Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-01
AMENDING CHARTER
Commissioners Report on Capital
Traction Railroad Bill.
CHANGE IN ROUTES EAST AND WEST
Loops at Baltimore and Ohio Sta
ton and Mt. Pleasant.
THE MEASURE IN DETAIL

The Commissioners have submitted to
Congress their report on House bill 1912, to
| amend the charter of the Capital Traction
Company. the bill providing for sevefaI ex-
tensions of the compapy's present lines.
The report has been awaited with great In
terest. not only on the part of the railroad
company, but also by the people of the
District.
The bill has already been published in
The Star, and the report thereon is as fol-
lows:
Section 1, lines to 15 of the bill refers
to an amended route around the Capitol
between the lines on Pennsylvania avenue,
southeast and northwest. The object of
the proposed change is to afford better ia
Cilities for reaching the Baltimore and Ohio
station, and the east side of the Capitol.
Should the company be authorized to fol-
low the new route, the tracks on list and Il
streets south between the Peace monument
and the top of the hill. would be abandon
ed. reopening street to travel and avoid
ing the curves along the west face Of the
Capitol grounds.
THE grades of street north are within
small fraction of l per cent the same as
the grades on b street south, where the
present tracks are laid. Il street north has
a width of 35 feet between curbs. With
summer cars. the minimum width required
on Is street for street railway purposes
with double tracks Is p feet. This would
leave but IA feet for ordinary street pur-
poses, 1t being considered inadmissible to
consider the portion of the street occupied
by the tracks of rapid transit road as
available for general vehicular use. The
ordinary width laid down by all authori-
ties for highway where two vehicles are
to pass is 16 feet, two feet more than
would be available were tracks laid on u
street north. AS regards the branch
through the Capitol grounds. the Commits
sioners consider 1t inadvisable to make any
comment thereon, since 1t " ould seem that
tor l,a la1 hHr ,cJ
alone.
Loops at Il. and o. station.
Section !, lines 16 to 19.-This provides
for a loop giving access to the Baltimore
and Ohio station. Should this loop be es-
tablished the double track now on LIST
street and Indiana avenue &C street, would
seem to be unnecessary, and one track
could he abandoned. If the Baltimore and
Ohio station is to remain In its present To-
cation single-track loop through list
street. Indiana avenue &C street,, New
Jersey avenue and B street north would
seem to be desirable for the public SER
vice. Should the position of the station be
changed. as recommended by the Commits
sioners in their report on Senate bill $500,
Fifty-fourth Congress. to provide for the
elevation of the tracks of the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad. printed for the use of
the Senate committee on the District of
Columbia under date of December 10. 1896,
access should be given to the station over
pany. 1nasmuch as there is uncertainty on
this point Il general provision permitting
this would seem to be desirable.
1T is suggested that the heavy grades
on Il street south or north can be avoided
and better means of access to the Balti-
more and Ohio station can be afforded by
having the main line of the Capital Trac-
ton Company follow it's present tracks to
the junction of Indiana avenue and list
street west. and then. in accordance with
the practice in other cities as well as in
Washington, by switches to connect with
the Metropolitan line and run over it's
tracks as far as the corner of East Capitol
and 1st streets, proceeding thence on it's
own lines through LIST street to Is street
south, with branch extending into the
Capitol grounds similar to the branch at
present occupied by the METROPOLITAN road
either over this branch or on some other
route agreeable to Congress- making a suit
able terminal for the cars of the 14th street
line.
A Decided Benefit.
Section l. lines 20 to &c. The general
cluded herein would be decided benefit to
the public. Inasmuch as Goth street Is a
very narrow street. and for the same rea-
sons given Tor b street, it should not be oc-
cupied by double track. 1t is believed
that the interests of the railway, as well as
the people will be best served by amending
lines % to 33. inclusive. to read as follows:
q street northwest, thence west with a
s!AEit tTdCh on u street 10 GJtn street
northwest, thence north on 2Jth street with
a single track to Pennsylvania avenue
northwest, connecting with the main line
OF the company; also beginning with the
tracks at the corner of 18th and G. streets
northwest, thence south by single track
along 18th street to + street northwest;
thence west on r street by single track to
18th street northwest: thence north along
10Th street by single track to Pennsylvania
avenue northwest connecting with the
main line of the company. Provided That
for the purpose of furnishing a loop for use
wnen necessary single track may be ex-
tended along q street northwest from 25ih
TO 18th street connecting with the single
tracks on 18th and 26th Streets
Widening Rock Creek Bridge.
In this connection it might not be out of
place to invite attention to the exceedingly
dangerous condition at 18th and NJ streets,
resulting from the detection of the tracks
from Pennsylvania avenue, at Goth street
north to NJ street. and thence across the
bridge along " street. Twenty-sixth street
is so narrow that 1t is totally obstructed by
the double tracks, and vehicular and street
car traffic is badly impeded, and at the M
street bridge the crossing is made danger
Gus py the presence of cars. All of this
could be avoided by widening the Aqueduct
bridge over Rock creek. on the line of Penn
SyIEailla avenue, and extending the tracks
straight across this bridge to the intersec-
ton of Pennsylvania avenue and NJ street
The feasibility of such widening is SHOWN
very clearly on page 5000 of the report of
the chief of engineers. L. S. army, 1897, be-
ing portion of the report of Capt. D. D.
tialllard. Corps of Engineers, the officer in
charge OF the maintenance and repair of
the Washington aquedUct and increas
the water supply of Washington. 1t is be-
Heved that the Strengthening herein sug-
sested would be OF marked public benefit.
Mt. Pleasant Section.
THE loop provided in lines "a to Al would
also be of marked convenience to the gen
cral public, inasmuch as the shifting of
street cars from track to track In the
street itself, at the terminus of line in
Variably causes an obstruction of the
street which should not be permitted, and
which should be provided for otherwise
where practicable. Here again, however,
il becomes necessary to invite attention
to the narrow streets over which the pro-
posed route would run. Fourteenth street
extended Is a very much Travelled road, and
is only thirty-three feet wide-not even
wide enough for present demands Under
the provisions of the highway extension
act, IL is intended to widen this portion of
the street to 10 feet. The construction
proposed by the Capital Traction Company
is permanent in its character and could
not be moved readily. II built it should be
placed in the position it would occupy most