The morning times., 1896-04-09
LIGHT ON IT'S HISTORY |
Potomac Electric company's
Past Told a Senate Committee.
HEARING TO BOTH CONCERNS
Mr.. Crosby Made Promises of Many
Things IL His Company Can Get In.
Mr.. Reddington Went Back u Few
Yearsand E pia ined Mr.. .TruesdeIFs
Connection With 1t.

The Potomac Light and Power Company
has not found as easy sailing before Con-
gressional committees as before the Dis
trict Commissioners. Apparently they
feel the absence of pull near the fountain
head when at the Capitol.
AT the close OF the hearing upon it's bill
by the Senate subcommittee yesterday
afternoon. its promoters, Mr.. o. II. Crosby
and Charles A. Lieb, appea red tagged
and disheartened.
There were present beside the subeoIn-
mittee, consisting OF Messrs. Mcmillan,
Proctor. and Faulkner, only the principals
in the argument, Mr.. Crosby for the
Potomac Company's bill, and Mr.. j. X.
Reddington against it: President Ballinger,
of the Columbia Heights Citizens Assecia-
ton, to oppose overhead wires; MIR. c. A.
Lieb. President Thomas, of the United
States Electric Company, and President
Griswoid, OF the Anacostia street rail-
road.
MIR. Mcmillan said at the outset that only
fifteen 10 twenty minutes could ia gwen
to each side, but the hearing lasted nearly
an hour and Il half. In opening the re-
marks. Mr.. Mcmillan said the proposition
OF the bill, S. 2.124, was in effect to let
III a new electric lighting company to take
| the place of the old. The Potomac Light
and Power Company. he explained, had
bought Commissioners Truesdel's electric
| plant iii EcEington- They already had a
plant IN Georgetown. They want to run
overhead wires in the county and under
ground wires ali over washington. For
this they ask to be allowed to tear up the
streets.
| AIR. Crosby. opening the discussion, said
there were three original permits for cleo
/ trio light and power here. One was to
the United States Electric Lighting Com
| pany. one to the original Potomac Com
! pany, and one to the lexington Company.
| The company he represented had been
orgaEfZfd TO i1uy out the last two. His
| Company applied for permits TO develop
| their business and were confronted by in
/ Junction suits.
| In arguing these il was found that legiS-
| lation upon the subject had been what Judge
+! Bingham mad called fragmentai. The laws
| under which action had been taken had
been parts of appropriation bills. In
| deciding the suits Judge Bingham had held
| that all permits were illegal, that the Com
| nisSioGers lad no right Ia a iIow the STREETS
| to be taken for electric lines except upon
| special acts OF Congress. This he believed
/ To be right. but its effect Was to cripple
| his business.
| BUSINESS WAITING THEM.
| He then described how his company had
| located itself where it had many advau-
! tages for producing the electric current
| They had 4 number of railroads waiting to
| take the current. They had a contract TO
| shut down the lexington electric plant and
run the cars as well as the lights from
the Georgetown plant The INJUNCTION
| stopped them and they now had TO apply
to the lexington Railroad Company for
l r,tr bee In ITnhr
| seven ccuters here now for supplying cur
| rent. They ought all to be consolidated
I in one, he argued, and his company ought
| to be the one.
He then went at length into the en-
4 gineeriug details by reason of which he
tiaifeged his company was the best. He
1 said the United States Company had an
isout-of-date plant aud probably ought 20
sell it as junk.
| He said his company could do business
at profit. when the old company would
/ be losing. II seemed to him unreasonable
to maintain that a moEeply had been cs-
! tabished by the fragmental legislation re-
ferred to by Judge Bingham.
His company was the first appearance
| of competition here. 1t was ready 10
! furnish public lights ut S1o0 year as
| against 81 46 now paid the United States
| Company. Also it bound itself to furnish
| private lighting 10 per cent over than the
| rate charged here in December last.
He then read the bin, pointing out
| what they expected TO dc. They would
let the public wires into their conduits and
| do pretty much anything else demanded oi
them.
MIR. Crosby closed with an appeal for
some action that would at least permit
the company to operate.
OBJECTED TO OVER HEAD WIRES.
Mr.. Ballinger said he was present To Oh
| ject tothc proposal to put overhead wires
through Columbia Heights. Mr.. Crosby
agreed, he understood. TO use underground
| wires everywhere within the fire limits
That was all he asked. All three Of the
Senators assured him If any bill should pass
this would certainly be required.
Mr.. Redington, for the United States Com
pany, said here was proposition to change
a satisfactory condition OF things. The
United States Company has for fourteen
years given an electric light service and
there has never been any serious complaint
public or private
The company had built one of the hest
plants in the country and had three time:
without solicitation reduced the price OF
light.
These gentlemen, lie said. came here ana
promised to do wonderful things The,
had inventions that would accomplish great
results and were eloquent to tell what they
were going to do The United States
company was here showing what it ha!
done. There was nothing that the new
company promised to do that the old com
pany would not do IL it were possible
There was not piece of machinery of az
description that the Potomac Company
could get that was not also open TO pur
chase by the United States Company. Al
claims of being able to operate at lower
cost were mere talk.
T When Mr.. Crosby produced the engine tC
do what he claimed he would find that the
United States Company had engines doing
work just as economically as his. As to tn,
. statement that the company was holding or
to an old fashioned plant he said they hat
now near $500, 900 worth of machinery
that had been throwninto the junk pile tt
make way for improvements.
Mr.. Redington continued that the price o.
public lighting had been reduced every tinlf
| Congress asked il. The. books of the
company had been three times thrown oper
5 and every opportunity afforded for Con
gressmen 10 see just what they were doing
They had three times reduced the price
first from fifty to forty, then to thirty-eight