Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-11
BY ELECTRIC POWER
Fourteenth Street Cars to Bun to
Peace Monument.
WILL BEGIN OPERATING TOMORROW
Plans for introducing the System
on Seventh Street.
THE NEW 2 POWER HOUSE

The cars OF the 18th street line of the
Capital Traction railroad are to be run to
the Peace monument by the underground
electric system beginning tomorrow morn
ing. At present the cars are run from the
northern terminus of this line down 14th
street to New York avenue and 18th street,
and at this latter point the passengers are
transferred to horse cars running over
pennsylvania avenue The electricity is
!! furnished by the Potomac Electric Power
Company, and the.sam company will sup
ply the additional power which will be re-
quired to convey the cars TO the Peace
monument.
Horse cara will continue to run between
Georgetown and the navy yard and along
Pei nsylvania avenue between 18th street
ard the Peace monument the two systems
will be in operation on the same tracks,
Just as they are now on those portions of
the Metropolitan railroad used by the cars
Of the Belt and AnacOstia railroads. 1t is
stated that what Is regarded as the 14th
street line, extending to the Baltimore and
Ohio depot, as far as the electrical equip
ment Is cor cerned, will be completed as
soon as authority is given by Congress to
build the proposed loop at the Baltimore
and Ohio depot.
1t is not expected to operate any other
portion Of the lines Of the Capital Traction
| Scuipduy ny INC new UlOtlSC po"Ci ohlii
about the first of next month. when it is
hoped the power house of the company
will be so nearly finished that power can
be secured from it to run the entire line.
Seventh street, Also.
BY that time, too, it Is also believed that
the 7th street road will be electrically
equipped. Mr.. Saxton, the contractor, has
now a large force of men at work. and
without interfering with the use of the
cable system he proposes to make the
necessary changes. SO that the 1th street
line can be run by electricity. This is re-
garded as a rather novel undertaking. In
fact, it Is believed it was never attempted
before. 1t has been the intention of the
building committee Of the road to stop
the cable and put horses on 7th street
willie the change was being made. but
Mr.. Saxton said he was able to do the
work without interfering with the use of
the cable system, and he was given au-
tt GRITTY to go ahead. He Is now having
trench dug between the two tracks on
9TH street, beginning at the power house
and going north. = In this trench will be
placed the conduits which will contain
the feed wires.
While all this digging is going on and the
workmen are swarming along the line. as
is usually the case when such work is I'M
dertaken, the cable cars continue to move
on both tracks without interruption.
How this is done is an interesting exam
PIC VI lie SttLl etHpioyeu Inc tTeIcH Is
dug as near as possible to the east track
ard the dirt Is thrown by the workmen
clear across the track. when 1t is at once
removed by another set of men. who shovel
1t into wagons At certain intervals large
openings are made called manholes and as
the distance is too great for the men dig
ging to throw the earth all the way over
the track it Is thrown ON the track, and
men quickly shovel 1t off to the street
space beyond, and thus clear way is left
for the cable cars.
Putting in the Equipment.
This, however, is tempa ratively simple
detail of the work, as the remainder of the
electrical equipment must be put into the
cable conduit. Mr.. Saxtons plan is to
work each night after the cable cars are
stopped, continuing until 1t is time for be-
ginning the running Of the cars again in
the morning. There is great deal to be
done in the conduit, ard there is the great
difficulty arising from the cable and the
wheels on which the cable runs being in
the conduit When the electrical equip
ment was put in on the other lines of the
read the conduit was cleared of these OBJ
structions However, Mr.. Saxtons men
are going to place in the conduit the in
sulators and conductor bars and will also
riFet to the slot rails a drip bar without
disturbing the cable or interfering with the
operation of the road by that power.
1t is not known exactly when the 7th
street line will be in readiness to be run
by electricity, but 1t is believed by the first
OF next month, when the rest of the road
is to be operated by the new system, cars
will be going up and down 7th street i'm
PEELED by the same power.