Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-14
They Confront the Washington Trac-
ton and Electric Company.
MANUFACTURING INTERESTS IN CHAOS
Peculiar Exigencies Due to Coun-
try's Great Prosperity.
SOME INTERESTING FACTS

| Inc Manufacturing world Is virtually IN
a state of chaos said Vice President C.
A. Lieb of the Washington Traction and
| Electric Company to Star reporter this
morning. THE remarkable prosperity
| which the country is now enjoying is re-
| sponsibe for it. and the demand for manu-
| features. and particularly those into which
| iron enters, is so great that those engaged
in the business are pretty nearly crazy"
The remarks were occasIoned by an in
| quiry as to the progress being made in the
rehabilitation of the suburban railway
lines owned by the company. and the in
stailation of the underground electric sys-
tenn on the Belt and Anacostia street rail-
| ways, which are also embraced in its prop
critics.
so far as our suburban lines are con-
cerned,' he said, 1.-The work is being push
ed very satisfactorily. The Columbia road
extension to Deanwood has been completed
and car was run over the line Sunday
last A regular schedule would be put IN
effect Immediately. but we cannot get the
troleys for the cars. Now, a trolley only
costs about $50, and the receipts of day
or two on the line would be sufficient to
pay for them all. 1 at Schenectady,
where they are being made, last Monday,
endeavoring to have them pushed ahead,
and was told if l could get the sheet steel
necessary for the poles of the trolleys we
could have them the next morning. The
contractors are moving heaven and earth,
to use a colloqu!alism, to meet their obl-
cations, but, to use another, they are up
against it,
An Accident at Steelton.
eve ave very anxious to install at once
the underground system the Belt and
the Anacostia, and especially on the latter,
because it is my opinion that Anacostia is
destined to be the Brooklyn of Washing
ton. All the special work for the under
grounding of the Belt line from 9th and +,
streets northwest to 18th and Boundary
streets, " hich thought to be difficult to
obtain, is on hand, and last week the
Pennsylvania Steel Company, at Steelton,
Pa, began to roll the special rails which
are to be placed on the line. After 200 tons
had been rolled the mill broke down We
are now taking an inventory of the rails
, on hand here to ascertain if, with the 300
tons already rolled. we will have enough
to complete the line between the points al
luded to. SO you will see, with vexatious
complications on one hand and unavoid-
able accidents on the other, we are in
predicament. The result is that a large
portion of the public is temporarily de
prived of rapid-transt facilities, and we
are losing the money that would be paid
for such facilities.
Il am pretty confident however, that
everything will be satisfactory in all di
rections by the opening Of the new year.
The transfer system inaugurated between
all our lines seems to be working We'll ard
Is DtIiS appreciated ny inc NtdNCiiIS pun
lie.
by the way, ii may interest you to know
that l learned on my recent visit north
that cast iron had advanced in price $50
a ton since the LIST of August"
1t was learned from another source that
it was the intention of the company to push
the work on its suburban roads to compile
ton at once, and to double quadruple, if
found necessary, the forces engaged
upon them. The line from Bethesda to Rock
vile, which is continuation of the George
town and TenleytoWn road. is well ad-
-vanced, and the terminus at Rockville Will
probably be reached by November 1.
The Contracts for Rockville.
In an article recently published in The
Star it was stated, upon what was consid-
cred as the very best authority, that the
contractors for the Improvement of the
Washington and Rockville turnpike, who
were also holders OF the contract for grad
ing the Washington and Rockville railway,
had been offered advance Of cents
cubic yard on their turnpike contract by
White & Co. the contractors for grading
work of the Washington Traction and Eiec-
trio Company. Messrs. Waters & Cissel. the
turnpike contractors. declare that no such
proposition had been made to them at the
time of the publication mentioned, but that
subsequently thereto an arrangement had
been made by which Waters & Cissel should
do tine grading and White & Co. the surface
finishing of the pike and railroad, the lat
ter having right of way along the recon-
structed highway which will be of material
advantage to the farmers of Montgomery
county, and will, besides. become one of
the most popular routes for pleasure driv-
ing in the vicinity of the capital.
KensingtOn and Chevy Chase.
Several inquiries have been recently made
as to the proposed connection of the Ken
sington and Chevy Chase railway with the
lines of the Washington Traction and Elec-
trio Company, by the construction of a
branch from Bethesda through North
Chevy Chase, ard a further extension to
Garrett Park 1t can be authoritatlvely
stated that the negotiations locking to III
have not been completed. There is an OPP
ton held by Mr.. O. T. Crosby and his as
sociates but at present nothing definite has
been reached in the premises.
The first regular excursion on the Chesa-
peake Beach railway to the new surf de
resort on the bay will leave Chesapeake
Junction, or DeanWood, tomorrow morning
at 10 O'Clock. Passengers taking Column
bia railway cars at 18th and New York
avenue at $40 am will reach the june ii n
in time to leave at the hour ment oned