The times., 1899-01-17
THE BOB7AIL Horse CAR
Anac0stia Loses Its Electric
Railway Service.
END OF THE BROWN SYSTEM
The Capital Road PASSES Into Other
Hnnds-Nil BE Consolidated With
cnuc of the Traction Company
Mr.. l.. \. Handles Retirement.

Anacostia today will go back to the bob
tail horse car service as the only means of
its citizens reaching this city. The Brown
electric system is to be abandoned by the
new owners of the Capital Railway today,
and in a short time it will be torn out.
Every citizen of Anacostia is full of indig-
nation. 1t is understood that there VIII De
a mass meeting Immediately and that COM
mittees will be designated to wait on the
District Commissioners, the District Com
mittees in Congress and possibly the new
owner of the Capital Railway, which is the
City and Suburban syndicate. Anacostia
people in general were exceedingly bitter
in their remarks over the situation last
night.
The position of the new Capital Railway
people in the matter is in brief that they
are endeavoring to secure legislation to
combine the road with the Anacostia,
which they also own, and that as soon as
they accomplish this purpose they intend
TO install the underground system on the
entire line within the city limits.
The Brown system is not in favor with
them or with the District Commissioners
and they have desired to give it up as soon
as possible. In addition to this the Capt.
tai Railway has been transferring with the
Capital Traction Company at the foot OF
Eighth Street southeast, and the new own
ers OF the road wish to turn this business
over to the Anacostia road. The Capital
Traction has had revenue of $4,000 a
year from this Anacostia business.
There will now be only the Anacostia
road across the Eastern Branch and this
must be used by the people of that town
unless they wish to walk TO the Capital
Traction line. several blocks away.
The Anacostia people will, it is said, en-
deavor in every way possible to accelerate
the bill now pending in Congress to con-
solidate the Anacostia and the Capital
railways for the Suburban Railway syndi-
cate.
The passing of the Capital Railway and
the Brown system revives long line of
memories of the year and more OF its ex-
istence.
A. E. Randle, the former president OF
the Capital Railway, today gives up his of
flee and ceases his connection with the
railroad business entirely in this city. Mr..
Randle has had hard fight with the Dis
trict Commissioners and with various ac-
cidents and chances. 1t was the opposi-
ton of Commissioner Wight and former
Commissioner Black last Summer and
later which forced him finally to sell out
his road to the City and Suburban syndi-
cate. He is not blamed by the Anacostia
people. who have taken his side in his
troubles nearly always.
When the Capital Railway peo-
pie were ready to begin the
work of installing their road two
years ago, after the hard times. they
at first endeavored to secure the regular
underground system similar TO that now
in operation on two Washington roads.
The time of their charter had nearly ex-
pired, however. and Mr.. Saxton, who was
TO have built the system for them, re-
ported that he would be unable to pur-
chase materials in time. The Brown sys-
TEN was taken, therefore. although it was
TO a certain extent experimental.
The District Commissioners. with the
exception OF Commissioner Ross, opposed
the Brown system from the outset, and
they even went so far as TO require Mr.
Randle to give up the management OF his
entire road to an appointee of theirs. The
road on the other side of the Navy Yard
Bridge was an ordinary trolley system,
but the Commissioners superintendent
was put in control of this as well as the
city end of the road. 1t was under this
management that the terrible accident of
last Summer occurred. Damages for $780,
900 were brought against Mr.. Randle as
president Of the road, as a result OF this
accident He states that these suits COM
PEELED him to sell out his road.
Another of Anacostia's complaints is
that by the opposition of the Commits
sioners last Summer the Capital Railway
was forced to abandon its plan of running
its line east in Harrison Street. Anacostia,
TO join the Chesapeake Beach Railway.
which would have been an excellent busi-
ness proposition for Anacostia. Ii is
thought possible that if the new owners
of the Capital Railway put in the new
underground system the Commissioners
may feel better disposed toward this plan
at some time in the future