TIME.

Facilities should be created and a reconstruction department organized to carry on the above work in such a manner as to cover at the rate of four (4) cars per day.

2. When any car has been overhauled and prepared for service, as above provided. notice thereof be sent to the Commission and the inspection of its then condition allowed by inspectors of the Commission before the same is put into service.

And if any such improvements, repairs and additions be found to be such as ought to be made, as aforesaid, then to determine what period would be a reasonable time within which the same should be directed to be executed and in what manner execution of the same should be specified to be made.

All to the end that the Commission may make such order or orders as shall be Just and reasonable. And it is

Further ordered. That the Union Railway Company be given at least ten days notice of such hearing by service upon it, either personally or by mail, of a certified copy of this order, and that at such hearing it is afforded all reasonable opportunity for presenting evidence and examining and cross-examining witnesses as to the matters aforesaid.

Hearings were held February 10th, 19th and March 10th.

The following final order was issued:

ORDER No. 336.

March 13, 1908.

An order, known as Order No. 222, having been made by the Commission on the 28th day of January, 1908, directing that a hearing be held to inquire whether the equipment, appliances and devices of the Union Railway Company, in respect to transportation of persons or property in the First District, are unsafe, improper or inadequate, and whether repairs, improvements, changes and additions ought reasonably to be made in order to promote the security and convenience of the public and the employees of said company, and to secure adequate service or facilities for the transportation of persons or property, and if so, whether the repairs, improvements, changes or additions as in said order set forth are such as would be reasonable, safe, adequate and proper, and ought reasonably to be made to promote such security and convenience of the public and said employees, and to secure adequate service and facilities for the transportation of passengers or property, and said order having been duly served on the Union Railway Company on the 29th day of January, 1908, and said service having been duly acknowledged by said company, and said hearing having been duly had in pursuance thereof before the Commission on the 10th day of February, 1908, the 19th day of February, 1908, and the 10th day of March, 1908, Commissioner Eustis presiding, Mr. Henry H. Whitman appearing as counsel for the Commission, and Mr. George W. Davidson appearing as counsel for the Union Railway Company, and it appearing in the opinion and judgment of the Commission that the equipment, appliances and devices of the Union Railway Company, in respect of the transportation of persons or property in the city of New York, are unsafe, improper and inadequate, and that the repairs, improvements, changes and additions hereinafter directed ought reasonably to be made in order to promote the security and convenience of the public and the employees of said company, and to secure adequate service and facilities for the transportation of persons or property, and that the time hereinafter given within which to make such repairs, improvements, changes and additions is reasonable. It is ordered, That the cars of the said Union Railway Company receive a thorough inspection covering car bodies, motor and electric equipment, wiring and trucks, and that said cars be thoroughly overhauled and repaired, substantially as outlined in said Order No. 222, as thereafter amended, so that when completed their condition shall be substantially new, having safe, proper and adequate car bodies, car seats, wheel guards, headlights, pilot boards, wiring, brasses, commutators, field coils, armature windings, trucks, brakes, controllers, automatic circuit breakers, resistances, axle gear wheels, armature pinions, car wheels, car lights, car winding and lightning arresters; and it is further

Ordered, That the appliances and devices of said company be repaired, improved or changed, substantially as outlined in said Order No. 222, as thereafter amended, so that the same when completed shall be substantially new, having safe, proper and adequate drawbridge connections, including drawbridge track frogs, overhead trolley wires, span wires, pull-off and strain wires, pole brackets, feeder wires, lightning arresters, poles, troughs and other overhead appliances; and it is further

Ordered, That all of the open cars of said company be so repaired as aforesaid on or before the 31st day of May, 1908, and that all the closed cars of said Company be so repaired as aforesaid on or before the 20th day of September, 1908, and that said repairs, changes, improvements and additions to said other appil ances and devices of said company be completed on or before the 31st day of May, 1908 and it is further

Ordered, That the said Union Railway Company notify the Commission weekly in writing, in a form to be prescribed by the Commission, of the number of said cars so repaired as aforesaid, giving identification numbers thereof, and when and where the same can be inspected; and it is further

Ordered. That from and after the 23rd day of March, 1908, said Union Railway Company forward daily to the Commission a transcript of the daily entries in its so-called "run in" book or books, showing among other things which of said cars have been out of order, and in what respect; and it is further

Ordered, That said Union Railway Company notify this Commission in writing within five days after service of this order whether its terms are accepted and will be obeyed.

Upon application of the company, the following extension order was issued:

EXTENSION ORDER No. 740.

September 25, 1908.

An order, No. 336, having been made herein on or about the 13th day of March, 1908, ordering and directing the Union Railway Company, on or before the 20th day of September, 1908, to repair all the closed cars of said company as provided in said order, and the receiver of said Union Railway Company having on September 23, 1908, applied in writing for an extension of time within which to overhaul and repair the closed cars above mentioned.

Now, on motion made and duly seconded, it is

Ordered, That the time within which the Union Railway Company shall comply with the terms of Order No. 336 above mentioned, in respect to the repairing of closed cars be, and the same hereby is, extended to and including the 20th day of October, 1908.

Assembly Bills relating to the Equipment and Operation of Railroads and Street Railroads considered.

[Changes in appliances, equipment and facilities of railroad companies should be made by the Commission rather than by act of the Legislature.]

