Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-11-10
The Belt and lexington Cases Again
in Court
PROPOSALS TO EgP THE LINES
Compressed Air M4tor Companies
Propose to Maze Tests,
AN INTERESTING DOCUMENT

Pursuant to the order of Judge Cox made
several days ago. Receiver w. Kelsey
Schoepf Of the lexington and Soldiers
Home and the Belt Line railroad companies
today submitted to the court the bids re-
ceived by him for equipping the two roads
with rapid transit motors. Mr., Schoepr
also. in obedience to the courts order. filed
with the bids received his Recommended
lions as to them. The court. however,
upon the suggestion of Mr. Nathaniel VIE
son of counsel for the stockholders of the
roads, postponed the hearing in the mat
ter until Monday, that the parties inter-
ested might have ample time in which to
examine the bids submitted and the re-
ceivers report. ...--ef :. ,,t. g
The Receivers Report.
Mr.. Schoepf reported that in accordance
with the order OF the court he had as re-
ceiver obtained propositions for the equip
ment of the lexington and Soldiers. Home
railway and the Belt railway and had
made personal visits of inspection to ex-
anime INTO all systems of compressed air
IN operation Or under construction in this
country. He had also Investigated electric
systems winch do away with the over
mead trolley. Continuing, the report read
as follows:
The propositions for permanent equip
ment have all been. submitted for the
because of the greater economy thus Sc
cured: The cost for a separate equipment
for the Belt Railway Company on the
pasis OF these combined propositions will
De hereinafter stated. A copy of the propo-
sition Of the H. K. Porter Company OF
fHtsDurg, Pa, who had contract with
the EckH gtan and Soldiers Home Rail-
road Company previous to the appointment
of a receiver, Is herewith filed marked
receivers exhibit No. l. ..-i
rms proposition is only for the expert
mental equipment of one car and one COM
pressure, for the use of which for thirty
Gays they charge $4,000 the apparatus to
be returned at the end of that period. They
state That they could have it in Liberation
in forty days. They decline to make any
proposition at this date for equipping the
entire line. assigning as reason that they
nave never had profile of the road nor a
statement Of all the conditions of service,
and also because of their doubt of the abli-
~ or the railroad company to pay for the
equipment. The receiver visited Pittsburg
Tor the purpose of inspecting the Porter
plant. He saw there one truck with this
motor practically completed though not
running. there being some arrangements
could be made. The truck resembled some
what that of locomotive. though, of
course. 1t was built low enough to take
suPer-imposed cay-body 1t had substan-
tlaliy the usual parts of a locomotive en-
CINE. built in workmanlike and thorough
manner. and judging from it's general APP
pearance the receiver has no doubt of its
helng powerful enough to do the work for
of course, form no opinion as to its smooth
ness and noiselessnest5' of operation with
out seeing it run. DE-
The Hnrdies Motor. :
1.-The receiver also files herewith a COPY
of proposition from sthe American Air
Power Company of fG6 Broadway, New
York, N. vs. as receivers exl1Ibit No. 2, in
which they offer a complete one-car equip
ment for the sum OF 81, 500 and an add;
tional sum of $1,000 being charged, for. the
operation of the cae. for one emoiiff,. 30
that the equipment would cost $lo5OO
They also offer proposition for equipping
the entire line. Their proposition is based
upon an equipment Of sixty cars with the
Pintsch gas lighting system, together with
reservoir of .1,OOO cubic feet. The propo- ,
sition, however. does not include any build
ings. They offer the same for S399OO
On the basis of eighty cars, the number
being necessary for both roads, the re-
ceiver has computed that their price will
be $574.OgO, which would include an allow.
ance of $4,000 for buildings and $4,000 for
pipe lines.
THE cost for separate equipment of
the existing system of the Belt Railway
Company on the basis of the eighty-car
plant would be $279,00O, as such separate
equipment would involve the additional
cost of at least $4,000 for separate build
ing;
the superintendent, visited New York and
inspected the cars of the Air Power Com
pany on the 125th street line of the I'd Ave-
nue. Railroad Company. where the cars are
being operated successfully, and, SO far
as he could judge, satisfactorily. The ma
chinery the car resembles that Of the
Porter car, though it lacks the protecting
covering on the latter. and appeared 10
have great number of unnecessary parts.
to MI nci1 HI
for charging. The car is shown in the
photograph filed as receivers exhibit No.
f. and the receiver has grave doubts as to
the durability of SO many moving barts
exposed, as they are, to the dust and
sush Of the street. The controller of these
cars is composed of a series of handles on
the platform, one being for reversing, cor
responding to that used on locomotive;
one being the throttle, one for adjusting
cutoff, one controlling the air drake and
one for closing valve between reservoirs
and motors.
The HOadly Motor.
1.-The receiver has also obtained propo-
sition from the Compressed Air Company
of New York, in which they propose to fur
nish a trial car, compressor, etc, for a
thirty days test, absolutely free of charge
to the railway company and without any
obligation IN any event to pay any sum
whatever for the apparatus or the use
thereof unless the court shall decide TO
accept the sane. the price for compressor
ard car, if accepted, being 5000 cash,
such acceptance, however, being entirely
optional with the court and subject to the
provision that the apparatus shall prove
both to the Commissioners of
the District of Columbia and the court
This company agrees in the event of the
of the apparatus to take
it back without any expense whatever to
the railroad company
Under this proposition the utmost ex-
pense to which the railway company would
be subjected by the test would be the
value of a car body which would not eX-
coed $500 =.
Said company also makes a proposition
to contract for the whole equipment of
both roads, estimating for eighty cars
pipe lines, storage reservoir. and 1900
horse power station equipment complete
buildings. for the price Of $685.
CO.,
THE cost for separate equipment of
the existing system of the Belt Railway
Company on the basis of this proposition
would be S264, coo, as such separate equip
ment would involve an additional cost of
at least $4,000 for a separate building.
Description of the System.
1.-THE receiver while In New York inspect
ed their cars operating on Lenox avenue
which is the uptown extension of the
broadway line, where the air cars are run
=