Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-05

from it's line in 18th street, along Superior
and 18th streets, as said latter streets may
be extended, to Howard avenue then the
Metropolitan Railroad Company shall per-
NIT the Rock Creek Railway Company to
run cars over Its tracks from the intersec-
ton of Florida avenue and Connecticut ave-
nue. to a point in + street. not east of 18th
street, to be designated by the Commission
ers of the District of Columbia, upon condi-
| tons OF use by the Metropolitan Railroad
Company of tracks of the Rock Creek Rail-
way Company, from said intersection north
ward, OF equiva lent value of trackage as Sc
lected, and determined and adjusted from
year TO year, by said Commissioners: Pro-
Vlded, That the motive power for cars Will
allow the said interchange of trackage: Pro-
vlded further That the use of trackage on
! the lines of either of said companies by the
other said company may be further extend
! ed by mutual consent and agreement.
sec. :. That the District Commissioners
snail nave the power to permit the use OF
the tracks of street railroads by the cars of
| railroad companies in the District of Co.
| lumbia, at and near terminal points for
lengths of track in each case not exceeding
| four squares, upon such terms and condi-
lions as said Commissioners shall deem
| Just, to the end that greater convenience of
| the public may be subserved without the
duplication or unnecessary increase of rail-
roaf tracks and for the prevention of
switches or turntables in the streets. If
either party is dissatisfie with the compen-
| sation for such so fixed by the Commits
sloners, the compensation may be deter
mined by the Supreme Court of the Dis
| trict of Columbia. And the said Commits
sioners shall be authorized to permit extern
| sions of the lines of street railroads in said
| District, not exceeding in each case four
| squares in length, at the localities and for
| the purposes named hereinbefore."
The Reasons Given.
! Reasons for amendment a /. The bill
permits only a change of power to under
| ground electric. The Commissioners do not
| look upon such system for street cars as
| being well established. 1t Is believed there
is TO underground trolley operated and
| maintained by a railroad company in the
United States. and that the Buda-Pesth con-
| duit. now two years or more old, has not
been duplicated in Europe; and, consequent
| ly, that latitude should be given for a
| choice between all conduit systems. ex-
] Guiding the cable system. The cable Is
noisy and dangerous; it was specially de-
signed for steep grades. while the route of
the Metropolitan road and that of any prob
| able extension Is generally level
| 1t is further Judged that, excepting a
steam motor, the new motive power al
I lowed should include surface motors. Every
| recommendation as to car power for street
| railways made to the present Congress by
| the Commissioners has included surface
motors. Subsurface constructions are al
| ways objectionahle: they cause an extensive
] tearing up of streets; they frequently neces-
| state changes of water. sewer and gas
] pipes. whose avoidance is desirable. they
| require numerous manholas, whose covers
and other iron surface constructions of the
| conduit break the smoothness OF Washing
! ton pavements, diminish their freedom from
noise. and, by frequent use, obstruct the
streets.
Besides the prevention of Objectionable
! conduits, a surface motor would tend to
! diminish the gridironing of the streets of
the national capital
! The underground trolleys on the market
| number a half dozen more, each enough
| different from the others to require sep
| arate tracks. There now four tracks
| on 18th street between H street and New
| York avenue. Rapid transit on all of them
would practically block the street; the same
| Is true OF New York avenue between 18th
| and 18th streets. part of nd street has
three tracks; cars OF three different COM
p3nleS now run On n part of 9th street
} The Metropolitan Company's cars reach the
| intersection of 9TH street and Florida ave-
nue. over the l street underground line Il
! Is highly desirable for the public convent
! enca that they should continue to reach that
| point, and this only certainly be Sc,
| cured, without filling the whole roadway
| with railroad tracks, by the use of surface
motors, the street system. the over
head trolley.
There are other examples of Joint use of
tracks in the city. which must probably
cease, and in case of future roads be made
! impracticable, thereby causing undesira BILE
results, If different mechanical systems for
! propulsion of cars or different kinds of the
same system are used by the different COM
psnies. AS rule, each company wants the
| exclusive use of set of tracks in the pub
| lie street. The suburban roads, generally
| built or projected to favor land investments.
| are seeking entrance to the heart of the
| city over new routes, whether the new
| route in the city is needed by the public or
rot. 1t Is not the business of railroad com
| panies TO enhance or even preserve the
quiet. freedom from obs truction and beauty
of the streets of Washington; they are look
! ing for traffic alone. without regard to the
| general public interest.
An established surface motor would tend
| TO displace the present overhead troIleys
which are not satisfactory on city or su-
burban streets. The motor would offer an
alternative requiring no change of roadbec
| or tracks.
| In stort. the advantages of surface motors
| of compressed air. gas, vapor or other
/ Kinds, which are noiseless and smok eless
are very considerable. and their use should
| not only be allowed but encouraged
| one of the Commissioners is of TIE
| opinion that If overhead trolleys and con-
| Quits were positively prohibited a salts
factory surface motor would be promptly
] produced. In fact. one kind of surface
motor seems to be available or, to say the
| least, is very promising.
According to u late report of the United
states consul gcaeral at Frankfort pub
| nshed IN the consular reports for April
| 1884, gas-motor cars are in successful opera
| ton at Neufchatei and Dresden: a line of
such Kind is being built at Dessau and n
| CON mission, headed by a government rail
| hansen, to examine and report on the work.
ing of the new system, declares it to be a
practical success, and recommends it's adon-
| ton at Nordhausen. All this is in the home
! field of the Siemens- HalsFe Electric Com
| pany, which instals electric roads, and
within reach of Buda Pesth, where an
underground trolley has been in operation
| for two years or more.
| a full extract from the report of tho con-
sui general Is submitted herewith Its main
| points are that the two lines Of gas motor;
are 3 and ) l-3 miles long: that gas costs
| Sf.6 and 81 90 per 1000 cubic feet at the two
places. and is supplied from the ordinary
| street mains: ana that the loaded car climbs
a grade of 6 2-3 per cent at four miles an
| hour while the speed on low grades or
levels Is eleven miles and upwards per
hour. Figures are given from an address
before the German Gas Association of com
J raratiyc costs of construction and eduip-
ment of n five-mile track line for oyerhshd
! trolley, gas motor and horse car system,
making the cost of the gas motor system
| but little more than for the horse line and
| considerable less than for the electric The
expert author of the address is quoted as
| stating that the net operating expenses of
| horse cars in Germany is ) IL to cents: of
| electric cars, cents; and gas motor cars
| cents, each per car kilometer: or. in other
| words, the gas motor system not only costs
less for construction and equipment than
| the overhead trolley. and, consequently.
much less than for g conduit system, but
| the expense of operation of the gas motor
| &c