Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-18
Commissioners Agree to Its Use On
Navy Yard Bridge.
SPECIFIC PROVISIONS OF THE Law
Legislative History Of the Bill
Under Consideration.
GRANTED

decided to grant to the Capital Railway
Company, which projects line connecting
Congress Heights with this city. permits
sion to cross the Navy Yard bridge by
means Of an overhead trolley.
This company was chartered by an act
of Congress, approved March 9, 1895, which
laid out a route extending from Congress
Heights to a point opposite the foot OF
South Capitol street, where the cars were
to be transferred across the river by ferry.
survey was made for bridge at this
point that was intended to be used by the
railroad line when completed, but owing to
the opposition of the War Department no
authority was ever given for 1t, and no
appropriation was made
At the time Of the troubles over the Ana
costa railroad the projectors of the Con-
gress Heights line decided to tap that ter
ritory, and applied for an amendment 70
their charter, which was granted in the
act approved May %. 1895 This bill chang
ell the route so as to bring the line from
point near Shepherds Ferry to the south
side Of the Eastern branch or Anacosti
bridge thence across the bridge to NJ street
south and thence west on Nj street to con
meet with the Navy Yard line Of me Csp!-
tai Traction Company; also from the end of
the bridge on nth street to East Capitol
street.
The Law In the Case.
Section of this act is as follows: THAT
the motive power to be used on the lines in
this act specified shall be the underground
electric system within the city of Washing
ton and the overhead trolley system out!
side the city of Washington. For crossins
the Navy Yard bridge the same company
may, in the discretion of the Commissioners
of the District of Columbia. use either horse
power or the underground electric system to
propel it's cars, and the said company Shall
have the privilege of carrying electric
current across the Navy Yard bridge in such
manner the said Commissioners of the
District of Columbia shall prescribe
The request for the permission to cross
the Navy Yard bridge by trolley came
from Mr. E. A. Rande. the chief repre-
sentative of the Capital Railway Company.
who pointed out to the Commissioners that
to cross the bridge by underground dec
tric would cost fully s50,0nO for heavy
yokes ard he argued that 1t would be L
matter of small moment to grant permits
SIGN to extend the trolley line running from
Congress Heights to the AnacOs la end of
the bridge as far as the Washington side
where the underground electric condui,
will be met.
A Decision.
Commissioner Powell was of the opinion
that the law was such to prohibit such
a permission being granted, but his view
was not shared by Commissioners Ross
and Truesdell, who held that the last
clause of the section sLtficed to vest in .hc
Commissioners ample authority for sucl
an action. After some discussion, in whic.,
the section was examined carefully the
Commissioners decided to grant the de-
sired permission, greatly to the delight OF
Mr.. Randie.
1t $ known that at the time the bill
amendat0ry of the charter of this company.
now known as public act 100, APPROX.
May ~, 1896. was under discussion in the
|
very question of how to cross the AnacuS-
tia river was brought up and received care
ful attention from the 3ubcommittecs O..
street railroads. Senator McMillau's attan-
ton early called to the matter ana
Mr.. Rande. who represented the company
before Congress, StrenuOuSiy urged that tn"
bill be so framed as to adInt the continue
ton of the overhead trolley to the ho:t:l
!,,-il Of the river.
The same objections that he presented to
the Commissioners this morning against
underground construction on the bridge
he vetoed or many occasions in the Senate
District committee room, and a Star re
porter was present when the chairman OF
the committee forcibly declined to grant
this infraction. as he conceived it. of the
general anti-trolley law, which prohibits
overhead construction within the city lin
its.
\ Concession Granted.
Mr.. Randle then asked that the company
be given alternative which might ena5is
ii to avoid the heavy expense of an under
ground system on the bridge, or postpone
the expense for time if the finances Of
the company might make it desirable To
this effect he suggested that the bill be
amended 80 as to permit the use of horses
on the bridge itself, so as to bring the cars
over the gap between the overhead and the
underground systems. In view of the fact
that the bridge was already dedicated TO a
he Of
line. Senator Mcmillan and his colleagues
consented to make this concession, and TIE
pr oblem then arose as to how the under
ground electric system on the Washington
SIDE of the bridge should be supplied with
power.
The plans of the company were that the
power house should be on the Anacostia
side, and some means of transmitting the
curr ent across the river was necessary In
view of the anti-overhead construction
law, some specific provision would have to
be made to permit even a feeder wire to
be strung across the bridge. Hence the
addition of the concluding Iines of sec
ton =: and the said company shall have
the privilege of carrying electric cur
rent across the Navy Yard bridge in such
manner as the said Commissioners of the
District of Columbia shall prescribe
Were 1t not for this provision the company
would be compelled under the existing laws
either to provide two power houses. one on
each side of the river, to purchase its
power for the Washington side from one
of the power-producing companies doing
business in the city.
This view of the section was held through
out the course of the bill. and in the various
interviews between Mr.. Randle and the
members of the two committees there was -
general agreement, both expressed and
tacitly understood. that the bridge should
not be invaded by the overhead trolley bul
that that form of construction should stop
at the Anacostia bank of the river
What Mr.. Ross Says
Commissioner Ross was asked this after
noon by Star reporter in regard to the in
depreciation by the Commissioners of the
act chartering the Capital Railway Com
pany: DO you understand that the final
clause of section 2 of the act provides
merely for feed wire to connect the troll
ley system to be used outside the CITY linn
its with the underground system within
the city limits, and has no reference to
the system to be put in force on the
bridge?' -'
NO., replied Commissioner Ross. .1n
the first place, the bridge is outside the
city limits. Col. Truesdell Maj Powell and
myself discussed the matter fully this
morning. and we are unanimously of The
opinion that the section gives us the dis
erection to permit the underground system
the horse-car system or The trolley system
I