Evening star., 1896-09-19
MR.DOLANS;'1QRPRlSED 81 RI
HsI
Thought I. the Eoa51gton Road Was
Equipped With, q, Air Motors.
---s1at
ROAD HAS BEEN LOSIN G
.lS
Mr.. Kane Scores the Projected
Rapid Transit. !;
SPEAKS OF FOR FEITU r E
SPEAKS OF FORFEITURE

Mr.. Thomas Dolan, one of the famous
street railway syndicate Of Elkins. Widener
and Dolan, whose headquarters are in
was utterly astounded when
Informed last night by Star reporter at
the beautiful country seat of Mr. Dolan
near Torresdale, Pa, that not only are
the compressed air motors not running on
the lires of the lexington and Soldiers
Home and Belt railway companies Of this
city. and in which the syndicate has
interest but that there does
not appear to be very much prospect that
any Improvement in the motive power OF
those lines will be made in the near future.
Continuing, Mr.. Dolan said he had been
informed by persons in charge Of the rail-
way interests here of his firm that the
COMPRISING plant at lexington, from
which it would be necessary to get the
supply Of air for the propulsion OF the
cars was almost ready to be put In opera
tion.
Il am certainly surprised" Mr.. Dolan
matters connected with the conversion OF
the lexington and Soldiers Home and
Belt Line railways into rapid transit lines
are in such backward state.
1.-The troubles under which the Columbia
and Maryland Electric Railway Company
are now laboring have no connection what
ever with the delay for furnishing the
compressed air motors for the two roads
named In the District of Columbia. The
contract given to H. K. Porter & Co. of
Pittsburg for the equipment of the roads
with compressed air motors required that
Porter 4 Co. should erect the necessary
COMPRISING plant and furnish ten or twelve
motors-I do not remember which-to our
company; also to operate the entire equip
ment for six months free of all expense to
the railway company, and to have the
rn mid no 1tno n n q
by September 10.
If at the end Of that period, the service
had proven satisfactory. the railway com
pany was to pay certain amount of
money for the equipment. If, however, the
results were unsatisfactory, Porter & Co.
were to remove the machinery and cars
furnished. without expense to the railway
company.
LAS far as the financial affairs of the
lexington and Soldiers Home and Belt
Line railways are concerned, the loss in
operating them has been great for a
long time that they ought to have been in
the hands of receivers three years ago.
do not, however, say that a receverShip
for them is impending.
Regarding the Colombia and Maryland
electric railway, for which receivers were
appointed few days ago No railroad goes
into the hands CT receivers without there
being good cause for the adoption of such
a course. What the reasons were for taking
that step with the electric line referred
to l do net care to say for publication.
There is one thing however, The Star
can announce as certainty, and that is
while l do not know just when the work
which is now suspended on that great inn
proVement will be resumed it will be push
ed to completion just as soon as the neces-
sary legal steps to accomplish this result
can be complied wfth."nl
Mr.. Knne Not Surprised.
Referring to the present status of af-
fairs in regard to the developments of
the last rev days concerning the prospect
of getting rapid transit en- the lexington
and Soldiers Home and Belt Line roads,
Mr.. T. P Kane, who, with hundreds of
other enterprising citizens, has been anxious
that some system Of modern propulsion
should speedily be put in use by the COM
panies named, said:
THE collapse of the lexington air-motor
bubble announced by The Star of Thurs
day, was not surprise TO those who are
familiar with the history and methods OF
the lexington company since it passed into
the hands of its present owners They
never have made an honest attempt toward
the installation of the rapid transit system
as required by the act approved June 10
1896. Their whole scheme before and since
the passage Of that act has been one OF
miserable subterfuges for the purpose OF
| delay, in the hope that by the time the Bal
timor. and Washington line was completed
some cheap motive power would be discov-
| cred and proved to be reasonably success
! full at the expense of some other corpora
| ton, or that a Congress would be elected
favorable or Indifferent to trolley Interests
and by some game of chance they would be
enabled to restore that obnoxious system
and reintroduce 1t upon all their lines with
| in the city limits.
| oeiyed information from Norwalk to th'
! effect that the patterns for the MACHINERY
| had only then been completed, none OF tn
| machinery had been nodded, and none OF l
1 DIV md
| weeks.
.If the air motors are not in operation
| on both their lines by the 10th OF Decembe
their right to use that motive power ceases
| and the act of June TO- 1896, requires then
| then within twelve months from that date
| to put in the underground electric system
! They complain that the line is being op
| Grated at loss. This is but the natura
| sequence of the miserable service they hav
offered the public. They have driven ava
their patronage, and II their present cours
Is persisted in it will continue to shrinl
| until nothing is left them but. as l heard
| aptly expressed the other day. their righ
| Of way and four streaks Of rust disfigurin
the streets through which they run.
"The Metropolitan Railway Compan
trified with the laws Of Congress in tn
same manner that this company has done
until an act was passed forfeIting thei
franchise if the read was not equippe
with modern transit power within a state
time. Before the present Congress expire
by law similar measure will be passe
with respect to the lexington road, If it
within the power of the people, who ar
tired of and disgusted with the deceptiv
tactics pursued by this company for tn
past year or more, by united and vigorou
effort to secure Its passage.
Besides the air motor equipment not
thing has been done toward the commenc,
ment of the extensions allowed them unde
the same act. If these are not complete
and operated by the 10th of next Jun
| then, says the act, so much of this act q
authorizes such uncofnpleted extension
shall be void and of no effect 1t will
for the people to see: that no extension {
time Is given for the Building of these e,
tensions" '"h
Taking Stock.
Early this morning q number of me
with horses and wagons. were put to wo1
/ gathering up the loose ties lying along tn,
part Of the line about mile or so north
lexington, and hauling them away, but :
: to what would be done with them no OF
in authority would say 1t is the tmpre
sion among railroad men that this step W,
! necessary In order to- take account of ii
stock on hand In accordance with the i
l structioEs of the court. !,
: MCKINLEY TO HIS VISITORS. %
|