Evening Star Newspaper, June 29, 1930, Page 51

CROSSING SAFETY MEASURES DEFINED Speed Limit of 15 Miles Is Favored Where View of Tracks Is Obstructed. Reduction in the speed of automo- biles when approaching raflway de crossings to 15 miles an hour, if the view of the tracks is not clear and un- obstructed for at least 400 feet in both directions, is defined by the Third Na- tional Conference on Street and High- way Safety as An essential precaution in preventing accidents at these places. If the obstruction to view is extreme or there is other unusual danger, the conference favors a complete stop be- fore entering on the tracks. If the operator of the vehicle can see the tracks for 400 feet or more in both directions, a speed of 25 miles an hour at the crossing is indicated by the con- ference. The reckless-driving penalty, in the view of the conference, should be enforced against drivers who pass over crossings at speeds in excess of 25 miles an_hour. Crossings should not be entered upon at any time, according to the confer- ence, until the vehicle operator has ex- ercised due precaution and has definite assurance that a train is not approach- ing from either direction. New Crossings Increase. In considering the crossing problem the conference pointed out that, not- withstanding the work of eliminating grade crossings, the expenditure for Wwhich has averaged $60,000,000 a year for the last three years, the number of new crossings is increasing faster than others are being removed by viaducts or underpasses. In 1928 there were 1,204 erossings eliminated and 2,068 new crossings were opened to traffic. While the accidents at crossings have remained at slightly less than 6,000 & year since 1925 and there has not been an appreciable increase in the number of deaths per year at such places, still the number of deaths in 1929 was 2,485 and 6,804 others were injured. The situation is such that the con- ference urgently declared that protec- tion of crossings through more adequate signs, signals and markings, as well as greater safety precautions by vehicle drivers, are essential to reducing this Dhase of the accident toll. In considering the elimination of erossings, the conference said: “Elimination of rallway grade cross- ings. either by relocation of highways or rail lines or by grade separation, Which constitutes the only perfect solu- tion of the problem, should be carried on under a proper program. First for emnlmnr]:x should be the most danger- ous cross! on thoroughfares carryin; heavy f,nfl{: e Program Is Proposed. “The program should have due regard o the relative costs and advantages of e crossing elimiation and other methods of protection and should be given the most thorough joint consider- ation by proper authority. In laying out new highways or railroads or relo- cating existing highways or railroads, grade crossings should be avoided or eliminated whenever feasible. “In eliminating grade crossings, nar- Tow or obstructed underpasses and sharp turns in the approaches, should be avoided. Authority to order grade separations or proper protection at grade crossings should be vested in the commission having jurisdiction over the railways, and this commission should also determine the proper division of costs between the railroads and the pub- lic in States where this i5 not prede- termined by State law. “The State highway department or other highway autorities should plan the improvement and initiate the proceed- ings for all highways under their juris- diction. Time is an essential element and a prompt decision should be pro- vided for in the law.” Of the 240,000 grade crossings in the United States, 205933 are protected by fixed signs, 5707 have crossing gates, 7,207 are provided with crossing watch- men, 8,004 have visible and audible sig- nals, 3,635 have visible signals only, 4,572 have audible signals only and 4,941 have no signs or markings at all. ‘The conference stated, that in order o facilitate the prompt arrangement of more adequate protection at crossings, there should be & fair division of the costs, including the elimination of ob- structions to view and other hazards, between the State or county govern- ments and the railroads. The confer- ence said: “Protection of railway grade crossings should include reduction of physical hazards and the installation of special Pprotective measures. “Reducing physical hazards to a minimun requires a practically level and smooth highway surface over the tracks for at least 25 feet and preferably 50 feet on each side; approach on grades not exceeding 4 or 5 per cent; widening the rondway at crossings; avoidance of sharp turns and junctions within 250 feet; avoidance of standing railroad cal parked highway vehicles or other temporary obstacles, and removal of banks, trees, shrubs, standing crops, buildings, billboards or other permanent obstructions to sufficient view; special care where artificial lighting of crossings is practicable to locate the lights so as to illuminate the fixed signs without glare interfering with visibility.” Standard Signs Advised. ‘The conference recommended that each crossing should be provided with standard fixed signs, as follows: 1. An advance sign at each highway approach; in addition, on hard surfaced, heavy traveled highways, and where raliroad traffic is fast or frequent, the standard form of pavement markings approved by the American Association of State Highway Officials. 