The times., 1897-09-29
Do NOT WANT MORE TESTS
Thirty Merchants on Eleventh
Street File a Protest.
STREET BEING DESTROYED
AIlege That the Experiments of the
Capital Railway Company With
the Brown Electric System Are
"a Failure and That Business Is
Interfered With and Injured.

Thirty merchants OF Eleventh street
southeast have sent to the Commissioners
a protest against the Capital RaiIwa y, and
its further testing of the Brown electric
system on their street They state that
they object to the system itself, and also
to the tearing up OF the street at this time
OF the year.
The system proposed by the company is
Similar to that formerly tried on North
Capitol street, III which metal buttons
protrude above the surface OF the street
and bar on the car slides along over
them, thus completing the circuit
The Commissioners have granted mod
flied permit to the road, which, however,
does uot allow them all that they ask.
II is said that the road is not dis posed
TO accept this permit, but viii make fur
ther representations Of its needs to the
commissioners and further endeavor 10
secure them despite the opposition Of the
Eleventh su-eet people.
The petition Of HE Eleventh street mer-
chants is a follows:
We respectfully protest against further
digging NJ or obstructing Eleventh street
or the AnIC;lSti3 bridge or the purpose OF
further effort To make the Brown system
work. We also request that the ubstruc
tion on Bridge street, Anacostia tcroSs-
| over, destroying for use OF the public,
about ohe-half OF said street,, be removed
to suEne less Objectionable place, for these
reasons:
First. We believe the time for doing
this work expired May 2S, 1897
Second. For more than three months
Intellectual efforts have been made to make
car run. Night after night the noise OF
| workmen anu tools has disturbed rest on
Eleventh and II streets.
Third. The business on this street has
been diverted Il } by reason OF it being torn
up, (2) the buttons or plates are in them
4 selves an obstruction in the street, lt being
| impossible to cross without encounte ring
one. Many people avoid the street, be-
| lie-ing danger lies there. Some of US have
! observed that after car had gone over
| the track it required several hours 60 re-
! pair burned-out cables In some instances
/ blush Flames have been seen around the
| buttons, ding the company ap-
peared by tests aud other means 70 secure
safety. Insulating material has burned out
and cups exploded, all of which tends, at
| least, TO intimidate and drive travel away.
| Fourth. During the few parts of days
| the last trial was made, the car stopped
| on straight track and rarely, IL any one
time, passed through the curves without
assiS.icce, causing delay to the general
travel. Stops Of from one minute TO an
hour OF more have been frequent.
Firth. We believe IL was the intent OF
Congress, certainly IT was promised by
the company, that the Metropolitan sys-
tenn was the one intended to be used, the
successful WORKING Of which had been
denaoRSt rated Many reasons have been
given why the system does not work,
such as: Car wired wrong, wheel tread
too wide, flanges too deep, magnets too
strong, ties damp, curves too short, In
suiatiou bad, ran too light. Notwith-
standing this, tie car works perfectly
well when it leaves this system. What
ever may be the fault, cars have not sue
ccssfuily run at any time during the three
and one-hsif months since the road was
| completed, and not at all since Septein-
ber 10
Sixth. We believe that this system is
purely experimental, and would not be
allowed in any other equally Travelled sec
t:on OF the city"