Show Deadly Grade Crossings EATH coming to fourteen high school students students students stu stu- B DEATH dents at a grade crossing in Maryland is a ghastly thing Near proximity of the scene to Washington may stir renewed in interest erest in the administrations administration's project of grade crossing nation If federal and state governments exert the full force of their powers to bring this to early reality over the entire nation one of the greatest menaces to safe highway travel will soon become a thing of the past Tolerated in inthe inthe inthe the age of of the horse and buggy although even then it was responsible for many tragedies the grade crossing has no place in the modern scheme of things Only last week at Midvale a fatal accident brought out not only that i it was the second in ina ina ina a few months but that town officials had repeatedly repeatedly re repeatedly re- re asked that the railroad install protective protective tive arrangements at the point but to no pur pur- pose Always the same explanations are offered when such accidents occur The approaching tr train in was not seen until it was too late to avoid the crash The warning whistle and bell were not heard The train was rushing at full speed Obstacles in the landscape prevented the ap approach approach approach ap- ap of the train being seen For the railroads it is invariably testified that the whistle and bell were were in action in time to have given sufficient sufficient sufficient warning and that the engineer had slowed down for the crossing But explanations and excuses never remove the fact that someone has been k killed They can never remove the fact that this slaughter is needless Traffic carried over the tracks on on viaducts or beneath them is the only assurance that accidents will win no not take place where tracks and highways cross Even where watchmen are stationed where warning devices are in faultless faultless faultless fault fault- less operation and where automatic gates drop to stop traffic fatalities occur Except perhaps in open country where an approaching train may be seen for a great distance from an intersecting intersecting inter inter- s highway the hazard of the grade crossing crossing crossing cross cross- ing should not be allowed to remain No highway highway highway high high- way plan should ever be approved unless safe crossing of tracks is provided for In cities where many tracks run closely parallel into yards and stations underpass or overhead crossings crossings crossings cross cross- ings for vehicles are necessities in a motorized age Even though uninterrupted watchman service service ser ser- vice and automatic safety gates offer fa fairly reasonable rea rea- protection to traffic it is an intolerable nuisance for pedestrians and motorists to be beheld beheld beheld held at such points waiting for long freight trains to move by at a snails snail's ls l's pace The great cost of eliminating grade crossings may not be weighed against the cost in human life of permitting them to remain Hardly any other projects in a public works program may maybe maybe maybe be put ahead of this great undertaking for safe safe- ty Apart from the importance of the matter in inthis inthis inthis this regard removing the thousands of grade crossings in the nation will furnish employment employment employ employ- ment for an untold number of working men engineers and other white collar labor in getting getting getting get get- ting the work done as well as providing much private employment in the production of the materials which will be called for |