Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-28

Opponents Of all kinds Of electric street.
car motors, save only that primitive and
obstructive variety known as the overhead
trolley when driven into a corner by the
evident superiority of other and more de-
sirable applications Of electricity, have in
sisted that the only thing needed 20 make
plain the unreliability of the underground
systems was a short period of wintry
weather. The meteorological conditions were,
II was loudly alleged. fatal to the preserva-
ton of a working current of electricity.
Local experience. has, however. failed to
give even the slightest support to the theor-
les of those who. for selfish reasons, lauded
the overhead trolley and abused all other
motors Commencing on Sunday and con-
tinuing quite long enough to afford salts
factory test, Washington suffered from a
storm of snow and sleet-a superabundance
of humidity potent to steal electrical force
and, by obstructing tracks. to make the
work Of car-moving extraordinarily difficult.
1t is gratifying to those Washingtonians
who have set their faces against the over
head trolley. to know that in every respect
the underground system is incomparably
ahead Of its adversary. For more than a
year there has been operating on U street
a lengthy section of the Rock Creek Rail
way Company's road. The cars of this
company have a double trolley equipment
one overhead. for use outside the city linn
its, and one beneath the car, for use inside
the boundary. From the suburban ter
minus of the road to a point just north Of
Florida avenue the overhead trolley Is
used; then connection Is made. and speed
fly. between the car and the wire which,
In small conduit, conveys the necessary
current. Progress in the city is therefore
made without the Membranes of insight
ly poles and dangerously exposed wires. 1t
has always been held by the folks who
swore by the overhead method that the
underground system would surely fail when
the conditions were moist; that the current
would dissipate itself to such an extent as
to be practically worthless As a matter
of fact, the underground section of the road
worked admirably through Sundays storm
while the overhead trolley was in a continu-
ally crippled state. The buried wire carried
all the electricity with which it was sup
piled: the exposed wire parted with an ex-
tremely large percentage of the energy ii
was supposed to carry. The underground
trolley was triumphant: the overhead troll
ley was. to put 1t mildly. very much en-
barrassed. There is nothing strange in this.
In Buda-Pesth an underground system has
given the utmost satisfaction through many
winters much more severe than any that
have ever been known in this part of the
country. In all situations-around curves
Of the sharpest kind. and UP heavy grades
the underground wire, with it's metallic
circuit, when properly protected. has dis
played working capabilities immeasurably
superior to those ever found in the over
head article. Recently, the president of the
Rock Creek Company made public state
ment as to the superior durability Of the
underground system and of its greater ecoE-
omy in operation. More costly at first it
undoubtedly Is. but it is in every respect
better investment. OF its general desira-
bility there Is no question. 1t offers no OBJ
struction either to traffic or to the opera
tons Of the fire department. Should a wire
break there would be no danger for the
passer-by, as there is whenever an over
head conductor snaps. Within little while
the much-vaunted overhead trolley will, in
point of utility, be classed with the stage
coach and the mule-drawn canal boat
Washington will have none of it