Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-17
The Equipping Of the lexington
Road Postponed.
RELATIONS WITH BOULEVARD SCHEME
Large Stockholders Said to Be Dis
satisfied on Account of Losses.
STEAM VERSUS ELECTRICITY

The eQuipping Of the Soldiers Home and
lexington and Belt railway lines Of this
city has been postponed until the affairs Of
the Columbia and Maryland Electric Rail-
way Company have been settled. This. at
least was the statement given today to
Star reporter by prominent Official Of the
two lines named.
"As Is well known" said this official.
1.-The syndicate composed of Messrs. w. l..
Elkins p. A. B. Widener and Thomas Do
Ian of Philadelphia are the chief owners Of
the lexington and Soldiers Home and Belt
Line roads, and they are also largely in
terested in the Columbia and Maryland
Electric Railway Company. They have. as
1 know. grown tired of the losses sustained
by them in connection with running the
roads controlled by them here. which have
been at the rate Of 100000 year for sew
eral years past, and they have determined
to lose as little in the future az is possible.
THE act of the District Commissioners
a few weeks ago IN compelling them to
run more cars on the Ecklngton and some
other lines. by which the expenses were
Increased $GO day without any CORE
spending increase In revenue. was the
straw which broke the camers back and
caused them to reach the determination
to POSTPONE the completion OF the COM
pressing plant and the operating of a rapid
transit system here until. as stated, the at
fairs Of the Columbia and Maryland. and
In which they have, as is stated. several
millions of dollars locked up are in better
shape than they are at present"
A report was circulated both here and in
Baltimore that the Baltimore Traction
Company, with which Messrs. Elkins.
might become involved in the troubles OF
the Columbia and Maryland. but an in
quiry at the banking house Of Mr. T. Ed
ward Hambleton In Baltimore. one Of the
oP ~ o
the reply that the only way the Traction
Company was interested in the Columbia
and Maryland was that the former would
like to collect bill Of s., TOO due by the lat
ter for railroad crossings and that the two
companies were separate and distinct In
every particular.
Advices from Pittsburg state that the
motors contracted for by the lexington
company have been finished by the con-
tractors. Messrs. H. X. Porter g. Co.. aud
that the motors are now on the B. and 0.
tracks at that city. awaiting shipment. but
that no orders will be issued by the rail-
way company to send them to Washington
for the present.
Although the Columbia and Maryland
Electric Railway Company has gone into
the hands of receivers. and pending the adj
justment of various matters connected with
the obligations of the road. work has neces-
sarily been suspended, there is reason
to believe that the stoppage of the con-
| struction Of the line Will be but for a short
time. and that this great public improve
| ment will be opened for traffic early next
spring. -
1t is admitted on all sides by those who
arc conversant with the affairs Of the Co.
lumbia and Maryland Electric Railway
Company that Messrs. w. l.. Eikins, p. A.
b. Widener and Thomas. Dolan. who are
among the leading street railway magnates
Of the United States. are abundantly able
| to furnish the money needed to complete
| the line. but it is also stated that after
| having invested more than S2DO.UDO In the
ICfN ov,1 hnr Is nf tha ffnv1 fhayy
| nave become d'sse ttsf1ed with the manner
| in which some of he officers Of the COM
pany administered their trust. and insisted
upon a change in that direction.
The only way to accomplish this was to
have the line go into the hands of receiv-
| ers and by them have the company reor-
| gained. and this course was agreed to
after consultation with all the creditors.
1t Is also reported that persons who are
| closely connected with the management of
| the Pennsylvania have intimated desire
| to become financially interested in the Co
| lumbia and Maryland. provided they were
| given an opportunity to get enough stock
| to give them an influential voice In the
| management of the road after 1t is opened
| to the public.
There is no doubt. in the opinion of rail-
| road men. that the Pennsylvania and Bal
| timore and Ohio companies are both
| strongly opposed to the construction OF the
| new line. because Of the cutting into their
| passenger traffic which it Is believed will
| follow.
| Electric Road Competition.
| Both the Pennsylvania and B. and o.
| have found to their serious cost that at
| every point where they have come into
| competition with electric lines the patron
| age Of the public has almost entirely gone
| to the electric lines, and the loss resulting
| therefrom has been so great to the Penn
| sylvania and B. and o. that both roads
have in many instances not only taken of
a number Of their local trains. but In some
| cases have abandoned this branch OF theil
| service altogether.
| This was the experience Of the B. and O.
| at Pittsburg. where the company. at grea,
| expense, built road some fifteen miles
| long for the almost exclusive accommoda.
| ton Of the men working in the mills and
| living in the suburban towns near Pitts
| burg and Allegheny. At first the receipts
| of the railway company were enormous
| and surpassed the expectations of those who
projected the road. but after few years q
| competing electric railway line was bull,
| and opened. and SO great was the falling
Off in receipts that In less than twelv!
months the local trains we're all Withdrawn
| and the field Of competition abandoned tG
the electric company, which has ever since
| occupied it.
The Pennsylvania has recently had &
similar experience at Gainesville, near Bal
| eXandria. In the former instance the Penn
| sylvania was the lessee Of what was called
the Gainesville Short Line railway, and sc
| great was the travel between Baltimore
| and Gainesville that the company operated
twenty-four trains daily through the weel
and nearly as many on Sunday. An cleo
trio line was built between the same points
and although the latter has been in opera
| ton but few months. the Pennsylvania
has taken off twenty of its daily trains AND
abandoned Sunday trains altogether.
The effect of the opening of the electric
| line between Washington and Alexandra
Is we'll known to the readers of The Star
and it is also well known that in the latter
instance the Pennsylvania months ago pro
tected itself by securing q controlling in
terest in the electric Nne.fso that while 1
now runs no local steam trains between
this city and Alexandria, its revenues from
that branch Of the service are amply pro
tected through its connections with tn,
electric company.
The recent experience Of the Pennsylva
mia gives the basis for the belief that whel
the Columbia and Maryland Electric Rail
way Company Is reorganiked the Pennsyi
vania will have big ssy in what tn
AS for the local travel. the new line s.
closely parallels the b. and o. to Laure
that 1t is hardly to be expected but tina
the residents in the suburban towns as ia
out as Laurel. and including that town
| would to large extent take the new line
unless the B. and o. reduces its rates o
fare much below those charged at present.