Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-20
AID OF THE COURT
It is Invoked to Determine a Question
Of Trackage Arrangements.
STREET RAILROADS At VARIANCE
The Brightwood Company Asks
That the Law Be Executed.
THE USE OF ACKS

| Four years ago Congress by law required
street railroad companies operating con-
| Meeting roads to make reciprocal trackage
arrangements, the practical effect of which
would be that the cars of either or both
companies could run over the tracks of
| both roads. In no single instance has this
law been complied with. but petition filed
in the Supreme Court of the District today
| by the Brightwood Railroad Company
| brings out the fact that this subject has
been a matter of correspondence between
, that company and the Metropolitan Rail-
road Company since the recent completion
OF the underground system on 9th street,
thus making those roads connecting.
AS result, according to the petition, no
| agreement has been reached by the COM
panies, and now the Brightwood company
| seeks the assistance of the court, as au-
thortzed by the act of Congress In question
to settle the terms and conditions under
| which the trackage arrangements between
the two companies car be put into effect
| AT the outset the petition recites the fact
that the Brishtwood company is chartered
| py Congress; that II is operating a line of
street railway commencing at the intersec-
| llon or FLORIDA avenue and It'll street, north
| along 9TH street extended and that the
| Metropolitan Railroad Company is a cor
poration chartered by Congress and operat-
| ing a road along several streets and ave-
nues of the city and that its tracks and
| those OF the petitioners are in physical con-
| neetion at Tth street and Florida avenue
| proceeding, the petition states that the
! BrfghtWood company is anxious to enter
| into reciprocal arrangements with the Met
| ropoltan company under which the cars
| OF either company may be run over the
| tracks of both companies, and to that
| end have endeavored to enter into a mutual
a },
| road Company, but. without any fault on
! the part of the petitioner, negotiations
| looking to that result have wholly failed as
at large and more fully appears from the
| correspondence between the officials of
| both companies hereunto attached"
Courts Intervention Necessary
1t is further alleged in the petition that
| the provisions of the act of August . 1894,
| cannot be carried into effect without the
| Intervention of the court and the determ:-
| nation by the court to the proper terms
| conditions and compensation ndcr which
| reciprocal trackage arrangements between
| the two companies shall be put into effect
| The court is asked to order that the Metro
| polltan company shall, within reasonable
| time, make full and direct answer TO the
| matters set forth in the petition, and that
| a decree be issued prescribing the terms,
| conditions etc, of the reciprocal trarkace
| arrangements.
| The correspondence referred to and an
| pended to the petition begins with a letter
| dated June 4, 1898. from the Brightwood
| company to the Metropolitan company
| calling attention to the fact that the under
| ground electric system the 9th street
| line to 9Th street having been completed,
| the Brishtwood company has the right to
| trackage. and requesting that the Metro
| politan company name the terms whereby
| the cars of the Brightwood company can
| operate over the Metropolitan line to the
| Pennsylvania railroad station at 9th and 3
| streets portion Ia Of An
2. 1894. upon which this request is based
| is quoted in the letter, as follows:
| Upon completion of the underground
| electric system provided in this act, the
| said Metropolitan railroad is hereby
! further authorized and required 10 enter
| into reciprocal trackage arrangements with
connecting roads"
| metropolitan Company Replies.
| A reply TO the above letter was received
| from the Metropolitan company under date
| of June 10, 1895 and stated that the con-
| tents were so indefinite that the Metro
| politan company must ask you to state
| mere in detail Just what arrangements you
propose, and how they are to be carried
out in a practical manner. l will be
pleased also to know how you propose to
| arrange fer a terminus at the Pennsyl-
vania depot
| Two days later the Brightwood company
replied in detail, stating, among other
things. that 1t is proposed to operate three
cars over Inc tracAS OF the metropolitan
| to the Pennsylvania railroad station and
return from Ith street and Florida ave
| nue. and that the Brghtwood company
proposes to collect the fares from passen-
gers upon said cars while upon the tracks
OF the Metropolitan and report and turn
the sum over to the Metropolitan COM
pany, less the expense of operating the
cars while on the tracks of the Metropoli-
tan company.
| 1t was further proposed that the Metro
| poitan company could operate as many
cars as desired over the tracks of the
Brightwood company upon the same terms,
and that in regard to the terminus at the
Pennsylvania station it was proposed that
a cross over be placed into the tracks of
| the Metropolitan company, that cars
of the Brightwood company could pass
from one track to the other without in
| terrupting the travel of the Metropolitan
company.
Purpose in View.
| 1t was further added that the only pur-
pose of the Brightwood company in de-
| manding its rights under the law is to Sc
cure a through service for its own patrons
and that it is not intended to take away
any of the earnings of the Metropolitan
company.
| In a postscript to this letter it is stated
| that If these terms are not satisfactory TO
| the Metropolitan company that company is
asked to name terms that would be sat
| isfactory to 1t.
A reply to this letter was received June
%, and in it the Metropolitan company
states that the letter of the Brightwood
Company of the 18th instant does not give
| all the information desired. A request is
made for details as to the character dimen-
sions and weight of the cars proposed by
the Brightwood company to run over the
Metropolitan tracks to the Pennsylvania
railroad station; also as to the schedule
the power by which the 4sars are to be run