Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-11
7 W 0 RAIL WAYS
Bills Affecting the lexington and
Belt Line Companies.
UNDERGROUND ELECTRIC SYSTEM
How Purchase and Sale May Be
Effected.
r E P o r II s NJ A D E

Chairman Babcock has written the re-
| port upon the substitute bill for the Eek
| ir gton and Soldiers Home railroad extern
| SIGN. which was authorized by the House
District committee recently. The report
says:
This bill was recommitted to your COM
| mittee under date of February A. 1895,
with the instructions as follows:
Amend the bill by striking out all
after the word that in the third line. and
bring in q section sections authorizing
the lexington and Soldiers Home Railway
Company and any other corporation of the
District of Columbia or any person or per-
sons to become bidder and purchaser OF
the property and franchises described IN
this bill. and to further provide that said
committee shall also provide specific lin
| itations and specifications under and by
which said property shall be operated by
any such purchaser, and with further in
StructonS that period Of limitation be
fixed in the bill for the exercise Of the
corporate rights and privileges granted
I'm compliance with that portion of the
instructions which locked to the enabling
OF all existing railroad corporations or par
ties who might desire to organize as SUCH
chasers in the pending foreclosure sale OF
the Belt railway, the committee has rec
commended for passage an independent bill,
H. r. SAL.
diers' Home Railway Company and the
Maryland and Washington Railway Com
pany, which the two District corpora
TORS concerned in this bill, there is no
granting of new franchises, hence the mat
ter of time limitation covered by the in
structions as applicable to any new fran
chise granted does not apply to this bill.
"A separate bill having been reported
covering the interests of the Belt Railway
Company, all refereI ce to that company
has been stricken from the bill touching
the interests of the lexington Railway
Company.
Provisions of the Bill.
'The bill now reported, therefore, pro-
vides substantially follows:
In Section 1. That the lexington and
Soldiers Home Railway Company may pur-
chase the extension of it's own line, known
as the Maryland and Washington Railway
Company. which lies within the District
OF Columbia and wholly in suburban terri
tory, and also permits it to purchase the
suburban line. known as the Columbia and
Maryland Railway Company, extending
from the terminus Of the Maryland and
Washington Railway Company into the
state of Maryland This portion of the line
Is to be operated a suburban extension
of the lexington and Soldiers Home Rail-
way Company in like manner the ex-
tension of the Chevy Chase line in the state
OF Maryland is operated a suburban
branch of the Capital Traction COMPANY
Authority to purchase the portion of the
Chevy Chase line lying in Maryland was
several years ago given in like manner
II is here proposed to give authority to buy
the suburban extension of the lexington
Railway Company.
The second section of the bill repeats
the existing requirements for the equip
ment of the lines of the lexington COM
pany outside of the city of Washington
with the underground electric system, and
varies from the existing law on the subject
only IN that 1t gives the period of nine
months from the passage of the act within
which the work may be completed, where
as. according to existing law, the work
should be completed on the LIST of July
1888. period considered too short as dat
ing from the passage OF the act within
which to complete the work.
Section provides for certain minor
changes of route. These changes have been
proposed only by the Commissioners of the
District of Columbia, and they provide
simply that in certain cases of rather mar
row streets. where the double tracks are
row maintained. single tracks, separated
by an intervening block. shall be SubSti-
tuted for the double tracks on one street.
Section 4 gives authority for the issue of
stocks and bombs to provide for the expepd-
lures required to be made in changing the
motive power. 1t due to some over
sight evidently that this authority was
not given by the act of June 10, 1896
which required the changes to be made
however tnat nave been, II Is today
true that the company has no means of
issuing any kind of security in order to
raise the money necessary for carrying out
the previous and Low repeated mandate of
Congress in respect to the equipment of
its lines with the underground system.
Section > provides for deposit of 5000.
10 be forfeited in case the equipment shall
not be completed. This section was pro-
posed by the Commissioners of the Dis
trict and adopted by the committee.
Section 6 provides for a continuation for
twelve months of the original power to in
stitute- condemnation proceedings conferred
upon the Maryland and Washington Rail-
way Company, whose line, being built in
the country, was built through territory
not divided into streets; hence the right of
way had to be acquired by purchase or
condemnation proceedings. The continual
ton of the power for period of one year
is asked for by the attorney of the com
peny in order to push to completion some
legal proceedings involved in the matter.
Unsatisfactory Operations.
''In conclusion. it may be stated that the
lexington and Soldiers Home Railway
Company is now operated in a very unsat-
isfactory manner by horses.
This operation being in competition with
electric traction is carried at con-
tinuing loss approximating 500 per day
1t will be impossible that the persons in
terested in the property should for long
the passage of this bill is necessary in
order that they may provide themselves
with the means needed to carry out the
plans of Improvement which have been de-
handed by Congress and to complete which
the company stands fully ready, provided
only this legislation is passed.
THE committee is assured by respon-
s;ble parties that all necessary steps have
been taken to make the contemplated i'm
provements soon as the securities of
the company can be issued in exchange
for the necessary CASH There will be at
once secured TO the public an important
lenefit, in that certain important sections
of the city now having only the inefii-
cent horse service will at the earliest pos
sible date be supplied with service SINH
lar to that on the principal electric railway
lines passing through the center of the
city.
1.-THE lines which the lexington and Sol
diers' Home Railway Company is author
lied TO purchase are lines now controlled
| by the parties controlling the lexington
company. and it is a matter of general con-
venence and Importance in the matter of
| financing or improvements that these parts
hy-,.,