Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-08

skirts or the city, as the trolley cars are
another system.
Fortunately. this system, so desirable in
ORDER 10 give continuous passage to trolley
cars from the suburbs to the center of the
city thus saving passengers the iisco,n-
Tort and inconvenience Of changing cars
with their packages and bundles, while not
yet tClly perfected. is so nearly so as to
Justify the belief that IL is the most prom
ising OF anything in sight and indeed
that the most serious obstacles to its use
have already been overcome. In my opIn-
lon the electrical conduit has come, and
mas come to stay. and that in connection
with the overhead trolley IL solves the
problem Of rapid transit for city and sub
urbS in the most satisfactory manner nos
sibIe
Expense OF the Electrical Conduit.
The construction of this system Is ex-
pensive. however. and the expense is one
or the Indispensable conditions Of it's sue
cess; IL needs perfecting in minor parti -u-
lars, which little experience will suggest
the means OF doing. Capital and competi-
ton Will give to the world a perfect con-
du1t In the near future.
In the meantime. however, a serious and
important problem CoEfronts us; IL is not
only important that each road and all its
branches should be equipped with the same
KIND OF conduit, but that in order to make
u possible for the cars of each road to run
upon the tracks of all other roads, If il
should become necessary to do so, that the
conduit built on all roads should be similar;
In snort. that there should be a standard
conduit Nothing would do more to promote
the public convenience. prevent unneces-
sary duplication of tracks and bring the
city and suburbs and the beautiful parks
into closer and more harmonious relations
To this end / venture to suggest an amend
ment TO the pending bill providing that the
MetropoLtan company, which proposes TO
put In the Budd-Pesth system, be required
TO build only that part OF the 9th street line
en- IL street and Missouri avenue first
and after years test, IL IL shall prove to
De as satisfactory as the system now in use
on street, any better system that may
be in use elsewhere, that II then be per-
mitted to equip its whole line. Four and a
half street is on nearly level ground, and
presents all of the most serious difficulties
TO oe overcome in the building OF a success
ful electrical conduit
4 conduit that will work satisfactorily
there Will work anywhere on the line of the
- Metropolitan Company, and II IL will not
work there it ought not to be constructed
elsewhere The system which this COM
pany proposes to adopt is the oldest one in
use. so far as 1 know, in the world / have
seen 1t in apparently successful operation
IN Buda Pesth, where the climatic condi-
tons are even more severe than they are
here, but the slot there is an inch and a
Ealf wide. while here II must be less than
One-half that width. What effect If any,
this necessary change will have upon the
operation Of the system can only be deter
mined absolutely by actual use here for at
least one year. II it proves satisfactory
the equipment Of the whole line will not be
delayed. while II 1t should prove unsatis-
factory, or II the L street system or a bet-
ter one should in the meantime establish
It's superiority. the cOnjoined interests OF
the company and the public would be pro-
motel by adopting the better conduit If
the company constructs the whole line now
when IL reaches Boundary II will find its
progress barred by the L street line in
Boundary, and thus shut off from reaching
Ith street and connecting with the Bright
wood line. which il ought to Go in the in
terest Of the public.
This embarrassment forcibly indicates the
necessity already suggested of a standard
CONDUIT. which little patience on the part
OF Congress and the public will insure to
the national capital. thus giving IL the most
perfect railway system in the world We
should draw a useful lesson from the COSTLY
experiments with storage batteries unn eces-
sarlly forced upon this company, and not
require 1t TO proceed faster than existing
conditions justify New systems cannot be
safely fastened by legislative enactment |
AMI no established system appears to be
available for this company unless il be the
one IL proposes TO try. Common prudence
suggests that this should not be unduly
fastened.
This company does not deserve much
mercy or sympathy. however: Ii has per-
sistently defed public sentiment and iy-
nored the comfort and convenience of its
patrons, by giving mean and Inadequate
service Its closed cars are filthy old rat
tletrapS. which are a disgrace to the ma
uO1al capital and an insult to the COM
pany's patrons The company should be
required To take them of the main line
within ninety days, and the 9th street line
within two years. and. provided in the
amended bill, equip its whole line with
modern frst-class cars. under penalty of
heavy fine for each days delay thereafter.
A Railroad Department Advocated.
Except as herein indicated 1 adopt and
indorse the majority report of the Com
missioners- / suggest an additional amend
ment in the office of the Commissioners
Of a railway department. consisting Of one
chief and one assistant, to be appointed by
the Commissioners and to perform such
duties may be assigned to them by the
Commissioners in connection with the con-
strUctiOn and operation OF street and steam
railroads within the District Of Columbia.
The chief to be an expert in the cOnstruc-
ton and operation of street railways, and
to have a salary of 5000 per annum. and
the assistant to have a salary of 81, 500 per
annum, both salaries and all expenses of
the department. including necessary travel
ing expenses. to be paid by tax levied
pro rata upon the gross receipts derived
from carrying passengers within the Dis
trict Of Columbia OF such railway COM
panies as are upon a divfdend-paying basis
The introduction OF new motive power and
rapid transit and the construction of a
large number Of new roads in the District
the necessity for new safety appliances,
together with the increasing number of i'm
portant railway problems which the Com
n.issioners are daily required to solve. make
IL absolutely necessary for them to have
assistance. Their own time and that of the
present force Of employees is fully occupied,
and important work is delayed by want OF
time to give it consideration. In the mat
ter Of railway construction and appliances
IL frequently becomes desirable to send to
another city to personally investigate the
systems and devices there in use, and this
can only be done intelligently by an expert
Each year new and more extended powers
IN these matters are put upon the Com
missiOners by Congress, and the vast i'm
pCrtance Of the interests involved require,
IA order to do justice between the public
On the one hand and the railway companies
on the other, that the Commissioners
should not only have time 10 give proper
consideration to them. but that they should
have the assistance of an expert Of long
eXperier &c and of the highest qualifications
such as can only be had by a compensa-
ton equal 10 that commanded by such per-
sons in private life The tax would be a
small one upon each company, and could
hardly fail to promote the interests of the
companies well as the public.
The Sections Recommended.
The following sections he recommends be
added to the bill:
Sec. 0. That for the purpose of defraying
the expenses OF inspecting the construction
and operation of the street and steam rail-
ways. now or hereafter to be constructed I'm