Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-04
Is the Advice of the lexington
Roads Manager.
HIS REPLY TO A PETITION
Calls the Petition a Mixture of
FaIsehoods and ignorance.
w RK ON TIL E AID


ceived a complaint from number of the
! residents living on r street northeast
against the management of the lexington
and Soldiers Home railroad. 1t was charg-
ed in the complaint that the cars were
run irregularly and no regard was paid to
the connection at 5th street and New York
avenue. Before and after office hours more
than half of those who get on the cars,
it was said, are required to stand and
those who cannot get on are required to
wait or walk. Before and after office
hours, the complaint stated, more cars
should be run. The. cars are too far apart
and the petitioners thought the company
should erect shelter at 7th and 5th streets
The worst mismanagement 1t was alleged
is displayed by the company in rebuilding
the New York avenue part of the road
For nearly three months there has been
a small force of men at work on that
street, working alternately the two
tracks. The petition ended by hoping that
the Commissioners would at once require
the evils to be corrected.
The paper was sent to the president of the
railroad company for his report, and to it
Mr. w. Kesley Schoepf, the vice president
and manager of the road, submitted his
report, in which he says:
l would respectfully report that a number
of the statements as made are falsehoods,
while majority of the others arise from
the ignorance of the signers of the COM
munication.
The cars of the lexington and Soldiers
Home Railway Company are run as close
to schedule time is possible, and the only
time the cars are off schedule is when they
are delayed by an accident, or are detained
by reason of a funeral or procession cross
ing the tracks of the company the latter
having the right of way.
The cars are never held at the northern
terminus, as stated, for longer period
than is required by the scedule.
The four cars on the main line give
ten minutes street. which is more fire.
qUent than ever given by the old manage
ment, and, indeed. more than the travel
on the line justifies.
About one hundred office holders ride
/ on the. cars, and, they all seem to put
off taking the cars until the last moment
| they crowd into the two cars which bring
| them to their offices just on the moment
| If the car which they are riding hap
pens to be the least bit late. the 'kickers,"
or which number your petitioner seems to
De part, commence to grumble and con-
denim the management of the road, IL they
mad energy enough to crawl out of bed ten
minutes sooner and take an earlier car |
have no doubt that they would not only
have plenty of room. but very often have
the whole car to themselves. But this prob
ably would not please them. as they would,
then have no one with whom they icouldi
compare notes and criticise the MANAGE
ment of the road.
! Because some of the residents of other
parts OF the city on Sunday evening see
mt to take advantage of the comforta BILE
| cars ana agreeable service given by This
| company, L am led to infer that your peti-
tioners would like to have private cars, on
which no one would be allowed to ride but
themselves; but as we have hardly thought
your honorable board would allow such an
arrangement we have failed to put it into
| force.
| AS to the statement that the cars of this
| company are In need of repair, beg to say
| that IL is false.
Regarding the connections at 5th street
and New York avenue, l beg to say that
except when the cars of either one or the
other lines are late. on account of causes
mentioned above, which does not often
happen, connections always made with
one of the G. street cars from the main line
and every other car of the G street line
connects with car the main line.
! This comes from the fact that we are
running with fve-mnute schedule on G
street, while the cars on the main line are
ten minutes apart.
The rebuilding of the company's tracks
on New York avenue is being done under
n permit issued by your honorable board.
and as yet the company has not been not
| fled that the work has not been prosecuted
! to the satisfaction of your engineer de-
partment. under whose supervision it is
being done.
Regarding the complaint that New York
| avenue has not been cleaned up for three
months, ! can hardly how this affects
| the residents of r street between LIST and
| cd streets northeast over a mile away.
The statement to the time required
for reaying the tracks is due to ignorance.
Your petitioners probably have never re-
allied that there might be a difference be-
tween changing the gauge of southern
| railroad and the rebuilding of an electric
| railroad. and operating at the same time.
| | beg to say; in conclusion, that the man.
| agement OF the lexington and Soldiers
| Home Railway Company doing every
| thing in their power to give a good service
| to those patronizing the road. The relaying
| of the tracks New York avenue has
! been completed, and within few days the
paving will also have been completed"