Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-29
He Tells the Stockholders About
the Labor Day Parade.
His CONNECFION WITH THE AFFAIR
The Rights Of the Public and Of
Professions.
NOT HOSTILE TO LABOR

hf. OeOTBe L. buHfOp, vice preSIdent ana
acting president of the Washington and
Georgetown Railroad Company, has made
the following report to the stockholders of
the company:
Il have the duty and the pleasure of
making this special report on the operation
Of the Washington and Georgetown rail-
road and the conflicts arising therefrom
during the busiest week of the year.
Special preparations were made for the
increased demand on the facilities of the
company incident to the encampment of the
Knights of Pythias. Additional employees
were taken into the service and thoroughly
drilled in their duties. and every precaution
was taken that the machinery and dis
cipline should be perfect. Every effort was
made to promptly use the entire equipment
or the road for the safe accommodation of
the public. That reasonable success crown
ed these efforts is think, amply attested
bS the facts. We have gone through the
era OF the Pythian encampment during
"hich there were three parades on the
streets, without a single accident, and with
out an uncommon incident save unauthor-
lzed interference with the operation of the
'th street line on Labor day. The ability
streets were crowded. without delay to the
travelling public. and without casualty was
most happily demonstrated
one OF the features of the busy week
vas lEe trade procession on the night of
the 18th Of August The crowd on Penn
sSlVania avenue on that occasion has been
SET down by the most intelligent observers
aS larger than any previous multitude ON
that great thoroughfare. Crowds came
from all sections of the city, and not only
the sidewalks but large portion of the
roadway ON either side of the tracks was
compacty occupied by asses of human
beings This was the condition of the ave-
nue. Tor distance of two miles, The scene
was fair Illustration of the orderly char
Of CHI
imposed upon themselves the reasonable
discipline necessary in a great crush. This
concentration would have been impossible
without the help of the street railways
Night of the Trade Procession.
The whole equipment of this company
on the avenue was necessary to meet the
public demand, and cars were kept run
ring during the parade. No sooner had the
last of the people been delivered down town
Till our whole resources We're required to
send hone the vanguard of the returning
pilgrims. That in this great surge there
was not even slight accident. no default
in the service which the company was
be und to render the people under the terms
OF the charter, and no embarrassment to
the travelling public or the procession, was
owing to the extra and ample precautions
taken by the management of the road well
seconded by the good-nature and sound
sense of the general public. Experienced
men were stationed along the tracks at the
points where the past had shown there
would be the greatest congestion, to keep
the tracks clear and pilot the trains safely
through. i was at the point where the
most difficulty was to be apprehended. and
saw that the tracks were thoroughly guard
ed and policed by trained employees of this
company.
..Everything went well till 10 o'clock when
there was a stoppage at the corner of Penn
sylvania avenue and 18th street, and short
" thereafter there was an accumua ton of
cars on the avenue from 18th street to 7th.
il knew of order of kind Or
any source. for the interruption, but read
in the Post the reXt morning the statement
that the stoppage had been on the order
OF Capt Powell, the Engineer Commits
siOner. L then had a correspondence with
Capt. Powell. which is attached to this re-
port. deemed it my duty, as representing
you, to call his attention to what believed
to be an unauthorized interference with the
company in its best efforts to comply with
the terms of it's charter. 1 noted the exact
language of the statute, in the eighteenth
section of our charter, and set forth my
impressions as to the liability of the Dis
trict for improper interference with the
running of cars.
in this correspondence, as the letters
themselves Will show, 1 was guided solely
by desire 10 preserve the legal rights of
the Washington and Georgetown railroad
and to protect the travelling public. for
whose delivery at their homes / felt in a
large measure responsible, and in no spirit
of resistcnce.to any reasonable request the
commissioners might make. or of disobed-
u any OFGcr tley might have the
right to promulgate.
Labor Day Procession.
"On the day OF the labor parade, subse-
quent TO tie proceedings hereinbefore re-
lated. another case came up involving the
same question of the rights of the company
against unlawful Interference that was
seen in connection with the trade process
SIGN. While at the company's office In the
morning of that day was advised of a re-
pert that the cars would be stopped at the
intersection OF Pennsylvania avenue and 7th
street and at the junction with the lIth
street nne: NO officer of the road had re-
celVed notice that there would be an inter-
ruption of traffic, and as 1t had been the
undertaking custom of the Commissioners
or the District to send US notice in ample
time wnen they desired a suspension of
business on the road 1 was much sur
prlsed. Over the telephone l learned from
the secretary of the Commissioners that a
notification had been ordered to be made
but through inadvertence had not been
sent.
THE procession was marching by this
tine. and the cars on both the 9TH street
and avenue lines were moving with but
slight annoyance to passenger business and
without interference with the labor demon
stration. 1t has not been AN uncommon
thing for large professions 20 move along
and across the tracks of this company with
out any stoppage of traffic and for the Com
mlssioners to take no notice of the matter.
the part or the management of the road
have been deemed sufficient 1t has only
been on extraordinary occasions that the
honorable board of Commissioners las
Thought IL important to have transit by rail
interrupted
These occasions have been when the whole
business and social life of the capital has
been subordinated TO the sentimental and
spectacular: when the scope Of the celebra-
tion has made It necessary for the march,
ing hosts to occupy all the avenue not taken
Up by the spectators. The inauguration of
the President and the memorable assem-
blaSr OF the Grand Army of the Republic
might be mentioned as events the bfgness
OF which made IL necessary for the railroad
companies TO Ter temporarily their
privileges on the streets
Relations With the CommiSsioncrs
1T is needless TO say. except for the con-
tinuity and symmetry of this report. that
the Washington and Georgetown railroad
Company has always promptly and cordial
" co-operated with the Commissioners un-
der such circumstances, joining in the gen.
eral public spirit and gladly complying
with requests of the board. or with the
g..