Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-04
WIRES UNDERGROUND.
Popular Interest Displayed in the U
Street Road.

street Road.
Every one at all familiar with modern
rapid transit methods for street railroads
is aware of the specious character Of the
claim made by the trolley advocates that
their system is the only electrical device
that is commercial success. The storage
battery and the underground system, they
say, are mere theories and lack entirely
the practical features which breed money
and that. of course. is what the managers Of
railroads are after. They are not run
ming railroads for fun or glory and
they have never made any pretense
of doing SO They do not pose as pub
lie benefactors except before commit
tees of Congress and in newspaper inter-
views But when they get down to real
business 1t is money that the average street
railroad corporation Is after, and the inter-
ests OF the dear public is a sounding phrase
which they have fallen into the habit Of
using, but which does not mean anything.
The Underground System.
Approaching as the people in this city
do very fully the position of railroad
corporations, it is not surprising that
the outlook of the U street line. where
the underground system is in opera
ton, Is matter of considerable in
terest. This popular attention to a single
road is not based on the ground that, in its
cape from the seizure by the trolley monop-
oily of the streets Of the city, but principally
because this road affords practical object
lesson of the falsity of the claim of the troll
ley people that their system is the only
practical electrical device for the propul-
sion or street cars.
rapid transit in addition TO the underground
system. But this system is SO well adapted
for this city that the people would be Glad
to see that 1t was recognized as a success by
GenerAlly mo 70 = hot
1t has been in successful operation for six
months and more, is in itself a fiat contra
legged experts who have declared that an
electric underground wire would not work,
me same claim would be made in regard
70 the cable were 1t not for the fact that
caoie ROADS are In actual operation.
Give 1t a Fair Trial.
If the underground system was given a
fair trial. not by one company. but by sew
eral, it would probably now be in the posi-
ton of the cable. beyond the reach of criti-
cism, which is always directed against
everything that is looked upon as expert
mental. There is one thing about the I'M
foreground road in this city, and that is.
large number of practical men who did not
have any faith in the practical character
OF TINS system now admit that 1t is a sue
cess OF course the trolley people, when
they come before the committees Of Con-
gress. are going to call attention to the
length of this road and the fact that it is
Will say with a sneer that the system
would never work on line full of grades
or dinerent percentages and with numerous
If their judgment is accepted why then
the matter is disposed of right there, and
further tests. of the underground system
would be useless. But what Is to prevent
the system from doing good work under
harder, perhaps adverse. conditions, as CON-
pared with those which exist on the present
line? The trolley experts will no doubt
answer with many words of unfamiliar
sound and high scientific rank. After they
get through 1t will amount to nothing more
than their opinion, and that has been shown
to be wrong In SO many instances in the
past that 1t Is really of no value at all.
The fact that the cars are run on the I'M
foreground system at all negatives the opin-
ions Of these experts. for they claimed that
the moisture In the conduit would absorb
the current; Yet this road has been run
ming through the snow and the rain of last
winter and none of the calamities that
these wiseacres have predicted came to
pass.
Forced by Trolley Innuence.
Perhaps scientific experts are wrong: at
any rate it would seem the part Of wis
dom before this city, or any city. throws
itself into the arms OF the trolley monop-
oily that the inventive genius Of the age
be given a chance to perfect. or at least to
try the inventions which have been 50 num-
from all parts OF the world for a more rapid
system of street car locomotiOn than horses
furnish. Everything In the way OF i'm
proved motors have been forced to the wall
by the trolley influence, which, with its
boards Of easily earned gold. is actually en-
gagged in a contest to throttle invention and
to prevent the Introduction of anything
that will interfere with the enormous gains
which the cheapest form OF street car
motor yields.
Not Local Influences.
Whatever the influence may be that
favors the trolley. it Is certainly not to any
extent a local influence. OF course there
are men whose personal interests point to
the trolley, but the great bulk of the peo
pie are opposed to 1t. They don't want TO
see the streets of the city marred by the
unsightly wires and poles. and. further.
they are opposed to putting their lives and
those Of their families In jeopardy by daily
possible contact with the wires. They recog-
nize in the trolley a menace not only to the
lives of loved ones, but to value Of property,
which would rapidly depreciate. especially
along the streets where the trolley was In
USE 1t is Objectionable along the thronged
business streets and II Is virtually de-