Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-31
BOSTON TO BURY WIRES
Washington Shows Massachusetts Com.
mittees How It May Be Done.
The Influence of Conversational Action
the Trolley in It's First Stronghold.


in great electrical good. for the committee
on street railways of the Massachusetts
legislature-bent on irding a better motor
than the overhead tIolley-has discovered
just what it hoped to find. The praise
worthy tenacity of Congress in refusing to
permit the overhead trolley within the
limits of this city has resulted in the in
coming Of an underground system of street
car pl opulsion, the operation Of which has
made Of the overhead trolley a back num-
Der. 1t was the committees intention
when it left Boston to journey at least as
far toward the west as Chicago but when
1t saw how well the U street branch Of the
Rock Creek road was working 1t came to
the conclusion that further extension Of
the pilgrimage was unnecessary. The Bos-
ton Herald says that with the under
ground trolley as operated by the Rock
Creek Railway Company in Washington
the members Of the committee were highly
pleased The order directing the commit
tee to investigate the underground trolley
does not require it to frame a bill. but
simply to report whether that form of
street car propulsion is practicable.
The underground trolley in Washington
has been in operation for more than a year.
To ask II IT Is in successful operation is
akin to asking If the Boston and Albany
company operates steam road between
the capitals of Massachusetts, and New
York one fact Is as patent as the other
1t may be that the underground trolley is
not perfected in It's own sphere to the ex-
tent that the steam road is in its, but that
It Is in daily and successful operation with
out apparent defects to the ordinary OBJ
server. is known to multitudes Of people
who have ridden over and examined it.
In fact, people in Washington show some
irritability when asked if this road is all
| right, If there is not a hidden defect about
1t somewhere. They have answered ques-
tions Of this kind a thousand times and
repetition begins to become rnonotonous.
The building Of the underground trolley
In Washington was compelled by neces-
sity. Congress gave franchise to the Rock
! creek company, but 1T was stipulated that
the overhead trolley would not be allowed
within the boundary of the city of WASH
ington. The franchise Of the company per-
mitted 1t to occupy U street inside the
boundary for distance of about mile
| structed to the line, running out through
the District Of Columbia and into the stat
of Maryland for distance Of six or seven
miles. The passenger who rides into the
city on this line is stopped at the boundary
for about ten seconds. while the overhead
system is detached and connection made
with the underground.
1t is quite apparent from what the Herald
says in a lengthy report of the committed >
findings that the committee was convinced
that the underground trolley was no longer
an experiment; that 1t was not unduly ex-
pensive as to construction, and that It's oper-
alton was cheap enough to satisfy even a
selfish corporation. Then the Herald goes
on to say: The Washington company has
taken the trolley as 1t is now built, standard
voltage, and conformed all the mechanism
so as to transfer 1t to the space beneath the
roadbed, using metallic circuit. In doing
this the company has adopted the following
system The slot rail is SO constructed that
no matter what conditions exist, the slot
| cannot close 1t is made L shape, providing
a perfect steel overcoat over the insulators
and conductors, thoroughly protecting them
from the weather. At the same time II can
be taken off without removing the pave
ment, making every detail Of the road as
accessible as in the overhead trolley.
The trolley has the same movements as a
pair of human arms, and is so designed that
1t cannot be thrown from the wire. AS ii is
so suspended from the car that it works
automatically. whether the car runs for
ward or backward, it need not be turned
over, as in the overhead system. The dan
ger and damage to Insulation which has
been attributed to dampness and moisture
Is an erroneous assumption, In the opinion
of the electricians Of the Love system. In
stead of breaks in the insulation being caus-
ed by moisture, they believe they are due
to the expansion and contraction Of the
wires To remedy this the power wires are
arranged in lengths Of 500 to COO feet each
and the insula tors are supported in Jaws
which allow them to move longitudinally
! with the wire, as 1t expands or contracts.
At the end of each section the wire is held
by powerful compression springs, which
Keep 1t at one tension and make Of it prac-
tically tram rail for the trolley"
Ihls testimony, coming so soon after the
publication Of the findings of the Massachu-
sets legislative committee on mercantile
affairs, Is strong Endorsement of the stand
taken by Congress as to local street rail-
ways and overhead wires generally, and the
strong public sentiment which Is here ever
| ready to support Congress- The committee
on mercantile affairs has, according to the
Boston Traveller, which gives considerable
space to the testimony accumula ted, de-
clared itself thoroughly satisfied with the
methods OF operation on the u street
branch Of the Rock Creek road.
| Boston was really the birthplace Of the
overhead trolley, and there is probably no
city in the country whose streets are so
dangerously incumbered with overhead
wires as are the streets of the center OF
Massachusetts, culture. 1t Is announced
that as a result of the committees investi-
cations bin will soon be introduced in the
legislature which will compel the burial Of
telegraph telephone. electric light and cleo
! trio motor wires