Evening star., 1896-12-24
VIOLATIONS OF LAW
Memorial Of North Capitol and Eek
ington Citizens.
b. sssss
SPECIFIC INSTANCES ENUMERATED
An Earnest Protest Against Exten-
sion of Time of the Railway.
PROMISES NOT FULFILLED

in which * is alleged the Eckinslon and
Soldiers Homo and tho Belt railway COM
panies have violated ;lseir obligations under
| tieir >eharsers made in the memorial
| introduced in the Senate on Monday by
Senator Morgan This memorial was from
the Nerth Capitol and Eo okington Citizens
| Association, and is signed by w G. Hen
| ds' son. .sidcn;; y. +. Server. Chairman
railway committee: T. p Kane. railway
| committee; T. T. Moore. railway commit
tee, and W. J. Hughes, SEE retary. The
| memorial IS being widely read by senators
who will be called upon to act on the bill
which has nassed the House of Representa-
tIves granting these companies an eNteE-
SION OF time in which to equip their roads
with modem motive power. Ii is as fol-
lows:
| To the Honorable the Senate of the United
States:
I The NNorth Capitol and lexington Citi-
| zers' ociation. IN behalf of the many
thousands of citizens of the District of Co
lumhia who are compelled TO the car
service of the lexington and Soldiers
| fto me and The Belt railway companies, do
NEST earnestly pro;es, against the passage
| of the Joint RESOLUTION Oh. Res ol-J which
was adopted by the House of Representa-
tives on December Il providing for ar ex-
! tersion of time under the act of June Ia.
| is't.t ferot hss operation of these roads by
| rapid transit. and present the following
ffasef:o III Supocrt of our otljeo tions:
Violations of Paving
E1 section Of the act of Jure 10. lSSS
| CO Start. GsD. the company is required 20
/ Keep the spaces between its rails am,
tracks and for TWO feet beyond the outer
rails, within the city limits, at all times
wei paved and ia good repair, and, beyond
tho city limits, well graded or paved and in
good repair. so 10 impede the general
travel as little as possible
1hese prov isions have been continuous
~ and are now being violated.
II tas@paSetf these spaces with copble-
sto Ees along its lines except on 9TH street
and u street from :,th to 18th, and a small
amount of brick IN various places Some
poitions of these spaces along its tracks
II Las never paved at ALL for instance, on
North Capitol street north of New York
avenLe, within the city limits and nearly
an OF the space along its tracks outside of
the city limits. from the power house
10 brookland has not been paved at
an In many instances the company
mas removed concrete pavement laid al
! the expense of the District. ard sub
stituted for it cob.,lcstones and in
Scnt. Cases nothing at al. though repeat-
edly ordered 10y the Commissioners to relay
concrete tSee North Capitol. New York
a'enUc. and other streetsb
Ihe act of April 30. lS.H which author
iEes the extension on Ncfth Capitol stree;
rorin of New York aveEuc makes that ex-
tension subject 10 the original paving pro-
visions
Cars and Schedules.
Scclion 10 of the act of Jure 10. lNSS O.,
Stat. lSD, provides: That the company shall
place cars of the best construction on said
railways, with all modern improvements
necessary TO the comfort aad convenience
| OF Passengers, and shall run cars thereon
| as often as the public convenience may re-
| qCirc. in accordance with tim. table or
schedule adopted by the company. copy
Gh.,l1-
siCnerS of the District of Columbia and to
be approved by them.
fhe companyS summer cars used on III.
u street line are cars which were discarded
ny PhiladeIphia companies for others of
more rlodern construction, merely repaint-
| ed for use here
The winter cars are heavy trolley trailers
entirely unsuited for horses
The cars in use on North Capitol street
are simply antiQuated wrecks foul smell
lng- dirty and uncomfortable in the ex-
tleme. OF the bobtail variety that is run
without conductors, the conductors being
taken off when Congress by the act of June
10 iastrequired that the tracks should be
operated
The provision concerning schedules ap-
proved by the Commissioners of the Dis
trict of Columbia has been and is now hetnp
violated. On the North Capitol street line
which for about two years was not oper-
ated at all, the Commissioners under this
section and under the act of June 10 lS.6
ordered cars should be run as often as
every five minutes from to . m and
from 1 TO pm, at other times as often a
every ten minutes. This order has been
dlsobeyed except for a few weeks imme-
diately after its promulga tion.
Overhead Wires.
Section of the act of April 80, 1880 ,as
Stat. 40, repealed the authority to use
overhead wires within the city of Wash
lngton after July l, 1872 The company
haVlns neglected to prepare for compliance
with this law on February IL, 1893 ca Stat
4'4). 1t was granted an extension for two
years until July /, 1885, and they made no
olher provision to comply with the act re-
curing the removal OF the overhead wires
The act of July =. 1872 ca Stat 6O pro-
Nided that horsepower should not be used
on said A2e for traction purposes The act
of February Is, 1893 ca Stat 44p restored
the right TO Use horsepower and extended
the time for the removal of the overhead
wires few months before this authority
EXPIRED application was made for another
extension on the plea of lack of time for
installing a satisfactory substitute and an
order was obtained from the Commissioners
OF the District permitting tie installation
OF an underground electromagnetic sys-
lem. This order or permit was never used
as the company made no further effort to
put In that system.
July ]. 1S'5 found no other preparations
to repiace. the overhead wires with a diff
ferent motive power. The company en-
tearored to forestall the enforcement of
the law by an injunction proceeding which
was promptly dismissed. The then man
ager of the road, who is the present re-
ceiver, was arrested and brought before
the Police Court of the District fined ard
in default of payment sentenced to con-
finement in the workhouse. To escape the
confinement habeas corpus proceedings
were brought. which were finally dismissed
after the overhead wires were taken down
To escape additional fines or imprison-
ment Mr.. Schoepf. the manager referred to-
L. lima
cant for several months thus avoiding the
jurisdiction of the Police Court. The wires
We're finally removed some time after the
last extension expired. The company hav-
ing made no preparation for a rapid tran
SIT system as the law intended, horses were
introduced ard have since furnished the
power.
Non-OperatiOn of Road.
The act of July 8. 1892 ca Stat 6.), au-
thorized an extension from street and
New. Jersey avenue, along G TO North Capt.
tol street. and thence north to New York
ayenue the cars TO be run thereon within
one year. The act of February Is, 1893
CT Stat. 4fD, extended the time an ad-
ditionaI year. Having failed to comply
with this law the act of August % 1888
(2S Stat. 492) extended the time three
months, thus requiring the road to be CON-
pleted and cars run thereon October :