Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-24
PAVING BETWEEN TRACKS
The Difficulty Of Making Street Car Com
panies Obey the Law.
Details of Capt. Beach's Plan "a
Create Fund for the Making
of Such Repairs.

Two weeks ago The Star contained an
article descriptive of the bad condition of
the street ravements along the line and
between the tracks of the street railway
companies operating I'm this city, and not
ing that the matter had been taken up
for consideration by Captain Beach OF
the engineer department of the District
government. There was then given a brief
outline of a plan formulated by that Off
Ger to accomplish the desired end of COM
peiling the companies to keep the street
surfaces in repair as they are required by
law The details of that project appeared
Tor the first time in Captain Beach's an
nual report, which was given at some
length In last evenings Star. The subject
Is sufficiently important to warrant the
presentation Of all that portion or the re-
port In full. In the publication yesterday
an error in the copy furnished to The Star
caused Captain Beach to recommend the
formation of fund of 5000 per mile of
track In the case of each company. This
amount should have been stated at $780,
as 1t appears in the following extract from
tie annual report:
The railroad companies are finding con-
SIDERABLE difficulty upon sheet asphalt
streets In keeping the pavement in good
condition close up to and against the rail-
Inc Capital Traction Company and the
metropolitan Company both have the as
phait ldiu up 10 ana between the tracks.
the former has a 6-inch grooved rail- and
owing to the vibration has to do a great
zeal O. repairing, so that the maintenance
OF the pavement along it's track is an ex-
pensiVe matter; the Metropolitan Company
uses an S-inch grouved rail: their 9th street
line has been in operation about two wears
and their Georgetown line about fifteen
months, and but little, IL any. repairs have
peen made as yet along the rails. The CO.
lumbia Company have brick along the side
no raj of ach
track: when the line was completed the
outside bricks were laid at right angles to
the rail and toothed into the asphalt bun
they very promptly proved unsatisfactory
and We're taken up and relaid in two rows
parallel to the rail; this was done more
than two years ago, and has given good
results so far; the principal trouble en-
countered to date being due to the quality
of the bricks.
The Capital Traction Company has. on
pennsylvania averue between l4th and
l"th streets northwest. a double row of
sccria blocks laid against the inside and
outside of each rail; these were put down
about four months ago. and the time has
rot yet been sufficient to notice results
This company is also now laying on NJ
street between 31st and sd streets a cush-
ion of elastic asphalt on each side of each
rail, following the practice which is under
stood to obtain in England.
1t is the law that all street car COM
ponies operating within the District are
responsible for the pavements between and
to distance of two feet outside of their
tracks, and all appropriations are made
upon this basis. In case the company re-
sponsible for the pavement fails or neglects
to keep ii in repair the District is author
lied to do the work, and must proceed to
recover the amount as follows: In such
case of the neglect or refusal of such
railway company to perform the work
quired aforesaid. the Commissioners of
the District of Columbia shall Issue
uficates of indebtedness against the prop
erty, real or personal, of such railway
company, which certificates shall bear in
terest at the rate of 10 per centum per az
mum until paid. and which, until they are
paid, shall remain and be a lien upon the
property on or against which they are is
sued, together with the franchise of said
company. And if the said certificates are
not paid within one year the said Commits
sioners of the District of Columbia may
proceed to sell the property against which
they are issued, or so much thereof as
may be necessary to pay the amount due,
such sale to be first duly advertised daily
for one week in some newspaper published
in the city of Washington, and to be at
public auction to the highest bidder
This method worked satisfactorily with
such roads as are willing and able 20 keep
their pavements in proper repair-that is,
with those roads that do not need the law
but with some the matter has become so
serious that it is necessary to ask Tor re-
lief from Congress; the authorities of these
roads pay no attention to the notices sent
them to make the repairs HeCesSdis, anu
it is impossible to collect anything on the
certificates of indebtedness, with the result.
that the pavements along these roads are
re- pidly passing from badly diia1dated
to a dangerous condition. Where the road
is in the hands of a receiver, as is the case
with two roads at present, the difhculties
of making collection are vastly increased.
"As a remedy for this state of affairs
would propose law by Congress requiring
each street car company operating within
the District limits to deposit with the COL
lector of taxes certain per cent OF its
gross income say 4 per cent, until this
deposit reached a sum amounting to Spp
per mile of a single track within the Dis
trict this sum to be at the disposal OF the
Commissioners for pavement repairs. and
to be deposited with the treasurer OF The
United States and held by him in the same
manner as the guarantee retain of 10 per
cent upon contracts is now held; that is,
if the railroad authorities so elect the
amount can be invested in bonds, the in
terest on which will be payble to the COM
pany, and upon rendition of bill for work
done payment in cash can be made by the
company, thus leaving the fund invested
intact If the company fail to pay in
cash the bill rendered sufficient bonds
could be sold to cover the amount, and
whenever the fund credited to any road
was thus reduced to a sum equal to $500
Ter mile of track the company should be
again required to deposit per cent of its
gross income until the amount of $500 per
mile had been reached. In case the COM
pany failed at any time to deposit this
4 per cent when required authority should
devolve upon the Commissioners to enforce
its collection. When a track is owned Icy
more than one company the amount of $500
per mile to be deposited for this portion
should be divided proportionately among
the companies using it,
|