Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-11
ROLLING OVER IRON RAILS.
The Wonderful Work of the Modest
Street Car.


A RIVAL OF THE LocoMorIvE-rHE STREET CAR
SERVICE OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TIMES
AROUND THE aLoBE-srREET CAR SEASONS
DEAD-BEATs-THE MoNEY-MAKINa PASSENGER
For centuries it has been tradition in En-
gland that no one ever saw dead donkey, and
during the earlier portion of the War of the
Rebellion infantry and artillery were wont to
poke fun at the mounted arm of the service by
saying that no one ever saw a dead cavalry
man. Yet there have been and still are in
existence persons whose eyes have beheld the
hghtheeled jackass when he had kicked his last
kick, and many Borrowing heart can bear
testimony to the mournful fact that the de-
vouring demon, redhanded War, gathered in
amore than fair proportion of the gallant men
who fought with the carbine and saber during
the sanguinary internecine strife which deluged
the land with human blood and filed thousands
of homes with broken hearts.
But did you ever see a WORKOUT. irreparable
"bobtaiG" car? Did you ever catch yourself
wondering how long street-car runs before it
can fairly be regarded as disabled? There are
any number of those much-execrated vehicles
IN this city that have run fully 500 900 miles
and are yet in fair condtion-more than twenty
times around the earth at its greatest circum-
ference and yet ready to go out again. Ready
to carry anything. from driver and the never
absent fare-b0x up to q load of from fifty to
seventy-fve able-bodied individuals. Ready
with that mysterious street-car property-in-
visible expansion-which always insists that
there Is room for lone more"
1t would be difficult to find two vehicles whose
rates OF speed vary more than the passenger
locomotive and the ''bobtail" car. vet the swift
flying iron horse performs but little more duty.
covers but little more ground in q day than his
humble competitor. 1t is the old fable of the
hare and the tortoise over again. The giant
engine runs about 100 miles in every twenty
four hours and then rests for the remainder of
the day; the little car rolls out from under its
shed just as the first streaks of gray dawn APP
pear above the horizon, and it keeps on rolling
until its wheels have revoived over 80 miles of
street-railroad track. That is its days work.
On extraordinary occasions it may do more,
but "a rule, the company is satisfied when it
gets 30 miles out of it daily,
GROWTH OF THE sTREEr-CAR TRAFFIC.
How the street-car traffic in this city has
grown since the eastern and western extremes
of the city were linked together in 1882 One
road alone has gridroned the streets until now
II has 81 miles OF double track where fifteen
years ago miles was its limit. The total mile
age covered by its cars last year figured up
l.oSS. 435 miles, representing grand excursion
OF more than seventy-nine times around the
world. And then the number of passengers on
that same road during 1888: fully thirty-two
rides each for every man, woman, and child in
the District of Columbia
People who want to patroniZe street cars in
this city ought to be glad they live here, for
! they do not have to pay as much for the privi-
lege as they would i'll many other cities. Not
only has the single fare been uniformly fixed at
1ve cents and nearly all transfers made Free
but the companies are unit in selling six tick
cts for twenty-five cents. The latter privilege
means more than most folks would imagine
The saving to the public is more than : $40, 900
annually, but the loss to the companies is not
correspondlngy great because the majority of
people who have tickets in their pockets will
ride instead of walking, as they would do if
they had to pay out nickel every time they
boarded car.
STREET CAR SEASONS
"What is your busiest season." asked STAR
reporter day or two since of one of the most
prominent street-car officials in town.
Just opening up" said he; ''summer time"
why Is 1t that more people ride in summer
whom the weather, as rule, is good than do in
winter, when 1t is frequently bad?' corkscrewed
the reporter.
Because fewer people stay indoors in spring
and summer time. The ladies are out shopping
nearly every day in the week; there are any
number OF excursion and picnic parties, and
lastly, but by no means least, there is the heat.
Old Sol brings us any number Of passengers
Many man who would trudge home through
snowstorm. or right in the teeth of gale of
wind, Is only too glad to avail himself Of
street-car when the mercury is climbing toward
the roof. Your collar will wilt anyhow, but if
you ride you will save some of your stock of
perspiration until the next day."
Are there any particular days on which YOU
do more business than on others?"
"Oh, yes;' was the reply. "They come with
a neyer-faiiing regularity. The two busiest
days in the month are those on which the gov
ernment pays its employes-the LIST and the 18th.
Then all the employees, their wives and chill
dren, and their sisters and their cousins and
their aunts 20 shopping. Tuesdays, THURSDAYS.
and Saturdays are always marked by heavier
trafhc than other days in the week, because
they are market DAYS. People seem to be afraid
to ride on Friday; the travel on that day is more
than one-fourth less than on any other dav in
the week. Then We have busy periods in each
day-from to 10 and from to 6. The rush is
especially vigorous at about $50 and 4, for ey-
erybody wants to get on the first car that comes
along"
BEATING THE ROAD.
The ingenuity which some people display in
'beating" the companies out of their fares
is extraordinary, and the talent exerted to
steal nickel by saving it would make the
petty Pilferers rich If it was only properly used
Few classes of busy mankind travel more than
reporters. and they some strange tricks
played by apparently respectable people,
There Is in this city a woman with an income
which Is almost sufficient to enttle her to be
called wealthy, and yet she delights in not only
cheating the company, but bullying the con-
ductor. She will enter a car, and when the
conductor comes for her fare she will give him
nickel. He will deposit it in his pocket and
register it. In minute or SO she will begin to
tidget around and look uneasily at the conduc-
tor, and before another minute has gone by
she will call him to her and, in a disagreeably
loud voice, ask him why he doesn't give her
her change. He, of course, says She was
not entitled to any change, and then
she insists that she gave him quar-
ter, and threatens to report him if
he does not at once hand over 90 cents. What
can he do but comply with her request morti-
Tying as 1t is? Every passenger in the car re-
CARDS the conductor a thief of the first
water, and the conductor knows Just what thew
think Of him. Inquiry at the Office of the rail
road upon the line of which this woman lives
developed the fact that she had PLAYED the
same game upon number of conductors and
hit the same man twice within a week Now
every man on the force has at least one eve on
her, and the next time she tries that game
there will be immediate trouble with prosecu-
ton thereafter by the company.
The people who "beat" the bob-tail cars do it
when they are crowded. They generally man
age to squeeze up near the front and they drop
fares in, for other people, and listen, without
apparent concern or emotion, to the tinkling
of the fare-bell.
THE MoNEY-MAKINa PASSENGER