Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-13

would be pretty well
gridironed with ca r
tracks But Of course
emily . very small pro-
portion Of such bills
ever receive favorable action. much less pass
the two housea Each session. however, wit
nesses an increase in the number Of measures
of this character that are brought to the at
tention OF Congress In fact the question Of
the street railroad facilities OF the city has
within the past YEAR or two taken a prominent
place with those interested in the material
progress of the District II used 10 be
that street improvements was the main
theme OF the requests made yearly
upon Congress for legislation affecting
/ District interests. Street improvements
still represent very important and material
needs OF the District, but they have now to
yleic or at any rate to share the first place to
the question Of railroad facilities IL is easy to
understand why this should be so. This city
mas reached the stage in its development when
the population is pressed out from the center
and the outlying territory is occupied with
homes 1t Is necessary that the occupants of
these homes should have easy and rapid COM
munication with the business center. There
are some sections OF the city which have be-
come thickly built up, and yet they are with
out street railroads The residents. as well as
the owners OF property who desire to find
market for their property, are nat
urally anxious that tins need should be
supplied at once. Hence the demand made upon
congress. In recent years three railroads run
mig into the suburbs have been chartered and
ont or two Of the existing city roads have been
authorized to build extensions. But practically,
as far as the city is concerned. the street rail-
road facilities are about what they were fifteen
or twenty years ago. OF cours. there are two
horse cars instead Of the bob-taied car and q
cable system and cushions on the car seats and
other improvements, but the street railroad
system OF today covers about the same territory
Wltnln the limits of the city it did years ago.
SOME PROPOSED MEAsyRKs
The efforts that are now being made to
| supply what are regarded as deficiencies in the
present service are represented by bills
authorizing the construction of entire new
tension of old roads. As is well known to the
readers OF The STAR, Senator Mcmillan the
Chairman OF the District committee, has an
nounced as his policy that SO far as possible
the absolute needs for new service should be
suppned by building branches or lines con-
meeting with those of existing companies. A
number OF such measures are being or have
been considered by the District committees
for example, IL is proposed that the Washing
ton and Georgetown railroad should be e1-
tended to the new Georgetown or Free
bridge, and the property owners and residents
In the vicinity of the 9TH street road
would be delighted if this company would con-
| time the cable system along this street beyond
the present terminus of it's road, which is at
| the boundary. Real estate along I4th street
| extended has been approaching IN value ever
since 1t was determined that the cable system
would be continued out to Mount Pleasant
The 9TH street property owners look forward to
the same gratifying results in the event that
nh street extended Is made part of the cable
system.
1t Is also proposed that an extension to the
Metropolitan road be built along street from
Dupont Circle east to 9Th street 1t is held
that there is a necessity for q cross-town road
ana this plan has been suggested as a means OF
supplying this need. Another branch OF the
same road is advocated which would leave the
main stem at East Capitol street run along llth
street to the south and thence east along Penn
sylvania avenue to the new bridge. Then there
Is the Coiunbla railroad with its western ter
minus at New York avenue and 18th street 1t
Is designed to continue this line along Pennsyl-
rania avenue to 18th street. thence south TO q
street and west along that street As an alter
native proposition the new branch could leave
the present line at 18th and II streets, run along
the latter stree. to 18th street and so on along
the route as above indicated.
The House has already passed bill granting
an extension to the lexington road which will
allow ITS tracks TO be continued along q street
to New Jersey avenue and thence south, reach
ing the Capitol grounds at the end of North
Creek Railroad Company should have the priv
liege OF extending its tracks from 18th street
along Boundary to 9TH street. The Anacostia
railroad would like to come ND 9Th street to r
and thence along to llth and south to its
present line near the Center Market Some
OF these plans have taken the form of
bills and Others are still under consideration
IL ID lair to presume that some Of these meas-
ures, as well as some bills providing for entirely
new lines, Will survive the uncertainties OF
congressional action and become enacted into
laws Inc importance OF supplying the CITY
with ample street car facilities is fully recoc-
nized, and there is no doubt but that much Of
the future prosperity of the city depends upon
the development of this feature Of city life
THE PROFITS OF A SYNDICATE.
The practice OF handling large tracts of land
or high-priced property by means of syudi-
Gates has become well established here. and il
is comparatively easy to organize a syndicate
II there Is any profit in sight Some times
when an ailuring prospect OF this character is
somewhat hazy those who form the syndicate
go in on the doctrine of chances and accent
the result with philosophic composure As q
rule syndicates make money just as individuals
do who put their money in Washington real
estate. Perhaps there are cases where in the
opinion Of those most interested the harvest
LIS not as great as they had expected, still there
are exceptions to every rule. A member Of q
syndicate which is quite large enough to be
dIgnlned with the name of an incorporated
company recently told Q STAR man that his
company was about to pay a second dividend
amounting to IL per cent. They had been or
ganized less than two years, and with a capital
Of SlOO, ZOO had acquired large block OF city
property. The greater portion Of the purchase
money had been secured by a trust, and in adj
dition to paying the interest, taxes and
other expenses they had accumulated q sur
plus Of some $4,000 and still owned about
half the property. The profits, in addition to
the surplus, were represented by two divi-
dends-one of 10 per cent and one Of l2-which
made the total profits an investment of
500. 600 in less than two years some 600
THE NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT EMPLoYEs
An interesting side light was thrown upon
the question Of the increase during the past
two years in the number Of residents of the
city in the government service by the compils-
ton of the statistics Of the Blue Book for 1881.
which has inst been issued. Accnrdinfx r. a.