Evening star., 1896-09-10
The Date for Beginning the Com
pressed Air Experiment.
4 QUESTION As TO THE LAW
What the lexington and Belt Com
panies Have Done.
MIR. SYMINGTON'S STATEMENT


ton and Soldiers Home and Belt railway
companies, provided that within three
months from the passage Of this act these
companies should begin to equip those
portions of their respective lines which are
situated within the boundaries of the city
of Washington with compressed air
motors"
The preliminary period mentioned in this
statute expires today, and, in accordance
with the terms Of the act, these COM
panies are now under legal obligation to
begin to equip their lines with the form
of rapid transit motive power which they
prefer to test experimentally before under
taking the installation of the more ex-
pensive underground electric system. The
term 'begln to equip" is somewhat in
definite, and a question has already arisen
as to its exact meaning. The company mas
given a contract to H. K. Porter Il COM
pany OF PittSburg for the manufacture ana
delivery of ten cars, built on new pat
tern. for the operation of the compressed
air system and also for the delivery, install
lation and operation of COMPRISING
plant. No deliveries have as yet been made
on this contract, and it would seem that
the companies have really done compare
lively little, as far as actual results IN this
city go to show, to entitle them to the
protection of the phrase begin to equip.
MIR. Symington's Statement.
In order to obtain an exact and official
statement as to the precise extent to which
the companies had met the law a Star re-
porter called this morning on Mr.. Syming-
ton, superintendent and general manager
of these corporations, who stated the case
as follows:
The companies have begun to equip
their lines with the compressed system.
Ten cars, built on the most modern and
scientific principles. are now standing on
the tracks at Pittsburg, with their canvas
covers on. waiting to be shipped to this
city. l understand that all that delays
them is the failure of the bottles or steel
storage cylinders for the compressed air
to arrive from Germany. These necessary
parts are on their way, and l have no
doubt that within very few days the cars
will be in Washington. Our contract with
the Porter company is complete and COM
prehensive. We are to furnish the power
and the Porter company the cars, the ma
chinery and the expert service, in addition
to assembling or setting up every part Of
the necessary plant None of the machin-
cry has yet come, but everything Is in
readiness at our power house in lexington
when 1t does arrive The foundations of
this house are very substantial. The house
was originally built piles sunk to
great depth, and on top of these a layer
of concrete three feet thick was placed. I
have no doubt that this will furnish
perfect bed for any amount Of ma
chinery that will be necessary. I am
assured that as soon as the machin-
cry arrives it will be but a matter of a
couple OF days at the most to set it in
place ready for operation, and l have no
doubt that inside of week at the very
most after the arrival of the cars and the
machinery compressed air motors will be
running on the main line of the lexington
road from Brookland to the PENNSYLVANIA
station in this city.
Preparations Made.
of ho r1an for
the experiment we have raised oar stack
to give greater draught and have made
all the arrangements to supply the neces-
sary amount of water for the machinery.
Our application to the city authorities to
use water from the public mains being de-
MED 1T was necessary to seek for supply
elsewhere, and We have therefore utilized
the four wells already sunk in our viciI-
ity. One of these is in the power house
and was originally sunk to a depth of
100 feet. A contract has been let for the
deepening of this well to 250 feet, and also
sunk by Colonel Truesdell when tbs Eek
ing ton property was laid out in the an
ticpation of supplying that suburb with an
Independent water service. Subsequently
| the city mains were extended through
lexington and these wells were abandoned.
They are all in good condition, however,
and IN few days have caused a test to
be made of the supply, and out of these
wells have been enabled to obtain a flow
Of 800 gallons a minute. which will GER
tairly be ample for all our purposes. But
in order to prevent any difficulty from
this source We have provided for the deep
eEing of all the wells. We have also
reservoir of the capacity of 25OOO gallons,
so have no fear whatever on the score of
obtaining a sufficient supply of water for
our machinery.
THE contract with the Porter company
calls for only ten cars. That number will!
certainly be sufficient for the purpose of
IL. f1n la
act of Congress. Until the complete sue
cess of this form of compressed air motors
Is demonstrated beyond a doubt no more
cars will be ordered. The Porter COM
pany is obligated to equip the road as I
have said, with these cars. and the neces-
sary machinery and to supply the expert
service required to insure the satisfactory
running of the motors
I'VE will furnish the common labor, the
conductors and rotormen, who will, in all
cases. act under the supervision of an ex-
Iert operator. If the exnerimer+ Oh :,
, nor nor e--..-- .-- company Is to remove tha
cars and compressing plant ard restore our
property to Its original condition. We m
JOY the advantage in this connection of
having an almost perfect union with the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company for
the delivery OF our cars and all parts of
the machinery which would naturally come
| in over that branch of the road, which
almost touches our power house in Eek
tneton. This will insure rapid delivery at
this end and overcome all DELAYS OF that
sort.
No Doubt Of Success.
Personally 1 have no doubt whatever of
the ultimate and complete success of the
compressed air experiment. am free to
| predict that 1T will give perfect satisfac-
ticn- Compressed air as motive power
has been In use for many years in France,
| and it is now in constant use in New York
city. The question has been asked us why
We do not adopt the system in use In
swer we say that the Porter patent is by
far the best on the market and that. in
fact. all Of the American devices are su-
perior to those adopted in France. This
| Is because of the general improvement in
anical fha