Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-08-17

THE MOUNT VERNON RAILWAY
Work was commenced in Washington
this morning on the branch of the Al
exandria and Mount Vernon road that
will give direct connection between that
city and Mount Vernon. Construction
has been going on for two weeks past
on the line of the road from Arlington
to the end of the Aqueduct bridge, in
Georgetown, and this branch will be
connected as soon as possible with the
main line of the electric road at Water
loo. The company has been negotiat-
ing for some time past for entrance into
Washington over the tracks of the
Pennsylvania company across the Long
bridge. This has been secured, and no
time will be lost now in pushing the
line through and connecting all the Sec
tons. The road will use the Metropol-
itan underground system inside the city
while the trolley will be run outside.
as on the part of the road that has been
in operation for three years past be-
tween Alexandria and Mount Vernon.
The Washington end of the road will be
built from the foot of Fourteenth street
north to B street northwest. a double
track will be used TO this point. From
Fourteenth and B single track will
run to Fourteenth and E streets, thence
along e street to Thirteenth-and-a-half
street, down Thirteenth-snd-a-half
street to B and along B to Fourteenth,
forming a loop. This is all the line
that will be built this year. Next year
the track will be extended from Four
tenth and B, along B street, to q point
between Sixth and Seventh. After
crossing lifelong bridge the line will run
over its own tracks on the same grade
with the Pennsylvania to Waterloo
station. where connection will be made
with the branch from Arlington, and
the main line will continue to connect
with the line that now runs north from
Alexandria to the Gentlemens' Driving
Park. The line from this point already
runs into Alexandria and direct through
to Mount Vernon, q distance of seven
teen miles. Tho completed line will
run on Is minute OF half hour sched-
ule. There will be express trains
which will make the same time az the
express trains of the steam line, with
accommodation trains which will stop at
the way stations. Motive power will
be furnished by a powerhouse to be
built at Four Mile Run. The road
hopes in time to run its tracks over the
Aqueduct bridge into Georgetown and
make direct connection with the cable
road of the new union station at that
point, but this is matter of the future.
DR.. Abbot, the president of the road,
in speaking of the matter yesterday
said that the company did not care to
ask Congress for the right to cross the
Aqueduct bridge till they had the
tracks ct the end of the bridge, as a
guarantee of their intention. It has
not yet been decided whether the fast
trains between Washington and Mount
Vernon will use the Westinghouse
motors or those of the General Electric
Company. Experiments will be begun
in short time, however, to see which
of these will be best fitted for the com
pany's use. 1t is pretty well settled
however, that the equipment adopted
will be capable of making not less thar
forty miles per hour. a carload o
colored laborers passed through thi'
city this morning for Washington where
they went to work on the road.