The evening times., 1895-11-02
| RAILWAY. s1R[lkDgHh
Electric Cars laopefative From
Early Morning Until Afternoon.
PATRONS INCONVENIENCE
Defect at he New York Avenue Cross
ting Cnustd the breaking of yiaehin-
ery-PresIdeRt Phillips Denies That
water in the C0nduits or Winter
Weather Can Affect the Power.

pended operations this informing, lust when
the passenger traffic OF the ruad' was at.its
height. and it remained imperative nearly
all day. TIE people in charge uf the work
claim that The wet weather had nothing
to do with the mishap, but some oi the
motorfnen ON the cars said that every
time a rain falls or the dew is unusually
heavy something gets the matter with the
race-horSe line.
Just al o'clock, when the people Of the
city were going to their work, the cars
stopped running at Ninth and New York
avenue, and they were banked up all along
the line clear down Ia F street.
In some Unaccouutable way the rod on
which the current is communicated to the
wheels sagged down. and the Traveller,
as the connection running down to the rod
is called, struck the saggy portion of the
conductor just across the Columbia line
tracks and broke it, THIS of course e.cca-
stoned a delay.
TRIED TO TIE IT UP
The superintendent OF the road and two
or three men soon arrived on the ground
and tried TO tie the rud up. They par
italy succeeded and ran one car over. it, ~.
Whine the motor car was passing the
broken spot q biue flame shot out from un-
der the car, and many OF the pedestrians
on New York avenue thought that the
world had come to an end. ,...-. az.
Wheu the flash went out the air in
tue surrounding streets was like that froin
birthstone and rubber factory combined.
The comments of clerks going to their
offices and compelled to stand in the rain
and sbiyer and shake were anything but
complimentary to the Ninth, street road.
A few minutes after 8 O'Clock a car GO
ing south coasted down and a wild rush
was made to get on 1t. 1t was already
filled, but the impatient people clamDefed
all over the platforms and footDoards, thus
being compelled TO stand out in the fall
ing rain and sleet.
About quarter after the electrician
of the road came out and began 10 sys-
teDiatically repair the break.
The breaking down Of this r cad is
Of pretty frequent occurrence. Many. of
the passengers were compelled to pay
several fares this morning in orrier-.to
reach their places OF business. The pas
sengers say that whenever a break occurs
the road should feturn a fare or else give
passes over the road good for some other
time.
Several working girls had to foot the
entire distance 10 their shops, simply be-
cause the one fare had exhausted their
supply OF money for that day. 1t also OPP
ment clerks. Whenever they are late it is
marked up against them and taken off their r
records. This is indeed hardship on
them, but unless the time-keepers are very
strict no harm will be done.
WORKS A HARDSHIP.
The constant breaking down of the road
certainly works a hardship on the poorer
classes, who have to be at their labors alta
certain time, or are compelled to lose an
hour or maybe half an hour.
Yesterday afternoon the cars were run
without trailers because Of the water in the
conduits, and not enough electricity being
obtainable to pull both cars. 1t was sug-
gcsted by policeman that they attach dip
pers and buckets to the rear end OF the cars,
in order to keep the water down to its
proper level. Almost every time a wet
spell comes something gets wrong with the
road, and there is a delay.
After being tied up for nearly six hours.
the repairs to the break were finished this
afternoon. and the cars began to move,
and everything now seems to be running
again.
MR.. PHILLIPS STATEN ENT.- -'''-'
President Phillips, of the Metropolitan
line, was seen. He was stationed a Ninth |
street and New York avenue, overseeing the |
repairs. His explanation OF the accident |
was in substance what has been give.
The grip OF the Columbia road 81 id he. |
pulled up the cable to such an extent that |
the electric car In passing subsequently, had |
its pIow caught in the rope. The rope |
going toward the west sheered the electric |
plow in that direction and broke the first |
insulator and disa ranged the alignment of |
the conductor bar.
The next electric car which came along |
not know ing of their rdisarrangement struck |
the end OF it " ith full force breaking and |
bending the bolts of the insulators for I
distance of about seventy five feet
Mr.. Phillip holds that " hile this accident !
is like that hich occurred at Ninth street |
and Pennsylvania avenue, when the Metro |
politan first began running on the new sys-. |
TEN, future mishaps ofthe kind can be avoid |
ed by the cars stopping farther away from
crossings. He says at Ninth and the avenue
the cars stop about one hundred feet from
the crossing, and that there has been, and
will be no more trouble there.
As to the possibility of water in the
conduit interfering with the operation of
the road, Mr.. Phillips said that in the first
place. there was no water in the conduit,
and that If there were it would not affect
the running of cars. -f. ..,i... . |
Other railroad men, however, disagree
with Mr.. Phillips on this point. s'-.-,--
Mr.. Phillips said that the fear express
ed by some that there would be trouble
on the line when snow and sleet come was
foundation. The Ninth street
system is, he claims, a perfect one, and
it is especially adapted to winter service.
-.fr-,a. -sr.r...r.