Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-20
THE LONG BRIDGE
Bad Condition Of the Causeway Leading
to the Structure
The Negligence of the Pennsylvnnin
r.. II. Co. in Compile ting It's Repairs
Maj Davis Efforts.

manufacturers and other merchants haul
ing heavy teams across the Long bridge,
ever the perfunctory and slipshod manner
in which the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany is repairing the causeway of the
bridge. The so-called repairs recently made
by the company consisted in dumping a
mass of clay and gravel into the large.
deep holes that had been worn into the
roadway by the heavy traffic passing over
1t. Numerous complaints in regard to this
matter have been made to Major DAVIS,
the army engineer officer in charge of the
Potomac river improvement, with a view to
having the evils remedied.
MIR. Wells Complaint.
Under date of the 18th instant Mr.. Hen
ry Wells, general manager of the Wash
ington Hydraulic Press Brick Company,
wrote to Major Davis as follows: Il beg
to call your attention to the causeway be
tween the north end of the Long bridge
and the south end of the 18th street bridge.
This constant hammering by myself rela-
tive to this matter, l hope will be overlook
ed and that your patience will not be tried
beyond endurance. but l consider the ac-
ton of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company
in throwing clay, gravel and dirt on top
of six inches of mud a most outrageous
proceeding, and one which has damaged US
and others to very great extent. Here
tofore when the Pennsylvania railroad have
put dirt or gravel on the causeway, they
have been careful to put men there with
hoes and shovels to clean off all the mud
before putting on the gravel but in this
done the work without any thought, and
as said before they have damaged every
body concerned, because today there is
from six to twelve inches of red, running
mud, nearly the whole length OF the cause
way The ditch is full of mud and ven
ture to say that one month with the Their
mometer at one hundred degrees in the
shade would not be long enough to dry out
that road. I think that inasmuch as they
have done this damage they should undo
it. and should be obliged to remove the
mud and the obstruction, for it Is nothing
else, from this causeway. BE good enough
to give this matter your attention and see
If some relief cannot be given us"
No Reply From the Railroad Company
Maj. Davis forwarded this communication
to Mr.. William H. Brown. chief engineer
of the Pennsylvania railroad at Philadel-
phia, under date of the 14th instant. He
called special attention to the letter, as in
dicating that great dissatisfaction existed
as to the manner in which the railroad
company has undertaken to repair the
Long bridge roadway, and added that his
own personal observation showed that the
complaints in question are well founded.
Up to date the railroad company has paid
no attention to Maj. Davis letter, nor has
1t answered his previous communication on
the same subject Of the 9th instant the
substance of which has already appeared
in The Star. Maj. Davis is earnest and de-
termined in his purpose to force the rail-
road company to live up to its agreement
to maintain the bridge in good condition.
He will allow reasonable time for the COM
pany to reply to his communications, but If
the company continues to ignore them he
will make the matter the subject of an Off
cial report to the Secretary of War, with a
view to seeing whether that official has
more influence with the railroad company
than he has himself.
What the Secretary of War Can Do.
The Secretary of War may properly order
the railroad company to repair the bridge
in a suitable manner. and in the event of
Its failure SO to do, take proper legal
steps to compel compliance with his orders.
or otherwise secure the abrogation of the
charter under which the railroad company
is permitted to use the bridge. 1t may not
be necessary to resort to such extreme
measures, but it certainly will be done, pro-
vided the railroad company continues its
present course of neglect and omission, and
the Secretary of War is guided in the mat
ter by the wishes of the citizens whose
business compels them to use the bridge.