Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-10-18
THE CAR TRACKS.
The Great Damage Done Private Vehi.
C.es-A Change Required.

Mr. Charles H. Latrobe. the wel-known civil
engineer, to writes the Baltimore Sun about car
tracks in the streets, and his remarks apply
with equal force in Washington. In his CON-
muneation he says:
1.-THE street railways as at present constructed
are the most abominable nuisance imaginable to
every owner of wheeled vehicle. Were 1T
possible to collect the statistics of the damage
done to carriages wagons. drays and trucks OF
all kinds by the bondage of the tracks it would
appeal to the common sense OF the public so
tOrcbly as to bring about a revolution in the
construction and maintenance OF the street rail-
ways.
There are at this date over 5000 business
wagons and trucks Of all kinds registered in
this city as there is forced registry of pleas
ure carriages. it is difficult to do more than es-
innate them; we will assume them at 5000. We
thus have a total of 14.OO0 wheeled vehicles.
which. In the rapid extension of the railway
system now going on. are totally disregarded.
ITO state it again, the tracks of the city pas
senger railways are constructed entirely in the
interest OF about 600 cars which are made for
them while IA 600 wheeled vehicles of various
gauges are ignored and their owners taxed to
an enormous amount annually because of the
said tracks. That this grievance is not over
stated, let any one drive in any direction within
the city limits for half day and report his ex-
perience-the pulling In and out to avoid other
med in switches until the wheels. compressed
to the utmost. actually spring up and out the
running foul of switch points and frogs. the Oc-
casiOnal dropping into the cutters between the
tracks and crossing plates, the horrible cOndi-
ton into which the cobbles get Immediately adj
joining the rails. These are all live issues and
apply with equal force to pleasure carriages and
business trucks; indeed, the heavier the truck
the more it suffers from this bondage of the
tracks. SO true is this. that as long as there
were trackless streets they were used at consd-
cradle loss of distance. and it is perfectly safe
to estimate the increased wear and tear of every
Kind of vehicle, due to the present form of
track. at 100 per cent over what it would be
with untracbed or properly tracked streets.
This damage to vehicles is not the whole
trouble; the damage to streets is almost as
great. The most important factor in the dura-
bility of paved surfaces. never mind how paved
is in the uniform distribution of the traffic from
curb to curb. With the present character of
our city tracks distribution is impossible; every
vehicle must follow every other vehicle. as the
only surface unoccuped by the rails is the very
sidrling space next the gutter. The only re-
course, if your vehicle does not track or you
prefer not to drive In the carway. is to hook one
side in the outer rail and let the other run free
This on streets where heavy traffic abounds,
soon makes a rut. and so the ruin of the sur
face is begun. Pratt street is n notable instance
of this where the granite blocks are actually
half cut through by this lOCalizng of the
traffic. To the above must be added the fact
that every street carrying a double-tracked
railway is decorated with four cutters, pre-
venting proper drainage. Now assuming. very
properly, that we must have the railways on
most OF the streets. what can be done to Obviate
the Inconvenience to which the owners and
users of wheeled vehicles are subjected? The
sole answer to this is. that the companies should
be obliged to use a grooved rail. laid and kept
flush with the pavement. When this simple
device is adopted and the pavement kept in
proper order adjacent thereto, there will be no
more serious trouble from the bondage of the
track. whilst the wear and tear on the paved
surface will be as well distributed as is possible
in tracked streets.
''Tlre use of grooved rails is not new; they are
extensively used abroad and 1t is most extra
ordinary that this matter has been so long ig-
noTrd III this country, to the detriment of our
vehicles and streets. There should be an Ordi-
nance passed by the council, or an act by the
legislature. whichever is the fountain of power
in this case. compelling the companies to re-
place the present form of rail with the grooved
rail within a certain number of years. In the
meantime that railway company which will
voluntarily introduce the grooved rail in all its
repairs and renewals will earn the gratitude of
the public and show proper spirit of enter
prise. &c. Ii. LATROBE."