The chairman of the Commission sent the following letter to the chairman of the Assembly Committee on Railroads with regard to certain bills:

LETTER OF CHAIRMAN WILLIAM R. WILLCOX.

March 16, 1908. Hon. J. M. WAINWRIGHT, Chairman Committee on Railroads, Assembly Chamber, Albany, N. Y. :

DEAR SIR. Pursuant to your request of March 5, 1908, we have carefully considered Assembly Bills Nos. 17, 21, 22, 24, 25, 221 and 395, which you submitted to the Commission.

Int. No. 17 Assembly, Mr. Glück, requires that all cars or trains in the city of New York should operate at intervals of not more than fifteen minutes during the twenty-four hours of each day. No rule such as this can with fairness be applied to the different lines in this city. Some suburban lines may properly be operated at longer intervals than the lines in crowded localities. As a different headway rule should apply to different lines by reason of locality and amount of patronage, it would seem proper that this subject should not be made the subject of legislation. Int. No. 24 Assembly, Mr. Glück, provides that a guard on the rear platform of all street railroad cars within the counties of Kings and New York be maintained during the rush hours. This requirement would mean that each street car in these two counties during the rush hours should be manned by three employees instead of two, as is now the case. The bill fixes 6:00 A. M. to 9:00 A. M. as the morning rush period and 5:00 P. M. to 8:00 P. M. as the evening rush period. Our investigations have shown that different parts of the city have different rush hours. For instance, the morning rush hour in some localities will occur between 5:00 and 6:00, and in the same locality there will be little travel between 8:00 and 9:00. In some other locality there may be practically no travel between 5:00 and 6:00 A. M., but the rush hour occurs between 8:00 and 9:00 A. M. The provision of this bill would require an unnecessary car crew in many parts of the city both morning and evening. It would seem to the Commission that a general rule on this subject would be improper and oppressive. It may be found that on certain congested lines, such as the Manhattan crosstown lines, some method like that outlined in this bill will be proper. The cars known as pay-as-you-enter cars have been introduced in Buffalo and are about to be introduced in Manhattan. These cars are a rational compliance with the demand expressed by this bill. If they prove successful and gradually take the place of the present form of car the object sought to be attained by this bill will be reached without legislation.

Int. No. 21 Assembly, Mr. Glück, provides for guard rails on elevated railroad stations in the borough of Brooklyn to keep passengers from falling off the platform to the track. The observations of the Commission since its inception point to the undesirability of such a step. The accident schedules of the Commission do not show that the lack of guard fences is a cause of accidents. Train movement would be made slower by reason of slow stops to adjust gates to the openings in the fence. There are special instances where such guard fences are desirable and they should be treated by orders of the Commission as the occasions arise. If the Legislature should consider that guard rails are necessary on all elevated platforms the law should be general and apply to the whole state. The proper function of the Com

See footnote, page 9.

mission in that case would be to have a hearing, if requested so to do by the Legislature, and report either facts or opinions to the Legislature for its assistance in framing such a statute.

Int. No. 22 Assembly, Mr. Glück, requires every railroad passenger car to carry a medical and surgical chest containing bandages, etc. We infer that it relates to steam railroads and not to street railroads. As the requirement if deemed wise would plainly apply to all cars of a certain class within the state it would seem proper to the Commission that it should be made the subject of a general law. The function of the Commission in this regard would be to report to the Legislature on the practicability of keeping medicine and medical appliances constantly on hand in such chests and a tabulation of actual accidents where such appliances close at hand would have been helpful. This for the purpose of assisting the Legislature in framing proper legislation.

Int. No. 25 Assembly, Mr. Glück, requires toilet rooms containing water closets in every railroad station in the borough of Brooklyn. The need of toilet rooms varies according to the location and use of elevated stations. Stations at junctions where passengers transfer and in the downtown localities, especially in the shopping districts, should have toilets. Many stations in residential districts where there is substantially no waiting, excepting by people who have just left their homes, have no need of toilets, and it might be claimed that they were more of a drawback in such localities than they were a benefit. It would seem proper that this subject should be left to the Commission to investigate the needs of each station upon complaint made.

Int. No. 218 Assembly, Mr. Glück, provides for two motormen on every elevated or subway passenger car in Brooklyn, Manhattan or the Bronx. The Commission is collecting material on this subject and preserving tabulations of all accidents that occur by reason of one motorman instead of two. This subject has been studied in connection with the operation of trains in the subway and is related to the use of block signals and automatic stop devices. It is already apparent that some roads not having automatic stop devices attached to the track might more properly require two motormen than roads that had such devices. It is claimed that on the subway and all elevated lines, if the motorman should be striken while on duty the lever would automatically swing back and stop the train. If, in addition to this precaution, a track automatic stop is used in connection with the block signal system, there would be no need of two men in the box. In other words, two men may prove to be needed on some roads and not needed on others. Our opinion is that this subject can properly be left to the Commission.

Yours very truly, (Signed)

WM. R. WILLCOX,

Chairman,

REPAIR OF TRACKS, SWITCHES AND CROSS-OVERS

Brooklyn Heights Railroad Company.- Defective tracks and switches on Main street near Fulton and Prospect streets.

COMPLAINT OF ROBERT E. ANTHONY

against

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS RAILROAD COMPANY.

Complaint Order No. 220 (see form, note 1), issued January 28th.

The company answered February 6th stating that the tracks and switches in question were not in need of renewal.

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