Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-27
BY ELECTRIC POWER
Building the Railroad Between This
City and Baltimore.
A STAR REPORTER GOES over THE ROAD
It is Expected to Be- Finished by
Next Spring.
FROM CITY TO CITY

Work on the new electric road which will
eventually add another connecting link be-
tween the cities of Washington and Balti-
more is being rapidly pushed forward and
within year at the outside cars will be
spinning over the forty miles of track at a
rate which will bring the two cities nearer
together by ten fifteen minutes.
Col. Douglass, the president Of the new
read, and Mr.. W. X. Schoepf the vice
president and general manager are salts
fled that when the road is in active oper-
alton express trains will make the distance
In about thirty minutes. In addition to the
express trains there are to be frequent and
rapid locals which will prove the greatest
blessing to the suburban villages which
are row dependent upon the trains on the
main line of the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
road. To a certain extent the new cleo
tric road covers the same territory as the
Baltimore and Ohio between Washington
and the metropolis of Maryland, and taps
practically the same suburban towns and
subdivisions. With trains every fifteen min
utes during the morning and afternoon,
when traffic is particularly heavy, bringing
their passengers directly into the heart of
the city, the attractiveness Of life in the
subuI bS will be greatly enhanced.
The new road, as is generally known has
absorbed the city lines of the lexington
ana soldiers Home road and by means
OF It's tracks 1t will be able to bring its
passengers into the business sections Of the
city. The construction of the new road has
been carried through under a number of
different charters and names but all of
these have been consolidated into one and
by a recent act OF the Maryland legisla-
turc the new road has been given the title
of the Maryland ard Columbia railroad. Tp
to the present time considerable delay has
cen caused by the difficulty the road has
met with at times in securing a right of
way. Many of these obstacles have now
been overcome, and in number of cases
Where the owners Of property have been OBJ
courts for a final decision, and it is gem
orally believed that the work will not be
hindered to any extent In the future.
Work of Grading.
The road runs by way of Laurel, and the
work Of grading has been practically COM
pleted as far as that town. At the other
end the work between Baltimore and Eli
colt City is in even more advanced
state. Between Laurel and Ellicott C!ts.
the lire has not yet been laid out, for the
reason that the exact route it is to follow
has not yet been definitely decided. That
is a comparatively short stretch of road,
and as there are no great engineering diff
cult!eS TO meet, the work there can be rap
idly pushed to completion when 1T is once
started. So far no rails have been laid at
any place along the line, but when the
roadbed is once in condition 1t will not
take NOR than few weeks to put down
the track: and erect the poles for the troll
ley wires
1t is the intention of tho promoters of the
road to make the construction second to
no road Ia the country, steam electric.
There will be a double track throughout
with the grades low and the curves as
light as can possibly be mada The tracks
n hall oc ,f ni,, ,,,},, ,of
crushed stone. The rails, which have al
leidy been ordered, are to be eighty-five
pounds to the foot within the District limits
and seventy-fve pounds to the foot out
side. They are to be sixty feet in length
double the usual length. thus giving added
soiidity and firmness. The ties are of the
best white oak or Georgia pine to he set two
feet apart from center to center, so that
more than 100000 will be required. The
officers Of the road, it is said, TN few, If
any, instances have given contracts to the
lowest bidders, preferringito have the work
done In thoroughly satisfactory manner.
The cost reT mile will. it is understood, be
fully 10000, bringing the total cost well up
toward 100000. With the rolling stock.
power houses. terminals and stations, the
road, when completed, will represent an
outlay of between 100000 and $s000,OOO.
The Electrical Equipment.
The electrical features of the road, the
company claims, will represent the very
latest improvements In that form of con-
struction. Besides it's regular electrical en-
gineer, Mr.. F. NJ. HUFF, the company has
taken the advice of two of the most famous
electricians in the country, professors in
Johns Hopkins University. When COM
pleted, it is believed that the road will be
the finest and best equipped electric road
in the world. 1t Is not the intention of the
company to conflne the road solely to the
transportation Of passengers, but freight
will also be handled. Arrangements are
being made with the Baltimore and Ohio
ana pennsylvania roads to handle their
cars. The tracks of the Maryland and Co.
lumbia road are to be of the standard gauge,
heavy enough to handle steam cars, and in
point of fact the rolling stock of the new
read will not be much lighter than that
used on steam railroad lines. The cars will
necessarily be of heavy construction to
make possible such speed as is contemplat-
ed. The motors are to be Of the latest and
most approved pattern. and will embody
many improvements. The passenger cars
II is understood, will not differ materially
from those In use on the principal steam
ROADS OF the country. With the rapid devel-
walls that the line from this city 10 Bal
timore Is but the first section Of line
which Will ultimately connect the. cities Of
washington and New York.
The power for the road will be furnished
from two power houses. one of which is
10 pc built at Paine creek, and the other
at chichester. The former will furnish the
lower for this end Of the road, and the lat
ter for the Baltimore end and the branch
line which takes in Gainesville, one of Bal
City.
Along the Line.
A day or two ago a Star reporter, in
company with Mr.. Maurice Tally, one Of
the contractors, drove over the route of
the new road as far as Laurel All things
considered, the work Is in a very forward
state, and would seem to bear out the prom
Use made by the officers of the company
mat by next spring at the latest cars will
be running between the two cities.
Inc line Of the electric road bears off to
the west OF the Baltimore and Ohio, pass
ing underneath the tracks Of the Metropoli-
tan branch where the latter crosses the
line or Rhode Island avenlse extended to the
northeast. The culvert issa beautiful piece
OF masonry, and the requirements Of the
Baltimore and Ohio road have necessarily
peen nVed up to in every particular.
Wlthin the District Of Colombia the line
OF the new road has been made to conform
to the established grades but outside the
line Mills have been. cut through and hol-
lows filled, regardless of expense, and in a
manner that would satisfy the most ex-
acting engineer, Within the ten miles Of