Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-01
CITY AND SUBURBAN ROAD
Delay in Traffic on the Line Causes In
easiness.
The COmpany's ExpIanatiOn-Break
ing in a New System-Trouble in
Getting Repair Material.

The delays that have occurred on the
| City and Suburban lines, due to defective
Mechanism or accidents of various kinds
| since that plant was installed, are creating
considerable uneasiness on the part of the
patrons of the road who are required to be
at their places of business at a given time,
| and who are frequently prevented from do
| ing so because of breakdowns. AT first it
| was thought that such mishaps would oc-
| cur only for few days, or weeks at most.
after the installation, but they now
about as frequent as they were during the
first days of the operation of the road.
A Star reporter today called on the Off
| Gals of the Washington Traction and Elec-
trio Company, of which the City and Su-
burban is a part. They declare that the
delays are incident to a newly installed
road and that they are working diligen.-y
to give a first-class service The City and
Suburban road is not operated by direct
current system, but through transformers
located in stations on Washington street,
at lexington and at Hyattsville The ma
chinery involved in these transformers is
delicate and occasionally gets out of order,
which results in a stoppage of the entire
line. There has also been much difficulty
with the new cars. the machinery of which
has frequently gotten out of order. These
cars We're all and were believed to be
the very best that could be built, but acct
dent after accident has laid them UP so
that on the North Capitol street branch.
in order to keep the road in operation, cars
formerly the Metropolitan line have
been called into use.
Delay i'm Getting Material.
The great cause of delay in making quick
repairs is said to be the impossibility of
getting promptly necessary supplies from
the manufacturers, who are overrun with
orders. 1t has been necessary to allow cars
lie idle for DAYS bacanSe small
part which has been burned out broken
has not been on hand and could not be Sc
cured from the manufacturers until after
a long delay.
rolling stock or the machinery In me
transformer stations from the manufacture
ers who will be required to have every
thing in satisfactory running order before
a final settlement is made with them.
The system.
The company believed it was receiving
the most approved appliances with which
to operate the City and Suburban lines. 1t
is said there a number of improve
ments in the equipment the officials of
the company contracted for, and while
in many instances this machinery has
given trouble, they declare their De
lief that these defects are in details
and in way affect the good character of
the system as a whole. The underground
construction is said to be almost identical
to that now in use on the Metropolitan
road. with slight changes that were believed
to be improvements. In fact, they say none
of the troubles now causing delays are in
any way traceable to the underground por-
ton of the system, but are wholly caused
by mechanism in both the stations and on
the cars themselves. The officials OF the
company are experiencing much delay at
the present time in securing material they
need. that they cannot say definitely as
to their ability to insure better service
Immediately.