The railway near the writer’s old home had signs reading: “Stop, Look, Listen”; and this should be the slogan of the driver nearing a railway crossing today. In spite of the ringing of engine bells and blowing of locomotive whistles and of other precautions of the railway company, it is incumbent upon the motorist to be careful, to know that there is no train approaching. An automobile may be stopped within a few feet and the train sometimes takes a quarter of a mile for a stop; therefore the motorist should not trust to the stopping of the locomotive, for by that time it might be everlastingly too late. Better stop the auto at every crossing if the noise of the motor prevents hearing whistle or bell signals from the train.
But there is a worse dereliction than failing to make sure that a train is not at hand, and that is the devil-may-care spirit which prompts driver to spurt up the engine and dash for the crossing to get over ahead of the train that is in plain sight. There are few persons who can estimate the speed of a railway train with any degree of accuracy, even the railway employes having to check the time between known points to estimate the speed, unless there is a speedometer. The autoist, looking at a coming train, sees it at an angle which prevents his comparing it with fixed objects and cannot tell if it is running ten or sixty miles an hour as a rule.
It does not do any good to talk about rights and failure to hear a warning after the final ceremonies are over and the cemetery has another monument, and the writer would much prefer to be a live snail than a dead hare, and would agree to make his destination first, as well. Neither will it do to talk about the fool-killer and his good work; sometimes others than the foolish driver are imperiled and suffer. There is only one way to regard it and that is to resolve to observe the ordinary rules of caution and to make sure that one is not trying to occupy the same space as a railway train at the same time. The train has might, if not right, you know.
Equally important are the crossings of trolley lines, in these days of high-speed trains and cars, and quite as many accidents occur at street intersections where two main lines of travel cross, even though there be no trolley lines. It takes so little effort and so little loss of time to slow down until one can see the way clear, when there is no traffic man at the crossing.
But if one needs be careful of his own hide, it is quite as important that he be careful of the other fellow’s anatomy. It is easy to say of the pedestrian, or the man in another vehicle, let him keep out of the way, or keep to his own side of the road; well, if he don’t, you can keep out of his way and you will be a great deal happier at the end of your trip than if you disregard him and there is an accident. One hardly likes to contemplate even an unavoidable injury to another.
It must be remembered, also, that the pedestrian has rights upon the highway greater than the auto driver. It is popular to talk about the “jay-hawker” and to assume that the man on foot has few rights in the road, whereas he has the first right, according to the United States Supreme Court, and no amount of traffic rules and ordinances and laws can affect his right. Without respect to the wisdom of his doing it, the man afoot has the right to travel in the middle of the road if he cares to, and it is the duty of the driver to keep out of his way. Remembrance of this may save the driver damages in large amount, for the courts will assess the careless driver, or the careful driver for that matter, if the pedestrian is hurt and asks damages.
CHAPTER XXVII
AN AUTO FURNACE FOR WINTER
Have you a little hot air furnace on your car? You need one on frosty mornings unless you want the engine to act as though it had an acute attack of bronchitis for half or three-quarters of an hour. Maybe you’ll also need to get out the teakettle and some more extras to get started in proper shape. A lot of men borrow their wives’ dishrags also to help start the cars. Great help, too.
There is not a bit of foolishness about this as the man who has a car will appreciate, if he has tried to start it with the temperature down at the freezing point and a wind blowing that would carry off the engine heat so fast the metal would remain cold. Probably most other folks have noticed that a lot of cars sputter and cough and spit and pop as though all kinds of trouble were going on inside, and the experienced ear can detect many a six-cylinder hitting only on two of the cylinders, while many a flivver is chug-chugging away like one of the old one-lungers of ancient auto days. Not only is this at the start, but for blocks and even miles.
Now to a novice, the new owner, the first inclination would be to cuss the manufacturer and the engine. It isn’t the fault of the engine at all; it is because “the gasoline doesn’t gas.” However there is a solution of the problem, at least enough of a remedy to make life a little happier for the owner.