Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-10
STORAGE BATTERIES.
The Metropolitan Hallway Company 10 Use
That Form of Motor.

1 80
| That Form Of Motor.
\ DECISION By THE STOCKHOLDERS TO EXPEND
100000 IN MAKING THE NECESSARY CHANGES
-ExrxNsvE NEW BUILDINGS TO BE ERECTED
AND LABoR-sAyINa MACHINERY TO RE Used.
| The statement first presented to the public
in TIE STAR that the Metropolitan Street
Railway Company would equip its road with
cars operated by storage batteries has been
confirmed by the stockholders, who held
meeting yesterday afternoon and authorized the
board of directors to expend not more than
$780, 900 in making the necessary changes;
the changes which will give the equines
n rest so far as the Metropolitan company is
concerned. The system which will be put in
operation is one owned and controlled by the
company, it being the result of series of prac-
teal experiments conducted by the companys
consulting electrical engineer, Mr.. C. o. Mail
| loux, for more than a year past. A car con-
structed under the supervision of Mr.. Mailloux
has been running at intervals on the road and
| in general way was satisfactory. Recently it
has been materially improved.
NEW BUILDINGS TO BE ERECTED.
The first thing to be done by the board of
directors will be to push the erection of the
necessary buildings. These structures will
supersede the present offices and will be quite
expensive. They will be erected on street,
Just west of the present Offices and stables.
The frontage will be 122 feet and the total
depth 235 feet. The main building will be two
stories in height and equipped in every
particular for the convenient transaction of
modern street car business.
LABOR-sAvINa MACHINERY.
Labor-saving machinery is to be used to the
fullest possible extent. Among the many
things which will be necessary will be three
water-tube safety boilers. each Of 200 horse
power. Coal and water will be fed automatically
and the ashes will be removed without active
human effort. There will be three steam en-
gines-Corliss compounded 200 horse power
each, and the electricity will be manufactured
by six dynamos, only two of which, however will
be operated at any one time. The batteries in
the cars will be removed automatically and elc-
waited to the second story, where all transferring
is to be done by mechanical means. In the re-
charging room there will be sixty-four battery
stands.
As soon rs the weather permits the work of
grading and construction will be commenced,
and 1t is the intention of the directorate to
push matters to completion with the utmost
rapidity. Details will be arranged today by the
board, which holds n regular meeting.
DIFFICULTIES THAT HAVE BEEN OVERCOME
One of the difficulties with which the COM
rany has contended in its electrical expert
ments was the weight of the batteries each car
| has to carry. That, it is now known, will not
| affect the grooved rails just put down, for that
rail is more than equal to the strain which will
be put upon it, 1t is bound on both outer
edges by solid concrete and cannot, therefore.
spread to any appreciable extent.
NEW TRANSFER SLIPS.
OF almost as much importance to the patrons
| of street cars a new motive power will be the
| information that with the present year the oc-
cupaton of the transfer agents on the Metro
| politan road will vani.h and ut the came
time the company will extend its trans
fer facilities very materially. Commencing
| on january ], 1891, transfers will be issued bV
conductors the system to be inaugurated here
having worked most successfully in Chicago.
| Transfer tickets are now being prepared. They
| will be about two inches long and an inch wide
and on those issued on the 9Th street line will
be two subdivisions marked IF Street and
| New York Avenue" On the face of the trans
not be honored unless presented
at intersection of 9th street and (the
conductor viii punch the place of transfer)
within sixty minutes from hour punched in
margin" Along the edge of the slip the hours
of tho day will be printed and the conductor
will oblitcrate such figure will give the
| holder of the transfer ample time to catch the
| slOwest kind of an interesting car.
Should passenger be given transfer at S
PM, for instance. the figure will be cut out
| anu inc tIiIisicr VIII DE SoOO IN Inc
conductor would cut ont the 5 at any time be-
| tween 5 o'clock and 5:45. From 545 until Gas
he punches 6, 30 that the slip will be good until
| Z pm. Transfers will be issued az the cars
near transfer points the conductors audibly
announcing the locality.
There are at present only two bobtail cars on
the 9Th street line and the new system will take
them OF, because a conductor will be al alb
solute necessity on each car.
TRANSFERS AT 14rH AND NEW YORK AVENUE.
Now, as to the extension of the transfer sys-
tenn. Perhaps some people will not be de-
lighted to hear that from and after the LIST of
January the Metropolitan and Columbia
companies will transfer passengers to
each other at 14th street and New
York avenue The advantages offered by
this arrangement are easily evident Govern
ment printing Office employees who want to
60 west can transfer at 14th street and continue
toward Georgetown without having to 60 to f
saving in point Of time and an accommodation
Of the most popular description. This will
| also materially tighten the now extremely
heavy street traffic.
| -.--- NEW TICKETS TO BE PREPARED.
Another improvement in Metropolitan rail-
road matters will be apparent i'll few days
At the board meeting in November the direc-
tors authorized the printing of tickets in per-
forated slips of six, which, when
| dlslnteSraeu. could not De used q second
time. The new tickets are similar to
the ones now in circulation but they are much
| smaller. On the reverse of each is the legend
This ticket not good if punched and to
make it binding there is beneath it the auto
graph of Geo. w. Pearson, president. These
tickets would have been issued before this,
but the company has been waiting for
the punches with which each conductor will
operate lin the presence of the passenjaire /"
The punches are expected daily and then the
| tickets will be sold. For some time past the
Columbia company has been selling tickets in
slips of six.
TO STOP ONLY ONCE AT CROSSING.
Another line of reform is almost ut hand,
one which will be welcomed by every humane
person in the city. President Pearson did not
care to discuss the matter with The STAR re-
porter who sought and found him this morn
| ing, but it was evident from his manner that
he favored the proposition which is advanced
in the following letter, sent by President A. s.
Pratt of the Humane Society to Superintendent
De Neale OF the Metropolitan road:
"Denr Sir: l have been instructed by the
executive committee of the Washington
Humane Society to earnestly request all
the street railway companies and the herdic
company Of this city to instruct their con-
ductors and drivers to stop only ut one side of
the street at any street crossing in order to
spare the horses. This practice, 1 understand,
is carried out in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New
York and other cities
The matter will be considered by the board
| ~ this off oly