Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-15
NINTH STREET LINE
The Senate Report on the Metropol-
itan Railway Bill.
BUDA PESTH UNDERGROUND SYSTEM
The Present Service Unsatisfactory
and Unworthy the Road.
Q Q Z TION OF DELAY

Senator Mcmillan today submitted to the
Senate the report of the District committee
on II. r. iIT1, known the Metropolitan
railroad bill. which was returned from the
committee some days ago with a favorable
recommendation. The written report was
withheld for time in order that certain
questions might be disposed Of The report
IS as follows:
Before anv further rights or privileges
are granted to the Metropolitan Company
the committee are of the opinion that the
company should at once improve it's rolling
stock. 1t is not necessary TO call the atten-
ton Of the Senate to the fact that almost
all the closed cars used by the company are
not only old and of an antiquated pattern,
but they are also dirty and i'll smelling. The
frcnt platforms are incurbered with blank
cts. pals and sand boxes, and altogether
the cars present poverty stricken and
sten d nisSardly appearance, disgraceful
alike to the city which has to endure them
and the company which provides them. In
hSnuch as IL seems best to permit the use
Oh horses on the east and west lines until
the new motive power has been tried on the
north and south lines, the first amendment
TO the bill provides that new cars shall be
placed on the east and west lines within
ninety days from the passage of the act
and imposes a penalty of SIS for each and
every day OF neglect or failure on the part
OF the company.
The Case Reviewed.
When. in 1880. Congress provided, that
the Washington and Georgetown and the
metropolitan railroad companies should find
BONE other motive power than horses within
two years. on penalty of forfeiting their
charters. the first-named company set about
putting a cable on their lines, and within
the time specified completed the change to
a mechanical motor. The problem for that
road was comparatively simple one
Years OF careful and iudic:ous management
together with a route on the principal thor
oughrares or Washington and Georgetown
mad made the company a prosperous and
wealthy corporation. According to every
theory of street-railroading. both the COM
merctal and the physical features called for
cable road. With the metropolitan road
the case was different. Experienced cable
engineers advised that the curves were too
many ana too sharp to permit the success
ful use or cable. and the fact that for con-
siderable distances the road runs through
residence streets makes the use of a cable
Cn tnat line injudicious provided any other
method OF mechanical propulsion can be
found.
-Four years ago there were two mechan-
lcal motors III the feld-the overhead troll
ley ana the storage battery. OF these the
overhead trolley had been, and to this day
has been, refused access to the city Of
Washington, save for a short distance on
New York avenue. where IL Is tolerated for
fixed time. Forced. as a last resort, to
select the storage battery motor tie Met
ropolitan company made a faithful ard ex-
pensive effort to equip its lines with stor-
age battery cars. \ power house was
bulit and Nuipped 1T \ cost of s3S5,OpO:
forty cars -sere made ready for the storage
batteries. and several storage-batte-y cars
Were placed on the road
The result was a complete failure The
same obstacles which have been found in
superable in every other attempt to store
electricity for use as a motive power also
appeared in this case; and the attempt had
to be abandoned.
Buda Pesth System.
IN the meantime attention had been
called to the underground systems of cleo
trio propulsion; and. in case the bill now
Under consideration shall become a law
the Metropolitan company proposes to try
the experiment in this country of the Buda
Pesth system. which for several years has
been In successful operation in the Hun
garian capital. This system has been ex-
amined in Buda Pesth by one of the Com
missionerS of the District of Columbia, by
one OF the editors of The Washington Star,
and one OF the members of this committee.
and the only question which has arisen in
regard to its success when transferred to
this city relates to the width Of the slot
necessary to connect the car with the un-
derground wire. The extreme width Of
vehicle tires in Hungary permits wide
slot and advantage is taken Of this fact
the conduit to be swept with brooms
handled by men. A device however, is in
operation on cable roads by which the con-
duits are cleaned by machinery, and there
Is no reason why the slot for underground
electrical work should be wider than that
OF cable roads. The objection, therefore,
may be dismissed.
Moreover. the same company which put
down the Buda Pesth road stands ready to
do a like work in Washington and to guar
antee its success. The representative In
the United States of this company also con-
structs cable roads and Is quite responsible.
The committee, however. preferring to ad-
wise no unnecessary risks, have decided to
recommend that. in case of some unfora-
seen contingency which should bring about
entire or partial failure. the company shall
have the right to utilize the underground
construction for cable purposes
Again, the north and south line. from
the river to Florida avenue, should first be
equipped in order to ascertain beyond uues-
ton that the system about to be introduced
Is a. practical one. II 1t is. then the COM
pany should put it into operation on its east
and west lines within two years from the
date of the passage Of this act. If il is not
then Congress can make further provisions
IF these provisions shall seem to in
volve considerable delay, it may be said
.Eat the District can well afford to wait,
II. by 50 doing, a satisfactory underground
system can be secured, for such a system
when once Ii is made to work successfully
On an important line, will revolutionize
cities. Moreover. there are certain prob
lens concerning the location and arrange
ment OF tracks, which must be examined
very carefully when 1t shall be demon-
strated what kinds of motors are practical
and these questions seem to the committee
too important to be legislated on without
the knowledge which the success or fail
ure Of the Buda Pesth system alone can
give.
stockhoIders' Interests.
In this matter it should not be forgotten
hat the Metropolitan company is made up
OF no fewer than 253 stockholders. all but
four of whom are residents Of the District
Of Columbia. To them success or fail
urs In the coming experiments means a
great deal While the committee is strongly
of the opinion that the road in it's present
condition Is giving an unsatisfactory and
unworthy service, and that radical
change should be forced upon the company,
at the same time they are OF the opinion
that the present bill will secure this change
with just consideration for the interests
OF both the District and also the stock
holders.
I'm order to avoid recourse to the tedious
and doubtful powers of charter forfeiture
as a means OF action, the committee has
thought II wise to provide against delay
and neglect on the part OF the company, by
providing for heavily increased taxation to
be placed on cars operated by horses after
the dates for the of no