Blackstone and the New World (32 page)

‘Go on,’ Blackstone said, knowing he shouldn’t.

‘A horsecar can go at maybe six miles an hour, but an electric car can reach up to
thirty
miles an hour. Problem is, you see, that though the electric cars have got the weight and power of a locomotive, they’ve still got the
braking system
of the old horsecar.’

‘So they find it hard to stop in an emergency?’

‘They find it
impossible
to stop in an emergency. In 1895 there were a hundred and five people killed and four hundred and seven maimed in streetcar accidents. And that’s when the folks across the river started to wise up. That’s when they got to develop the habit of always keeping one eye open for approaching streetcars, so they could jump out of the way if they had to. And that’s when we got to calling them—’

‘Brooklyn Dodgers,’ Blackstone interrupted. ‘Have you got any more fascinating stories about New York City, Alex?’

Alex Meade grinned. ‘Well, yes, Sam, now you mention it, I think I must have hundreds of them.’

Blackstone nodded gravely. ‘That’s what I was afraid of,’ he said.