Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-29
The Trolley in washingtsn.


Inc report from Washington that trolley
electric railway companies elsewhere are
interesting themselves In getting permits
sion Tor the erection Of trolley lines in that
city Is not so incredible as 1t might at first
appear to be. Congress has tried TO make
washington a model city. 1t has banished
overhead wires of all kinds. and has sought
to do away with horse cars, compelling the
railway companies to adopt some other sys-
TEN OF car propulsion. In pursuance OF
this policy it has prohibited the erection Of
trolley lines. One OF the companies has
equipped its line with a model cable system
A a mas put down an underground
electrical conduit system in the city, which
Is used In connection with q trolley line
running through the suburbs. The Metro
politan began experiments with the storage
battery system, and had the time for aban-
doning the use Of horses extended one
year that 1t might continue its experiments
The time allotted has now expired. and it
Is still experimen ting, with the evident pur-
pose OF forcing Congress to permit them to
adopt the trolley. because IL IL the cheap
est method OF car propulsion There Is
however, no need OF such surrender. II
storage batteries will not work. IL electrical
conductors in underground conduits are un-
satisfactory there stu remains the cable
of Washington from overhead trolley wires.
and the company should be forced to
adopt one or the other Of these devices
There Is less excuse for the trolley In
Washington than In any other city OF the
Union, Tor Washington's streets are now
free from the DETACHMENT OF overhead
wires, whereas the streets Of other cities
are already encountered with them. and In
those cities the trolley only adds to an ex-
listing evil.
Trolley companies In other cities are
anxious to break down the opposition to
the trolley in Washington for a substan-
tial business reason. If Congress should
vention, will force the Metropolitan COM
pany to devise and adopt a superior system
Of car propulsion; and the immediate ef,
Washington. and its successful operation
on large scale will be q refusal to grant
demand p that the trolley shall Be aSan.
doned where it is already In use. The sue
cess of any rival system at Washington
that reason S It is not improeaSie that troi-
ley companies elsewhere will try to influ-
ence congressional action, and for that
Arm against the trolley and persist in their
efforts to make Washington model city.
Municipal authorities from all parts OF
Washington for evidence Of what can be
done in the way of freeing the streets OF
nuisances. Not many years ago the tele-
companies declared that It was impossible
to put their wires under ground and OPP
crate them Sucesssfully But TO-DAY In
phia and Chicago there are hundreds or
thousands s., Of miles of electrical con-
ductors laid under ground and used for
telegraphing. for telephoning and for both
kinds of electric lighting. The experts
who explained by theory why the under
ground conductors could not be operated
could not be answered a few years ago:
now they can be referred to the works in
actual use. So also the railway experts
who declare that nothing will serve to
be answered by reference to other systems
in use at Washington. provided Congress
shall persist In its opposition to horses and
to the trolley.
Pressure is required to force the adop-
ton Of systems that beneft the public
put put not hat th era railway eompanies The latter
where they are required to do so, but are
still experimenting" In Pennsylvania,
shall soon have a better system than the
trolley II Washington and New York per
sist in standing out against 1t, and when
will demand that the poles shall come
down.