2. If the view of the track is not ob- structed and no special hazard exists, @ 25-mile speed sign; if the view is ob- structed, a 15-mile speed sign; and if due to extreme limitation of view or other special hazard the proper author- Ity has designated the crossing as one at which all vehicles must stop, a standard stop sign; where the speed or | stop sign cannot be seen sufficiently in advance, & standard slow sign in ad-| vance of the stop sign. 3. At all crossings & standard railroad eross-buck sign carrying indication of number of tracks in the case of multiple tracks. At crossings where the movement of trains is frequent, the conference be- lieves that other means should be pro- ed to give warning to the vehicle driver. Such warnings, the conference ®aid, should consist of: Automatic train approach signals of either wig-wag or flashing lights, or manually controlled gates, signals or watchman where fre- quent switching movements, or short- ness of intervals batween trains, require more prompt indications and clearances of the crossing. Burros Employed To Carry Mineral For Auto Industry LOS ANGELES, June 21 (#).— burros start a little known mineral on its to automobile and aviat'on ries. adalusite, used as insulat- erial in spark plugs, cording to the United Sta'es Bu- n’l": l‘-‘mr[es“t K deposit of nown the mineral is in_the White Mountains of the Inyo m It s ing m» OCEAN BARRIER . by way of Winchester up the e ey through, B with hi . A ing awa landscapes of appenling bauchy. the frugie st in motorized histm‘kv‘:'s'l furn here at Eirfm(.whmp‘fic wills of George and. Martha Washington are preserved and. where the first Southern soldier fetl in the Givil War. FOR AUTOISTS FADES BEFORE NEW METHODS Steamship Companies and Expert Service Abroad Are Making Possible Foreign Tours in the ‘The barrier of the ocean no longer exists for the automobile tourist. The wide, wide world, instead of the North American Continent, is his fleld and, according to steamship officials, an ever-increasing number of Americans are taking advantage of the new sit- uation to tour Europe in their auto- mobiles. ‘The transportation of an automobile has been made quite as simple as the handling of a piece of baggage and the cost is so modest, according to offi- cials of the great automobile associa- tions, that it is far less costly for a party of three or four to drive their car 1o a port of debarkation, transport it to Europe and tour in it than it is to 0 in the standard way. A few simple ,erma are filled out, the home town driving license is presented, and the steamship company or the automobile club that is handling the transfer does the rest. The person transporting the car drives it to the embarkation pler 24 hours before the time of sailing. He gets a baggage check for his car. He does not see it again until he disem- | barks and goes through the foreign customs office. Then he finds his car waiting on the pler for him. It is equipped with international license lates. As he steps into it he is handed is foreign driving license, his inter- national customs pass, a detailed road map of Europe, and is on his care-free way. While in Europe he can buy the self same gasoline and oil he has used at home. He can get service for his car from European mechanics that is | the equal of his home service and if he wants American service he can get it from any one of 29 assembling plants and their branches that American manu- facturers have established throughout Europe. He has, by courtesy, the com- | plete facilities of the various automo- bile clubs of Europe and their branches. There is one in practically every im- portant city. Due to the fact that these clubs are anxious to serve American tourists and thereby get more of them, the service they render is superfine and without charge. Roads Are Good. Free and away, the tourist in Eu- rope has a magnificence of opportunity that is unexcelled. The roads are as equally good as American roads and due to the length of time they have been building and to the distribution of population there are many more miles of them. The country is not only varied in topography as the United States, but is varied nationally and racially, so that there is something new and interesting for every mile of road— the tourist can drive with equal facility Family Car. and interest over a road built by Julius Caesar before the Christian era or over a road laid by Yankee dough boys to help win the war. He can see battle- felds etill in ruins and battlefields re- stored. He can view almost as if it were vanished but yesterday the entire age of feudalism. He can see where the Moors left their mark on Conti- nental Europe and the castles where the