another branch again and there saw "The factory building," said Mr. Woodward with a gleam of humor in his steel blue eyes, "was said to be the best barn in the state of New Hampshire when it was made. But it makes a pretty good factory, light, well ventilated." Two factories would keep almost any man busy, but not Mr. Woodward. A power plant, equipped with oil burning engines-rather engines rather an innovation in this part of the country-is one of his projects now nearing completion. And lest factories and power plant fail to keep him busy all the time, he is planning to develop a mica mine across the river in Sanbornton. He is enthusiastic over the proposition. The mica samples · he says are of very high quality. In all these enterprises, Mr. Woodward's partner is his son, Mr. H. A. Woodward, and the younger man shows the same qualities which have contributed to make his father's success. There are those who question New Hampshire's ability to hold her own in the modern industrial struggle. The answer is here. So long as the state can produce men of the energy and resourcefulness of the Woodwards, father and son, we need not fear. A FRACTION OF A SECOND NE Sunday morning a happy little family started out on an all-day automobile ride. The father had been at work the preceding week, the mother had been occupied at home and the children had been at school. All welcomed the respite from the week's work, as they joyfully rode along the broad, well-kept highway through beautiful New Hampshire. Monday morning a small headline in the papers announced "Two Fatalities in Auto Collision!" That was all as far as the public was concerned. But in a certain hospital lay an unconscious man unaware that in the same building lay the bodies of his wife and son, and that in the care of the kind nurses his little daughter was softly weeping and calling for "Mother." In a police court. nearby a young man was being held on the charge of manslaughter. All this was due to the fraction of a second's carelessness. Had the two drivers sounded their horns and merely imagined that there was another car Great Increase in Motor ALL over the United States there has been a steadily increasing number of automobile accidents in the last few years. In grade crossing accidents alone, the increase in five years has been 80%, according to the Interstate Commerce Commission in a recent report. And in the United States there were 14,000 deaths in 1922 as compared to 13,700 in 1921, while in 1923, 15,000 deaths have already been reported. No statistics are available as to the exact number that have occurred in this State in the past summer but, counting minor accidents, it has been estimated at about fifty a week. This includes grade crossing accidents, skidding, colliding, leaving the road on curves and the many results of mechanical defects. Of course the appalling increase in death and injury from automobile accidents came partly as a result of the remarkable increase in the number of automobiles. In New Hampshire alone we have issued this year 10,696 more licenses than in 1922. Undoubtedly we shall continue to have more automobiles and unless there is a radical change, all statistics point to the conclusion, that twice in a short distance it is straightened, making the highway run parallel to the railroad, thus cutting off both crossings. At places where it is possible, underpasses and overhead bridges are constructed. Where neither of these courses are feasible, gates, signs, or signal lights are placed. Of minor consideration, but still of importance, are the precautions taken during periods of highway construction, or repair. Where the road is unsafe for travel, detours are laid out and other work is marked with signs and lights. When traffic is heavy a watchman is frequently detailed to eliminate a headlong dash into a piece of torn up road, but, nevertheless, many accidents result from this, no matter how well the places are guarded. Grade Crossing Accidents we shall also continue to have increas-GRADE crossing accidents deserve ing mortality from motor accidents. What is to be done? special consideration. In the year 1922 the Interstate Commerce Commis What Our Highway Department sion reported 7,193 deaths from this LE is Doing ET us first consider what has been done. A consultation with Mr. Johnson, engineer in the State Highway Department, showed that this office has done, and is doing, its level best to meet the situation. In the first place, in all their new construction they are making wider and safer roads. The improved State highways are eighteen feet wide with three foot shoulders, making a total width of twenty-four feet of surface suitable for a motor vehicle to travel on. Theoretically, this handles safely any amount of travel. The curves are thoroughly banked to care for those who must speed and to make possible a uniform rate of speed. The rails on either side of the road are painted white so twenty-four hours of the day the course of the road is visibly marked. Then they have taken means to eliminate the grade crossings on the main highways. One is to change the course of the road. At a point where it crosses the railroad cause alone. New Hampshire's share was small, to be sure, but from the attitude of the Motor Vehicle Department and of the Public Service Commission this fall, it can safely be said that the toll in 1923 has been more than that of last year. The Public Service Commission wants a comprehensive survey of all grade crossings and to have "protection ordered in a logical and systematic manner." As the Boston and Maine Railroad is reported as lacking the necessary financial means to properly accomplish this, the state will probably have this to do. As has been stated there are several ways to protect crossings. The most common and least feasible is the system of bells, lights or