Evening star., 1896-03-30
THROUGH TOh,MT. VERNON,
Electric Cars From the City to the Home of
rag. Washington.
The Road H.pse.Hg t-4pe N i. Operation
Within Six wss'sg-Its Equip
ment ard ;Apeed.

Within the next BSxsiReekS electric cars
will be running from this city straight
through to Mount Vernon without change.
Within half that time 1t Is probable that
cars will be running to-Rosslyn and Ar
lington.
The construction Of the Washington, Al
eAandrta and Mount Vernon railroad is
almost completed and the road will be
ready in plenty of time for the summer
season. Work has been delayed somewhat
through legal complications involving the
right of way along certain sections of the
route, but the officials of the road ex-
pect that all the difficulties will be cleared
up within a very few days. The road is
owned almost entirely by Philadelphia cap
tta'fsts, President Abbott and three other
gentlemen from the city of brotherly love
having invested something like half mil
lion dollars in the enterprise. The road
was originally capitalized at s5o0.Ooo, but
since then it was authorized by law to
increase its stock to $1.000to00.
Twenty-Five Miles of Trackage.
The road has already a completed track
age of twenty-five miles. The track from
this city to Mount Vernon is seventeen
miles in length. while the double tracks
and the line to Arlington and Rosslyn
make up the difference. Where there
is but a single track there is turnout
every 5000 feet so that with the block sys-
tenn and signals, the same as are used on
the Pennsylvania railroad absolute safety
will be insured.
The main office of the road and the wait
ing room at the Washington terminus
are at the southeast corner of 131a and E
streets. The old building there has been
renovated and remodeled for the purpose
ana m makes a comfortable and commodious
Office structure. The road crosses the Pc
tomac over the tracks of the Pennsylvania
railroad on the Long bridge, and the work
OF wiring the bridge. for the overhead cleo
trio system is being pushed rapidly. From
the starting point near the central power
house the cars will run west to 14th street
and down 14th to the bridge Within the
city limits the underground electric sys-
obtained from the United States Electric
Lighting Company. Immediately on
reaching the bridge the overhead system
VIII be taken up and this will be the mo-
tive power for the balance of the way.
There is nothing in the charter Of the road
10 compel 1t to use electricity as a means
or propulsion, and if at any time it should
be deemed advisable steam or any other
mechanical means of locomotion can be
adopted. The road has been constructed
precisely as it would have been If bull: for
steam railroad line. The tracks are
rock-ballasted and the road has cost S23,O 600
per mile
The Rate of Speed.
On the motor and passenger cars the
wheels have f1anges as deep assthe law al
lows within the District, almost as great
as those used on railroads, so that when
once the cars are in the open country on
the other side Of the river it will be pos
sible tc run them at the speed of sixty
miles an hour If necessary. No such speed
as this. will ever be called upon, the maxi
mum for ordinary service beinea probably
notAmore thannforty miles an hour for ex-
press trains. The limit within the city IS,
OF course ten miles. In crossing the Long
bridge double block system will be in op-
Grafton, so as to entirely eliminate the pos
sibilfty OF accident. When the road Is in
operation 1t is the intention Of the man
agement to run one express train a day
each way between Washington and Alex
andria, making the trip on a schedule time
or seventeen minutes. If the draw in the
Long bridge is open there will be the usual
delay, but apart from that contingency it
on schedule time
Within one hundred yards. of, thu south
end OF the Long bridge the tracks of the
Mount Vernon road leave the Pennsylva-
MA tracks and head in an almost straight
line for Alexandria and Mount Vernon
Trains will be run through from Wash
ington to Alexandria and Mount Vernon.
Going to Arlington passengers will be
transferred at Arlington junction, except
when the travel is sufficiently heavy or
special arrangements are made to- have
through trains to Arlington Trains to and
from Mount Vernon will be run every hour.
ana Be tween here and Alexandria every If
teen minutes Tor two hours in the rffornins
and two hours in the afternoon. The rest
Of the time they will be run as traffic
| makes necessary, probably every half hour
or every forty minutes.
The power house Of the new road is To-
Gated at -Four. Mile run, and has cost about
100000. There are two engines, each with
maximum of 2.O0O horse power, or nomi-
nallv 7.k) horse Ono ohSto {ob
had to be met in the construction Of the
road arose at the point where, the under
ground system is abandonedkrd the OVER
head taken up, for within the city the cars
will be run with voltage of go, while in
the country the voltage will be 500 This
difffculty has been successfully met, and
the officials of the road are satisfied that
when cars begin running the operation of
the road will be as perfect as any one can
ask.