The Toledo Railroad And The Common Council

Turee weekfl ago we gave to the public i iatement of the ihcoñvenlencM to whicli the people of this city hart been obliged to gubmit and the dangers to wbich property uud life are exposed thiough the want of reasonable management and care of the railroad company. And the same lack of ïeasonablu care tor tlie rights and lives of ihe public is manifested by the company. Siuce we last spoke lo the people, and especially to the common counoll through our columns, the obstructious on the crossings have frtiueutly been met with. As au instance, for a whole day a car stoodou the track and completely occupied the sidewalk ou ttie souih side of Huron Street, and travelIers were obliged to go around it by going out in the road, white at the same time a car stood on Ihe noith side and almost its eutire leugth was in the street. Aud ieceutly an empty freight car was left standing for houis on tüe Jliller avenue crossiug in such a positiou that it occupied fully one thud oï the space available and niicessary for the passage of teams. As we louked at these uuuesessary obNtruc-tions, we asked ourselves, where is the city marshal? Why don't he perform his duty by ordering the removal of these obstructions, and by seeing that his orders are obeyed? That he bas the power to do so is ündoubted, and he exercises that power whea lie wishes to, When he told the 'Bus' and "Hack" men that they must leave the "(Jook house" corner, they jjrowled, but had to obey. Now we would ask the city marshal if his control ot the removal of serious obstructions to travel from Huron street does not exiend to thal part of lluron street at the rail road crossing? or does his blue coat, brass buttons and official badge lose their official power when he goes west of First street? Why, Air. City Marshal, you have the power to require a man to keep the gutter in front of his store clear of oostructions, and not only so, you exercise that power. But how insignificent an object that is to exercise your official power upon compared with its - exercise tor the removal of obstructions at the railroad crossings - obstructions not only unnecessaty, but which also endanger property and life. But the dangers to ■whieh persons are subjected who are obliged to use these crossings by reason of these obstructions, are by no means the greatest penis to wbich they are exposed when crossing the railroad track. Sometimes heavy freight trains pass these crossings at the rate of f rom eight to ten miles an hour; we saw a heavy freight train cross Huron street at that rate of speed on Friday afternoon of last week. And only a few days ago a colusión occurred at the Miller avenue crossing between cars that were standing still and a train comiDg from the south. The cause of the collision was owing to the fact that the men in charge of the moviug train did not try to obtain the control soon enough of the cars in their charge. Had a cirriage been caught by the moving train, it and its occupanls would almost certainly been crushed to death, tor some of the freight cars were literally "smashed in." How much longer is tuis road to be permitted to viólate city ordinances?