Evening star., 1898-02-08
Street Railway Extension Considered
by a District Committee.
CONSIDERING THE MT. PLEASANT LOOP
Proposed Consolidation of Eckinp-
ton and Belt Companies.
EARLY ACTION EXPECTED

District committee today. The proceed
ings were lively at times, when the con-
ficting claims of railroads and the con-
ficting interests of individuals were being
discussed.
Prior to the general hearing a new move
was made in The matter of the lexington
and Belt Line consolidation bill. AS is we'll
known, the lexington company desires au-
thority to consolidate the Belt Line with
several suburban roads, but the House
District committee has refused to act upon
the bill until the overdue wages and de-
posits of the employees of the Belt Line are
paid.
Mr.. Crosby, who is engineering the Eek
ington bill, appeared before the subcom-
mittee this morning and proposed that as
the controversy between the bondholders
and the employees Of the Belt line is still
unsettled, the Belt railway should be ex
cluded from the bill, and the lexington bill
be permitted to go through. He acknowl-
edged the justice of the proposition that
the Belt Line employees should be paid be-
fore the Belt Line railway should receive
legislation, but he claimed that it was not
fair to hold up the lexington road while
the Belt Line trouble was being settled.
Are not the Belt stockholders liable to
the amount of their stock?' asked Mr..
Odell.
Certainly" replied Mr.. Crosby.
Then why don't the stockholders pay
the men and help you out?' asked Mr..
Odell.
There is a complication between the la
bility of individual stockholders" said Mr..
Crosby. Furthermore, the stockholders
have no remaining interest in the case"
'"rhat may be true" said Mr.. Odell, but
they are liable, nevertheless. 1 will not
vote for that bill until you pay those men.
and l don't think you can get the bill
through Congress until that is done"
suggested" said Mr.. Richardson, land pass
the lexington bill"
Then the poor men of the Belt Line will
certainly lose their money. The lexington
ought not to have that legislation until the
men receive their money
Then" sal Mr.. Crosby, decidedly, I'VE
will prefer to lose what we have put into
the lexington before We submit to that in
justice"
Capital Traction Extension.
The subcommittee then proceeded to the
hearing upon the proposed extensions of
the Capital Traction Company and the
Metropolitan Company in different sections
of the city. The committee first took up
the Capital fractions proposed extension
vest of 18th street and below Pennsyl-
yania avenue northwest. Mr.. John Cas-
sells objected to the proposed change OF
route by which the line would run doc to
the Corcoran Art Gallery and proceed Aest
to 10Th street, there turning into F street.
He favored a straight line as originally
intended, west on F street from 1Ith
street. He did not want the curve at 10Th
and F streets. which would follow the
adoption of the proposed charge in the
original route.
Mr.. A A Wilson said that he and other
property owners wanted street railway
i'll that section of the city. and 1t mattered
not to them whether F street or the other
route were chosen.
Mr.. Nathaniel Wilson called attention to
the fact that the Columbia railway had
q bill pending which had been before Con-
gress for five years, asking for the extern
sion of that road over the territory de-
manded by the Capital Traction Company.
The next item was the proposed loop OF
street northwest, up B street and down
New Jersey avenue, connecting with the
present terminus at the Baltimore and
Cfio depot. Chairman Babcock of the
committee said that this loop would pass
his property at the corner Of B street and
New Jersey avenue, and while he was
strenuously opposed 20 it he would not Of
fer objection and would not stand in the
way of the legislation because he realized
that 1t would be for the benefit of the pub
lie and good railroadng.
The Mt. Pleasant Loop.
The next item was the proposed Capital
Traction loop in Mt. Pleasant along Park
street and Howard avenue. This proposi-
ton demonstrated the existence of wide
differences Of opinion among residents of
Mt. Pleasant and led to some sharp talk.
Mr.. c. c. Cole objected to the line using
Park street, which, he said, was too mar
row for an electric railroad and is the only
natural driveway to Rock Creek Park. He
said there were other streets which were
just as accessible and just as convenient
for the public If the railway We're laid
rk gtr ha oI
danger and menace to persons driving
along that thoroughfare.
Mr.. j. w. Somerville, president of the
Mt. Pleasant Citizens Association, favored
the loop, and the use of Park street. He
said the street is twenty-eight feet wide
between curbs. which Is wide enough for
the purpose He held that Park street is
not a good driveway, but that other streets
in that section could be better used for the
purpose of driving. He said that not more
tran 20 or 30 per cent of the residents on
Park street objected to its use by the street
residents object to it, interposed Mr.. A.
II. Nixon.
Major Townsend said that the Mt. Pleas
ant citizens want street railway but
many of them objected to a line on Park
street. which, he said. was the connecting
driveway between the Soldiers Home and
Rock Creek Park. Grant street would be
much better for the route of the railway,
and there were other streets available. He
claimed that 60 to &C per cent of the res
idents along Park street were opposed to
its use street railway.
Mr.. Chaplin Brown favored the proposed
loop. He said the property owners in Mt
Pleasant had been fighting for several
years for just such accommodations as the
Capital Traction Company now proposes to
furnish. He had been assured by the pres
ident of the company that the loop would
be constructed Immediately after the pas.
sage of the bill. He felt that the Capital
Traction Company was entitled to the ex-
tension as against any competing road be-
cause the Traction Company had furnished
the citizens of Mt Pleasant with rapid
transit. had built up the territory, and this
loop was a natural extension. of that line
Mr.. Somerville said the Citizens Asso-
ciationhad supported the Capital Traction
Company as against the Metropolitan, be-
cause the former promised railroad facil-
tiles the earliest.
Mr.. A. H. Nixon said the Citizens Asso-
ciation did not represent three-fourths. In
deed, scarcely one-haIf, of the citizens OF
Mt. Pleasant. He desired to give plain
facts. he said, about the manner in which
the Signatures were obtained to the peti-
ticn advocating the Capital fractions ex-
tension. He said the petition was gotten
up clandestinely and covertly, and was
placed In the hands OF ladies, who used