Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-10
ALL KINDS OF STREET CARS
Every Variety Of Surface Trsnsit Repre-
scented in Washington.
From Bobtafl to Cable ana Under
ground Electric - Wise Action OF
ConEress-Banishme Of Trolley.


studied in this city with greater ense and
less expense than perhaps anywhere else.
There is a permanent exhibit Of this kind
in the streets of Washington.
The first street car that was ever made
and launched upon its career Of making the
daily life of the citizens miserable and pill
ing up the dividends of the stockholders
was mostly Of the variety known as the
bobtail. 1t had one horse. and there was
a driver to look after the horse and the
rest Of the business was attended to by the
passengers. In addition to paying the regu-
lar fare they worked their passage by stop
ping the car for people to get on and off,
and they also collected the fares.
This car is still in operation in this city,
and now that the Anacostia railroad runs
up into the center Of the city the Washing
ton public, as well as strangers from
throughout the country. can have the OPP
street car in use. Two horses are at
tached to these cars instead of one, but
this startling innovation Is not due to the
managers of the road, but to a law Of Con-
gress which imposes a fine on companies
using one-horse cars. The law was really
designed to wipe out of existence the bob
tailed car. but as 1t did not specify that
cars should not be run without conductors
this city enjoys the distinction Of having a
line Of bob-tatled cars in actual operation.
All Sorts Of Cars.
From this first crude form Of street car
to the latest device for street car propui
sion is a span Of a good many years, but
nevertheless the span is made right on the
streets of Washington and not in some mu-
scum where perhaps the stranger interested
in such studies Is obliged to pay an en-
trance fee. This is one of the free shows of
Washington. and would be more appreciat-
ed by the citizens only people have grown
SO accustomed to all sorts of electrical and
other devices that now they have gotten
into the habit of jumping into a car with
out so much as looking to see what the mo-
tive power is and caring less The main
requirement Of the average citizen from
street car line Is directness and CELEBRITY.
He wants to be taken to certain localities
and he wants to go there in the least POS
sible time. So, II after awhile they hitch
a balloon to street cars and haul them
along that way, the patrons OF the ruad Will
not express much surprise. In a town
where they have street railroads run by
every known motor and device for street car
propulsion novelties cease to attract gen.
era1 attention.
1t is no doubt rather a surprise to the ma
jority Of citizens to be told that there Is
in operation in this city every form OF
street car and street car motor that has
been in use from the ealiest period in the
art down tn the present time. But such
is the case. The only exception to be noted.
If that is an exception, is the bob-tailed car
propelled by one horse. This Is really the
most primitive form OF street car service.
The neat stage in the development. which.
however, does not represent any great pro-
gress Is seen in the bob-tailed car which
has been referred to and which is now some
what modernized by being drawn by two
horses.
Electrical Motors.
Then there Ia the regulation two-horse
car which is still in Use in other large cit
les. Coming next into the domain Of cleo
tricity there are a few examples Of the
first and most primitive application Of cleo
tricity to street car propulsion and that Is
the overhead trolley. Fortunately this
modern municipal curse as II has come to
be recognized has been practically kept OF
OF the streets Of the city and employed only
on suburban lines. There Is a short stretch
of road operated by the overhead trolley
along New York avenue from 7th street to
the boundary. but in the course of a year
or 30 the law requires the taking down OF
these overhead wires and the Introduction
of some other motive power. The road
which penetrates to the suburban region
north Of Georgetown is another overhead
trolley road md II was given the right to
erect wires over that portion Of the line
which ran through the streets Of George
town. With these exceptions this city has
the proud record Of streets that are practi-
cally free from the deadly danger of over
head trolley wires. Now that other cities
have come to realize that this system IN
only cheap and primitive application OF
electricity as a street car motor they are
looking on Washington with envious ewes.
ana IN some cases they have already be-
gun the struggle which they hope will bring
cupies.
The use Of electricity in storage batterv
cars found partial illuctration on the G.
street line Of the lexington road and NAV
also De seen at irregular intervals each dav
II the weather happens to be clear and the
,raVei not too heavy on the Metropolitan
80
states, however that the experiments which
they have been carrying on with the view
OF Hhding a commercial storage battery
nave proved Ruthless and in a recent bill
whicn mas been presented to Congress thev
nave asked permission to lay an under
ground trolley wire on 9th street, with tho
ultimate intention of using the system on
| the entire road. A' vi
The Underground System.
Tne Underground system can also be seen
mere ana generally speaking IT Is a great
CURIOSITY. Tor with the exception of a short
me III Cnicago there is not another street
railroad In the country that is onera taa ~,
| this system. In Buda-Pesth. Anstrsa u Dy
cessfully used. anu sue
The section Of street railroad FROM, TAI,
| street west along street to pnnns ..n
now operated by the underpro,nST .noary'
Is part OF the road. which runs seven mia.
OUT INTO the country. and is operated o,'t'
s TSe .ne city limits by an overhead trolley
Ihere Is no change Of cars. At the end ~
tne Underground portion Of the road the
trolley Is removed from under the car and
the overhead trolley Is swung in ito nj.
IN contact with the overhead wires. Per
maps the most extensive examples to he
found here Of modern systems of street
car propulsion Is the cable line which
under the operatiO Of one company ey
tends along Pennsylvania avenue from
| Georgetown to the navy yard on 7th street
from the river to the Boundary and on 14th
street from its connection with the avenue
line to the Boundary
Under whatever system the citizen or the
stranger is carried along over the streets of
the city, there Is but one standard of speed,
and that is fixed by a law of Congress-
which provides that the speed on street car
lines shall not exceed nine miles an hour
1t Is not claimed for the horse car lines
that they exceed this standard and while
| there Is some complaint about the cable
cars going too fast yet there Is no una
nimty on the part of citizens on this point.
Out in the suburbs the street cars are said
to whirl along with pleasing rapidity, but,
! Of course, this is entirely unofficial and not
in accordance with the law However,
there is no complaint on this score, which
| only goes to show that what the public Is
| car.
| With all this variety Of invention which
| now marks the street railroad history in
| this city there Is hope that in the near fu-
| ture the evolution will be about completed.
and the streets of Washington will be fully
| supplied with street cars, moving at the
maximum speed with a minimum OF danger
| and at the most convenient intervals. OF
late years Congress has done much to i'm
i IL l. I@t-.-