The times., 1897-05-22

The following communication was re-
ceived by the Commissioners yesterday:
Washington, ID. C, May 20, 1897.
To the Commissioners of the District OF
Columbia:
Section / Of the act of June 10, 1896,
authorizing q trial Of the compressed air
system of street car propulsion by the
lexington and Soldiers Home and Belt
Railway companies, requires that before
the lines Of said companies may be equipped
with compressed air motors, such motors
shall, in the judgment of the Commission
ers OF the District of Columbia, prove to
he in all respects a proper and satisfactory
motive power for the speedy and convenient
propulsion Of street cars, and in the event
of such approval the Commissioners are
authorized and directed to issue TO the
said railway companies, respectively, per
nits t. equip their lines within the District
of Columbia with such compressed air
motors
The joint resolution of February 3, 1897,
amending the aforementioned act, does
not repeal, amend, or otherwise affect the
provision of section 1 of said act, eX-
cept to extend the time for compliance
with It's terms to July l, 1897, and provides
further that if compressed air motors shall
not he adopted, then said companies shall,
within one year from July /, 1897, equip
the respective lines in the city of Wash
ington with an underground electric sys-
tenn. +"
AS the time is near at hand when it Will
become necessary for the Commissioners
to consider and pass upon any apI lication
that may he made by either or tofh of
said railway companies for approval of
the compressed air system, and for
permit OF permits TO equip their lines
with such air motors, we deem 1t proper
and incumbent upon our part, as the
authorized representatives of the North
Capitol and lexington Citizens Asso-
citation, to submit for the consideration
of the Commissioners some important Oh
servatiuns and facts with respect to the
tests which thus far have been made with
the car on trial, and TO certain objection
able features displayed by the car itself,
to the end that the Commissioners may
have the fullest information Oh the SUR
ject tc aid them i'll determining whether
or not the compressed air system has
been demonstrated by the experiments
made, TO be in all respects" such
motive power as is contemplated and re
uuired by the acts Of June 10, 1896, and
February 3, s97.
In accordance with the above mentioned
provisions OF law, the lexington & Sol
diers' Home Ra iIway Company mas had
one compressed air motor on trial since
early in March last.
The tests which thus far have been
made AS to the mechanical ability of
the air motors, Judged by the car on trial.
to certainly and satisfactorily meet lie
demands that VIII be made upon them
under all the ordinary and varying con
dtions TO which they Will be subjected in
regular service, have been of an indefinite
and unsatisfactory character.
1t is CIa irned for these cars that they
will run distance OF from ten TO sixteen
miles on one charge of air; yet IL is
well known fact that during the expert
ment which has been made in this city
the car on trial has not made one round
trip over what is considered TO be any
one section of either company's line, or
attempted to make TWO successive trips
over even the short and most favorable
section of road on which it has been
run.
1t has been repeatedly declared by the
management OF these companies that, IL
adopted, II was the purpose to run these
cars from Brookand through without
transfer TO the Pennsylvania railroad de-
pot, but, presumably to avoid the heavier
grades on Louisiana avenue and Fourth
street leading out to Brookland, the ex
nerimentai car iTas been run only between
the power housein lexington and Fifteenth
and G streets, making usually three trips
day, morning, afternoon and night, with
an occasional trip at noon, several hours
Intervening between each trip, during
which time tile car has been under pro
cess OF rechargng. On one occasion only
Is It known to have been run over any
other section of the line, and this was
from Fifteenth and G streets, by way OF
New Jersey avenue and 6 street, over
the North Capitol street track to New
York avenue and thence to the power
house.
In order that the capacity OF this car
should he more definitely determined, the
Commissioners should require it TO be run
from the power-house In lexington to
Brookland; from Brookland to the Penn
sylvania railroad station and return to the
power house, making one round trip over
chat section OF line, the act OF June 10,
1896, contemplating the use OF the ar
motors on ell the lines Of said companies
within the District Of Columbia, and not