Borgias and Leonardo da Vinci flourished. All this is at a cost that fits his purse. One party of four girls, according to a thorough check, made a complete tour of Europe, car expenses and all, at a cost of $5 a day each—about the cost of staying at home. An idea of the touring area open may be gained from a mere tabulation of the countries which one may visit, and |all in an area less than two-thirds the size of the United States. The countries | are France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, | Irish Free ‘State, Italy, Latvia, Luxem- bourg, Lithuania, The Netherlanda Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey, | England, Scotland and Jugoslavi | The tourist, too, may feel that in | spending his money abroad he is mak- ing a direct ocntribution to the pros- | perity of the United States, say econo- | mists. This is true because he not only | can buy many American products, such |as oll and gas, but also true because | the balance of trade is such that a substantial percentage of all money ald out for foreign products comes | back to the Untied States as interest | #nd principal on debts owing us and ‘:n d!he restoration of the balance of rade. Climate Compares Favorably. From the standpoint of climate Eu- Tope is about like the United States. Checked reports show that in the Summer, Spring and Fall the roads | everywhere are in perfect condition. | In Northern Europe in the Midwinter roads are covered with snow and many of the mountain passes are closed, but | in the south corresponding to the area in the United States along the gulf coast and in Texas, New Mexico and California is a kind of paradise. An ideal time to tour, according to those who have been over the ground, is the late Summer and early Fall. Then the steamship rush is over and space on the ships is at the low Win- ter rates. One can tour in the north- ern countries first and later work southward, where he has thousands of miles of delightful road all Winter, from Spain across France to Italy and then to Greece and on into Turkey. He can cross into Northern Africa and there encounter a delightful road sys- tem and a variety of interest that is unsurpassed. NUMBERING OF SOON TO Reports received by the Bureau of Public Roads, United States Depart- ment of Agriculture, indicate that- the work of erecting the standard markers for numbered routes in the United States system of highways will be practically complete at the end of the construction period of 1930. The sys- tem was adopted less than five years ago by State highway departments, and comprises approximately 97,000 miles of the most important highways of the ghighways. Nation. Praciically all of these routes are also in the Federal-ald highway system. ‘The numbering of the United States highways, which are really the main streets of the Natlon, is doing for the rural communities what the naming of streets has done for the cities. Because of their convenience, the numbers have established themselves and have be- come popular with motorists. They not only indicate direction but are coming into use as a means of identi- fying location: Manufacturers and business houses are using the numbers in advertisements as a medium of loca- tion. Novelists and cartoonists are using them in their stories and comic strips. Numbering Of Roads. Just as the names of streets became the practical means of identifying thoroughfares in cities, the numbered highways have displaced the names by which some of the roads, particularly the transcontinental highways, were previously known. Motorists are for- getting the old designations, which, ;unule of duplication, often caused col ‘Ten main east and west routes, desi; nated by multiples of ten, and 11 im portant north and south routes, nu bered 1, 11, 21, 31, etc., up to and in- cluding 101, form the backbone of the system. The system includes not only these important through routes but also many crossovers that connect main routes. The highways of the system reach practically all of the large cities and serve every section of the country. The crossover or branch lines are indi- e:cud by three digits, such as 290, 141, etc. Even Numbers East-West. All east and west highways, as well as their branches, have even numbers; all those running north and south with their branch lines have odd numbers. signs bearing the numbers are of standard size, and are in the shape of | & shield They have a white background on which appear, in black, the name of the State, th: initials “U. 8. and the route number. Generally, the markers ars erectsd 1 mile apart. Work on the des'gnation of a system ol United States highways siarted in Feb:uary, 1925, when, on the recom- mendation of the American Association of State Highway Officials the Secretary of Agriculture appointed the Joint Board of Interstate Highways, consist- ing of State and Federal officlais, to HIGHWAYS BE COMPLETED and final selection and report was made in November, 1926. The report was ap- | broved by the Secretary of Agriculture. The United States system of highways was then mapped accordingly. The original system included 80,000 miles of highways. From time to time additional mileage has been added, until today there are approximately 97,000 miles of the most important highways of the country in the United States system of INCOMPETENT DRIVERS UNDER BAN IN MARYLAND Motor Vehicle Commissioner Warns of Inexperienced Men on Trucks and Busses. BALTIMORE, June 28.