semaphores. The first objection is mechanical. Any electrical device is delicate and those that are installed in the open air are exposed to many climatic conditions that are liable to render them defective when most needed. Consequently a driver cannot always trust these signals and This One Hurried Over the therefore does not pay them proper attention. An investigation by the Public Service Commission in September will serve to illustrate this point. It was conducted as a result of frequent complaints on the crossing at Winnisquam Station on the Daniel Webster Highway. This crossing is protected with a semaphore system. In three hours 293 cars passed, out of which 80 travelled at an unslackened pace paying no attention to the crossing, 73 slowed up without looking to see if the track was clear, 45 stopped but did not await the signal and 41 stopped and looked both ways. What can be done with a situation like this? To meet all these conditions, it looks as if the only way to "logically" protect a crossing is to either build bridges, or underpasses, at great expense, or to install gates, or employ watchmen. Patrolling State Highways LEGISLATION goes a long way to solve the difficulty. In the White Mountains this summer a State motorcycle policeman patrolled the roads and the knowledge of his being there curbed the recklessness of many out-of-state motorists, who, as a rule, are the worst offenders. But to thoroughly patrol all our highways, successful as it may be, would involve an expense so great as to be practically prohibitive. The City of Omaha has met the problem in a novel way. This city struck upon the idea of having the careful driver restrain the reckless and indifferent automobilist. A number of prominent citizens were organized by the city government to serve as volunteer police officers without uniforms upon call from the police Crossing. department for the enforcement of various state and city ordinances. School boys are also pressed into service outside of school hours who report violations of the motor laws to the Secretary of the Civilian's Board, who causes arrests to be made after the third offense. The civilian traffic "cops" are carefully chosen and therefore are able to render great service as speakers as well. Such a plan would be of exceptional merit if followed out in the congested districts of New Hampshire. The Massachusetts Safe Roads Federation has followed a plan similar to some extent in selecting motorists to report flagrant violations of the motor laws, the cases of drunkeness and reckless driving receiving special notice. Safe Guards MANY accidents result from dim, or glaring lights at night. In most states the law requires that the lights be focused so that the direct rays of light are no more than waist high at a distance of two hundred feet. Massachusetts has this law and it is rigidly enforced and the Safety Council says that it has gone a long way to make night driving safer. However the Motor Vehicle Commissioner of New Hampshire is not in favor of the law. He states that it does not work in practice as the lenses after being carefully adjusted will invariably rattle loose in the course of a day's driving and cause all manner of inconvenience for the car owner. The New Hampshire law provides only that "all motor vehicles equipped with electric headlights shall be equipped with some device to permanently dim the glare or to scatter the rays of light from the same." This is fairly definite and if motorists follow it to the letter it ought to prevent accidents resulting from glaring lights. In some municipal districts of this state the plan of painting a wide white line in the center of the highway has been followed out and it might be well to carry out this plan on all our state highways, curves, blind places and crossroads, as Massachusetts and Rhode Island have done, and which the Massachusetts Safety Council states has been exceptionally helpful. France has a unique system of crossroads protection. All her highways are divided into four classes. National routes, state routes routes (Routes Department) trunk line roads and local roads. The initial of the class is placed on the stones at the roadside and in matters of requires a driving examination and those afflicted with very serious physical infirmities are not allowed to operate motor vehicles. But drinkers, drug addicts, people of poor sight and hearing, unfortunately can often secure licenses. Such drivers are sooner or later sure to be involved in a motor accident. There is indeed a growing sentiment that the rules for issuing and revoking licenses should be more strict. It has even been suggested advisable to have every applicant for a driver's license undergo the army's physical and mental test for a pilot of aviation. The Man Behind the Wheel right-of-way, the classes have preference BUT after all is said, it remains with in the order named. A similar system in this country might relieve the confusion that certainly exists about our rule that "the vehicle approaching from the right has the right of way." Again and again questions arise over this rule. after an accident has occurred. Licenses Must Be Made Stricter SHO HOULD the requirements for holding an operator's license be made more strict, the possibility of having poor drivers on the roads would undoubtedly be less. At present the law the man behind the wheel. We cannot make our laws and our highways foolproof. Something more must be done to educate our people to some sense of responsibility for the tragic and quite unnecessary toll of death and injury from motor accidents occurring almost every minute of the day. In the last analysis the safety of human life on our highways rests upon the caution and intelligence of the man behind the wheel. The human angle of the problem is, as always the most vital and important aspect. |