The evening times., 1896-05-18
PASSING OF HORSE CAR.
Electric System on F Street
Nearing Completion.
WILL BE RUNNING IN JULY
1t Is Hoped to Have Everything Ready
by the Time the Christian En-
deavOr Convention Assembles-But
Little Track Remains to BE Laid.
Cars VIII BE Shipped Next Month.

Rapid transit from Georgetown to Lin
colu Park, is soon to be realized. The
management of the Metropolitan Street
Railroad Company states that before the
Dig Christian Endeavor convention meets
here in July its new electric road will be
completed and in running order.
Apprche nding the large crowds that Will
then seek transportat ton over its lines the
company is bringing every effort t. bear to
have the system fully equipped by the first
day of July.
There now remains to he laid only a single
track for about four blocks west from
Twenty second street across the bridge
and in front of the present power house.
The tracks have been down Ior Some tint
through the center OF the city, as well as
over the Capitol Hill division and around
The Georgetown loop.
Contractor Saxton is rushing the work of
putting down the concrete, aud ii Will be
but a few days after the last rail is laid
before that portion of the work will also be
finished.
CARS NEARLY COMPLETED. .
The cars, which have been built by the
American Car Company OF st. Louis, will
oS itltg i'i ~ VII A"s o' N''e
coming month or shortly thereafter. There
will be 60 in number, including both open
and closed cars. They are fitted out with
The latest modern improvements.
The closed cars will lie heated i'll winter
by electricity, and the seats covered with
the best Brussels and made easy with
springs.
On the Georgetown and East Capitol di
vision a motor aud trailer will be run the
same as on the Ninth street line a present
on the Capitol and boundary division, how
ever, o wing Ia the fact loops
for reversing the trains, this will be inl-
possible For this portion of the systens
extending through Connecticut avenue, a
single car, something over half length
longer than the ordinary trailer, will he
used. Twenty cars of this style for summer
and winter traffic have been ordered. These
are end cars with two motors.
UNDERGROUND RAILS USED.
The car is not propelled by an underground
wire, as is generally supposed. Beneath
the surface, directly under the slot, In
which he plow, OF what corresponds To the
grip on the cable lines. runs. are laid tw.
other parallel tracks about four or five
inches apart. These tracks convey the cur
rent, and are protected in sucha mann er that
contact with them by any means except the
plow of he propeller is almost impossible.
To strengthen the current at points where
Il might he weak, conduit is laid be-
tween the two double tracks i'll the middle
Df the street. In this, protected by terra
Gotta pipe, is a wire rope one and three
quarter inches in diameter. charged with
800 volts of electricity and connected at
several points with the tracks beneath.
Attached to the plOw which receives the
current by coming in contact with the
charged rails. is Il small shoe running on
The under side 10 hold the apparatus in
place. The shoe is so arranged with springs
as to give il about I wo inches play between
the rails in making curves. A small copper
wire onc-fifth of an inch in thickness trans
mits the power to the car motor.
ONLY SYSTEM OF ITS KIND.
The entire system is the same as that
Of the General Electric Company, with
some improvements devised 10y President
Phillips, and which has been found to work
satisfactorily on the Ninth stree; line.
The new power-house. which is situated
directly In the rear of the cOmranys Of
fices on z street, has been finished, and the
work of setting up the dynamos and engines
is now going on.
There are to be three engines of zoo
horsepower each, and three dynamos en-
gendering 500 volts of electricity each,
which is considered amply sufficient TO
move the trains at high rate of speed,
and carry all who may want 10 ride
Tho nf Of p 4 no Z in
will reach the S2,0OO.OOO mark This
covers a little over thirteen miles OF
single track, or six and one-half miles
side of Lincoln Park.
There is said to be not another city in
America with a similar system, and the
management has reason to feel justly proud
of its success. In some cities the old
fashioned, overhead, death-dealing trolley
has been discarded for an underground
trolley system, but the mode here adopted
Is a new one.
One of the principal sources of benefit
to the public which the change of motive
power from horses to electricity will i'll
sure. beside the added ease and comfort.
will be the increased speed which the cars
will he able to make. At present one hour
and fifty-twO minutes are consumed IN
making round trip. This will no doubt
be reduced to about one hour, though a
test of several weeks will be necessary
before a definite schedule can be made.
GROWTH OF THE COMPANY.
People who remember the organization of
the old Metropolitan Company, with s. P.
Brown as president, in 1864, are pleased
to note the progress made during the past
thirty years. At that time the line ex-
tended from the Capitol over the same route
now used to the corner OF New York avenue
and Seventeenth street, with the office and
stable situated where the present Corcoran
Art Gallery now stands. Twenty bobtail
cars and 125 horses then conveyed pas
sengers to and from the Capitol to the
gro wing northwest section of the city.
1t has not yet been fully decided whether
there shall be any celebration attending
the opening of the new road, but the Of
ficers and directors will have the dis
tiuction of being the first to enjoy a trip