Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-24
A SID E PARTNER.
The Trolley People Greatly Aided
by the Metropolitan Road.
EXPERIMENTS SAID TO Be 4 FARCE.
Three Years Wasted and the Mo-
tive Power Not Changed.
ADY FOR RESS

RE ADY FOR NGRESS.
the Metropolitan Railroad Company will
occupy some OF the attention Of Congress
at the coming session. 1t Is evident that
the company has not complied with the
direction of that body and made
the stipulated change In the
motive power. Even the company ndInits
that as 1t is one OF those facts that can't
be very easily concealed. Nevertheless.
! while the company cOnfesses to disre-
| gard of the mandates of the chief legisla-
tive body OF this country. or to put it
tn tn connI another ,,s way way they have failed
that this position is not the result Of con-
tempt for that body or Il spirit Of disdain
combination OF circumstances over which
the company has had no controlIt Is not at
all improbable that Congress will be asked
| TO give the company further extension of
| time, in order that the scientific experiment Is
and tests which have been going on for the
and 1t is possible that when the company
appears before the body which legisiates for
the District and tells the tale of the past
two or three years and relates the manner
| and the method followed in the pursuit of a
motor that would carry the cars around the
waot soa the Juice hs eSng out OF
| leaving the car ignominiously stranded in
thet the streets ,b then e the iesslas0rs viii feel
| researches carried on with so much vigor
by President Pearson and his associates
shall be completed even If it takes two or
| three years more.
| Some practical men OF affairs are inclin-
sd to b,s make hee light of the h seentie ieS work
and are even SO severe as to say that ut
has nothing to do with railroad businees.
IlAxtA to. lk.rkN. ct~,
| ton even from business standpoint Nr
| 1t is said that the company has not beal
carried away with the inventors zeal anx
enthusiasm to such an extent as to waste
/ or even To spend the money OF the company
| 1t is true that the company has in
and sod some WeTth on OF as bonds This
money. however. has not been spent in
seSs sansy salaries to seienhs or
real ,ro,. ssa,e and in buildings 70 70
purchased in South Washington and a
! great power house has been erected there
company s land at the + Street bridge. '
them. can be used even in the event that
| come to naught. and the storage battery
| car should prove to be a failure. In the
| contingency that such bitter disappoint-
ment should come there will be consoia ton
| in the thought that only about or per
lost in experiments. While ali the remainder
! OF the proceeds OF the bond Issue is repre-
sea.sd sent, ~ IN ~ mwei;e1uipRed u % buildings 1t may
miliar with the designs OF the trolley peo-
pie. that while the, company has been
making the STORAGE car success,
their, new plant will be admirably adapted
This fact may be incidentally called to
| the attention of Congress, but not, of
course, by the officials OF this company for
| the reason that they may take the position
ahead and
prove that the storage car is success
# members of Congress should aues-
Gals of the road viii ask: Swell. w What are, are
you going to do about it? The cable road
our road are too % numerous. @ The e'Tes under n,
| ground electric road has not been demon
strated rt d to be a, practical system and so
what Is there left except the trolley IL You
| the storage cars,
Among trolley men this is regarded as
a strong position and they conclude that
Congress, whether 1t wants to not, will
be thrown into the arms OF the trolley
| of the trolley to this road. the officials will
take kindly to the change. especially as it
VIII, VIII cost .;t practically rae nothing to equip the
minds of some well-informed people in re-
directed that the Washington and George
town and the Metropolitan roads should
Of the Of he w'hh The
atty was forfeiture of their charters. The
former road has made the change and the
latter secured from Congress an extension
of the, time for one year. This extension
expired on Saturday and the road now
stands face to face with forfeiture proceed
In order to enable the roads to comply
with this law Congress at the same time
gave the privilege to issue stock to cover
the cost Of the proposed change. Neither
OF the roads avafled themselves of this priv
ilege. The Washington and Georgetown
4lreldy decided 10 n iy,
its motive power, and to meet the cost
The Action of the Commissioners.
The Commissioners are evidently deter
mined to do their share toward forfeting
the charter of the Metropolitan Railroad
. Company for compliance with the act
OF Congress approved March 2. 1889. To-
day, they wrote letter to the Attorney Gen
ers of the District Of Columbia have the
! honor to call to your attention paragraph
nree s an @ act s5a 95 g approved March
Of to tRe RT0vdf District fSf
80, 1880 and for other purposes. authorizing
street railroad companies in this District
cars TO subs nnsr titqte hs for horses electrical
cable mo1ed edsbyun by steam M5pss poW
vf o se wn9ie snS fo OF any portion Of its raod
Congress approved August 6, 1890 (26 stat 293l
declaring that If any street railway compa-
ny, operating a line or lines Of street
railways from Georgetown or west Wash
| ington to and beyond the Capitol grounds
shall fail to substitute for horse power
the power herein provided for on all
Its lines within two years from
the date of this act, such company
shall forfeit its corporate franchiSe
and also to joint resolution Of Congress
approved September %. 1892. extending the
time within which such street railroads
compelled by act of Congress, approved
August 6. 1890. to change their motive
power from one horse car power to
mechanical power from one year, and
to suggest to you that the Metropolitan
Railroad Company of the District of Co.
lumhia, operating a line Of street railroads
from Georgetown West Washington,
to or beyond the Capitol grounds, has fail
ed to substitute for horse power the power
provided for in section of said act of Con-
gress approved August 6, 1890. to the end
that you may take such proceedings to for
felt the charter from the said Metropolitan
Railroad Company as you may deem
proper"
Congressman and Their Clerks.
First Controller Bowler has decided that
Congressman are authorized to employ
clerks during an extra session of Congress:
that any number Of Congressman may en-