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Show FATHERS CRITICIZE SYSTEM OF COASTING Police Declare Flags Are Warning, but Do Not Close Streets. "The pr2senL system and method of restricting re-stricting streets lor coasting Js dangerous danger-ous in the extreme and is bound to result re-sult in many accidents unless changed or unless the inhibitions are voluntarily observed ob-served by drivers or enforced by the po-This po-This is the opinion expressed by C. W. "coliins, U4 t East 1'hird South street; M. A. Smith, 1205 East Third South street, and D. R. Coombs, 318 Twelfth JSast street, fathers of the children chil-dren in the coasting accident on' Third South, near Eleventh East street, Monday. Mon-day. Several of the eight children on-the on-the sled which collided with a delivery wagon of the Paramount Uaundry company, com-pany, driven by C. T. Hale, were seriously seri-ously injured. A statement made by Mr. Collins, Mr. Smith and Mr. Coombs' was, in part; 1 ' "We believe the police and the driver were to bla.me in this accident. The method of restricting traffic on streets given over to coasting, far from being a safeguard to the children at their piav. is. under its present workings, rather an added hazard. The Third South . street hill is liable to prove a veritable death- Lfap. "The children, seeing the Cjags whicb are supposed to warn drivers against using the street, consider the wav guarded, guard-ed, and therefore relax their vigilance. Tlus, when the drivers use the street, it is rendered doubly dangerous. AV-ere it not for the presence of the flags the children chil-dren would exercise caution in coasting. The flags Should be 'respected or should be eliminated entirely. "Then, too. ' care should be exercised and the contour and physical characteristics character-istics of the streets designated for coasting coast-ing should be considered. Any traffic on the Third street hill at the liine the children are coasting on it make ror danger, a.-, it is very steep and the sides attain a thigh rate of speed. This street is as full of sleds as commensurate with safety without vehicular traffic. On seeing see-ing the flags the children assume thev have only to guard against collision with other coasters and that the street cars at Tenth Bast street will halt before they cross the intersection. "We believe an investigation should be made to ascertain if the police are doing Lheir full duty in safeguarding the lives of the children at play. AVe will conduct con-duct an investigation in this particular accident and have . filed a complaint against the driver of the wagon. We have- beet .abie to learn the exact status of these restricted streets, but the children regard them as closed to traffic, and thus a driver using' one of them greatly, increases the danger." According to the police, the department depart-ment is powerless to restrict the use of public streets to coasters. The placing of the flags is intended as a warning signal to vehicle drivers to exercise caution cau-tion when appro yd ling these sections, said one of ihc traffic officers last night. Driver Hale, in reporting the accident to his company, declared his delivery car was standing still at the corner of Eleventh Elev-enth East and Third South streets, and thar the children apparent!;' lost control of their sled and crashed into the rear wheel of Ins machine. Chief of Police J. Parley White last : night gave instructions that no coast- ing schooners or other unusually large 1 sleighs would be permitted on the so- 1 called restricted streets and nc more than two acult persons -or youths over 18 years of age would be allowed on one sled. ! |