THE DEADLY OPEN TRAMCAR.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VIII, Issue 36, 12 September 1891, Page 864

THE DEADLY OPEN TRAMCAR.

‘A very frequent cause of illness and death in this city,’ said a prominent physician to me the other night, ‘ are the open street cars. In the middle of the summer they are all very well during the day time, but at night they are more dangerous to life than a mild smallpox epidemic. The man who can ride in an open car at night, no matter how he is dressed or how robust he may be, and not take cold, is a very rare individual. This year, owing to the early spring, the open cars were inflicted on us much ahead of the usual time. Of course cold days succeeded and the cars were still kept on and unfortunately well patronized. • To this fact I trace a great many of the grip cases about which there has been so much complaint during the past month, The worst feature of the case is that, no matter how cold the day or how raw the night air, the public insist on riding in the open cars if there are any on the road. The people here seem to have an unconquerable weakness for them.

* Id my opinion,’ he concluded, * it is almost criminal to allow the use of open trams in this city, where the atmospheric changes are so marked and so sudden.’ And then he snuffed, took a quinine pill and said, * I rode in one myself last night. It was very pleasant.’