Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-31
CITIZENS ENTER PROTEST
Object to Grant of Further Time to Capt.
tai Railway.
Declaration Made That Brown System
Is q Complete FaiIure-Another
System Demanded.

The District Commissioners have received
a lengthy protest from a large number of
property owners near the navy yard against
allowing the Capital Railway Company any
further time to experiment with its under
ground electric system. The protest is as
follows:
I'VE. the undersigned property owners on
NJ street from Sth to 11th streets southeast
ard en- 18th street from NJ street to the
Navy Yard bridge. do earnestly protest
against any further permit being granted
to the Capital Railway Company for the
purpose of experimental work IN the Brown
system, which has proven complete fall
ure after fifteen months of constant trial.
We think the promoters of the system have
had ample time in which to experiment, If
they have not had much more than they
should have had for such purely expert
mental purposes, considering The extensive
travel OIL these streets, and We respectfully
pray that the company be compelled to in
stall the system now in use on the lines of
the Metropolitan and Capital Traction COM
panies under promise of doing which their
charter was obtained from Congress.
Gangs of men have been employed al
most constantly Gay and night since May,
1927, in effort to make the Brown sys-
tenn work, and this has frequently resulted
in disturbances at night by the noise of the
workmen and their tools. The cars are ex-
cessively heavy and strike the contact box
es with such force as TO shake tie sur
rounding ground and often houses in the
vicinity where they are passing.
Drivers Are Timfd.
'TiInid drivers are kept off the streets
through fear of having their horses killed
several horses shocked and one horse Kill
ed outright showing this timidity not TO be
without grounds), resulting in great and IN
creasing less to the merchants along the
streets
The petition is signed by twenty-,ght
property owners in the vicinity mentioned,
and TO il is attached q memorandum y: The
operations OF the road since March last
down to The 18th of the present month
According to this statement, not a day
has passed within the time specified hat
workmen have not been engaged in repair
ing cups and boxes along the road. and
leasing cars that constantly hang in the
curves. In many of these instances the
contact boxes have had to ee opened and
wires attached that cars may be moved.
On several occasions, mentioned in the
memorandum, cars have stuck
straight tracks. and have had to be showed
down grade even.
Extracts Are Given.
Some extracts from the statement are
as follows:
April Gar hung up near navy yard;
leak in feeder cable Removed large num-
NJ street and 213 on 18th street Horse so
badly injured by coming in contact with
box at 10th and NJ streets that it had TO be
killed next morning.
April 10-Live box discovered by a Mr.
Harlan between u and l O'Clock noon on
NJ street between 9th and 10th.
April 14-Live box near foot of hill on
18th street; contents removed and replaced
by new cup.
April 15-Horse shocked on 11th street
near bridge, as seen by S. T. Talbert; the
horse belonged to a milkman.
April 2tCar hung up about 80 pm
en- NJ street near 9th for thirty minutes:
lad to De moved finally by cable run above
ground"
May 4 live box was fixed but the cur
tent had to be shut off for the purpose
May IL passer gers had to get out and push
a car that was hurg- May Is, about 800
p. M. cup exploded on NJ street near 10th.
The box burned. the flame rising to a
height of four or five feet. May Is A num-
Der Of persons saw horse knocked down
by live box. May is Mr. Oysters horse
YVES shocked near the bridge. June l an
ether cup exploded, causing much excite
ment- Workmen ran with rubber covers
ard tools to cover up and repair the box.
June IL two live boxes burned ard had to
be cut off from the cable to avoid danger.
June 90 overground wire had to he Cse1 to
move a car, this being a dangerous pro-
cess in a crowd such as present at The
ti..ce."
Other Instances.
Numerous other instances of live boxes
are given, and report of the wreck on
Asylum hill, in which one man was killed
and several persons injured. Two horses
were also killed at the time. July p an
explosion occurred at one Of the boxes.
that sent passengers screaming from the
car. July % car, in running over the
boxes. caused fire to stretch along the
track & cars length. On August there
were four explosions. the second being so
great as to raise the cover of the man
hole on NJ near 10th street. The report
also declares that several of the new pat
ent cups, which the company claims are
all right, have been found alive
The men orandum gives in detail every
bit of work done on the road. showing that
the citizens have been keeping a strict tab
on the Capital Railway Company ever
since the Commissioners, some months ago,
granted the corporation ninety days addi-
tional time in which to make their system
satisfactory.