— Warning against employment of incompetent drivers of trucks and busses was issued this week »y E. Austin Baughman, mo- tor vehicle commissioner. As the result of an investigation made by Mr. Baughman it has been found that careless drivers who have figured in accidents find little difficulty in ob- taining employment. He said employers, for protection to themselves and their equipment, should exercise greater care in employing men known as risky chauffeurs. . Baughman said records of the motor vehicle commissioner's office are open for inspection by employers, and that through the records the employers can determine the ability and trust- worthiness of chauffeurs. e It Is a Bill, Anyway. Prom the Wheel. Clerk—My 1ife is just one board bill after another. Motorist—And mine is just one bill- board after another. MPCIEREC L Automobiles use 410,000 lnni tons of rubber annually—about - $146,000,000 worth; wages for 70,000 men at $3,000 & vear. Sweden to End Speed Laws for ‘Police Discretion STOCKHOLM, June 21 (#).— There will be no speed limit in Sweden after July 1, when the new motoring law goes into ef- fect. The law will leave punishment for reckless drlvlnf to the dis- cretion of local police, who will be instructed to allow drive full on open roads, but to levy heavy fines on motor- villages. Forty miles on a gallon of INE 29, 1930—PART FOUR, —BY JAMES W. BROOKS. (Sketches by Calvin A. Fader.) 0 this home, near Aldie, a short distance north on the road fo Leesburg, came James Monroe, wom with the cares and perplexities of a long service in behalf " of his Country. Aldie possesses another point of in- terest for the traveler. Near the village, onwhat was then called " Peach Orchard Brm; Juli: Neale,the mother of Stonewall” Jackson,was born in 1798. inchegter, the motorist will cross a beautiful itfle stream at Poris, named by a soldier under La- fayelte for his capital city in France. Nearby is Rose Bk childhood home of the renowned Chief Justice, John. Marshall. Arriving at Winchester, this stone building will invite interest as the place where George Wash- m set down for posterthy his early experiences in ilitary am‘lfl-: @ ncnn Pomens Eincstranin, Suesse gasoline Eight years of record-smashing on 4 continents . You’ve heard of the bantam car ... read about it ... perhaps seen pictures of it. Now see the car. Discover first hand why the American Austin is the front-page news of motor- dom today—the advent of a new era of smart economical transportation. The car is on exhibition now at the address below. i PLAN CELEBRATION FOR ROAD OPENING Anne Arundel and Oalvert County Residents Include Parade in Program, Special Dispatch to The 8t BALTIMORE, June 28—A celebra- -|tion to mark the opening of the mew Bouthern Maryland Boulevard, lakin, Calvert County and the southern pm5 tion of Anne Arundel County to the Crain Highway, is being planned by the reslgrr:u of b:’hnl:e two counties. Work on new houlevard is expected to finished August 15. ki N A parade over the 12-mile road is one of the features planned for the eels bration, and is to be followed by a luncheon at Chesapeake Beach, Organi- zations in Baltimore which have been invited to participate are the Associa- tlon of Commerce and the Southern Maryland Society. ‘The new highway is an 18-foot road- way of concrete and extends from Hills Bridge, Anne Arundel County, to Sun- derland, Calvert County. Its construc- tion was provided for at the 1929 ses- sion of the Legislature, ‘Two hundred and ninety-seven mil- lion barrels of gasoline in 1929—81,800, 000,000 dollars, meaning a year' for over a million men. 1.000 miles on 8$5.75 worth of gas and oil . On the road will come other surprises. It darts in and out of traffic with the agility of a lithe young animal. Itspeeds up to fifty miles an houron th straightaway. It will do up to forty in second. And so easy to handle, turn, and park in hitherto impossible spaces. So Austin makes its bow, American made through- out, but with the heritage of a design that has proved its mettle on the testing courses of the world. See it. Look it over...surprisingly compact ... surpris- ingly comfortable...smart as milady’s new hat... yet as thrifty as a housewife. Less than three-quarters of a cent a mile buys its gas, oil and tires...a joyful fact for the economically minded. Slip behind the wheel. You’ll find comfort...am- ple leg room.. . the easy give of well balanced springs. Behind you...a generous compartment for parcels. Distributors GARRETT MOTOR CO., Inc. 1835 14th St. N.W. North 1761 Associate Dealers Downtown Parking Garage, Inc. Blackwell Motor Co. Alexandria, Va. 613 G Street N.W. Now on display. . .at the address below. THE AMERICAN