Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-21
QUESTION FREIGHTS
B. and o. Company Opposes Provisions of
Street Railway Bill.
Commissioners to Submit n Substitute
for Pending Measure-ROute
of Extension.

1t is understood the District Commission
ers, in submitting a report on House bill
1865 and Senate bill 5302, authorizing the
Maryland Suburban railway to extend its
road into the District, will forward a SUBJ
stitute measure. This substitute bill,
slightly modifying the original one, is said
to have been agreed upon by the officials
of the Maryland Suburban and the City
and Suburban companies. some question
having arisen between them concerning the
trackage arrangements proposed in the
original measure.
1t is expected that the Commissioners
will recommend favorable action on the
substitute bill, except upon that portion
which authorizes the proposed railway to
carry freight. In. this connection, it is
said, the Commissioners will submit that
it is inadvisable to permit street railway
company TO serve as d freight line also.
The officials of the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad have stated to the Commissioners,
it is asserted, that it does not appear to
them entirely equitable for the authorities
to put them to the expense of aboishing
grade crossings, thing which Will be done
in the near future, and. to permit other
railroads to occupy the streets of the city
for general railway purposes without hav-
ing the safeguards which they viii adopt.
The Commissioners, however, will contend,
it is said, that 1t is contrary to good public
policy to permit street railways to serve
as freight lines and will, therefore, recon-
mend that the words parcels milk, garden
truck and other small freight be stricken
out of the bill.
Route Selected.
The following route is understood to have
been agreed unon by the officials of the
Maryland Suburban and the City and Su-
burban companies, and approved by the
Commissioners: Beginning at the boundary
line of the District of Columbia, at the in
tersection of that boundary line with the
east side Of the Metropolitan branch of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company,
thence southerly alongside the said railroad
to Tahoe street, thence west on Tahoe
street, Takoma. TO 4th street west, thence
south on 4th street west extended to Flint
street extended from Brightwood Park;
thence east on Flint street extended to
North Capitol street extended thence south
on North Capitol street extended to the
curved avenue leading past Fort Totten and
shown on the highway extension plans of
the second section, thence following said
curved avenue 10 Sd street east, thence
south on Sd street east to Hardwood road
to the Bunker Hill road, thence east on
the said road to 4th street east to the
tracks of the City and Suburban Railway
Company on 4th street east, where the
Maryland Suburban cars will pass onto the
tracks of the City and Suburban Company,
and will enter the city over the lines of that
road under a plan of reciprocal trackaSe
arrangements.
Provisions of Original Bill.
The original bill provided that the Mary
land Suburban route should coincide with
the City and Suburban route from the cor
ner of 4th street and Bunker Hill road to
the corner of 1st street and Florida ave-
nue. northeast. from which point the Mary
land and Suburban line would pass along
Florida avenue in a westerly direction to
the corner of 18th street and FLORIDA ave-
nue.. 1t was proposed to make freight con-
nection with the Capital Traction and
Metropolitan railroad companies at that
point but to that the officials of the City
and Suburban road objected. saving it would
be most unfair to grant the Maryland Su-
burban road the right TO come into the city
over portion of their road and then con-
meet with two rival companies. The City
and Suburban Company agreed however, to
permit the Maryland Suburban cars ira
verse their lines provided they would go
to the center of the city over the same
line. This was agreed to. and the Flor
ida avenue spur of the road was eliminated
from the original bin in the draft.