Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-04
THE SCHEDULES Bad,
RichIn0nds Street-Car Service in
Sad Need Of improvement
MULE-CARS HAVE THE BEST,
Colonel CutShaW Investigates and
Colonel CutShaW Investigates and
Makes His Report.
City Engineer Says That Many of
Them Arc Entirely InHt for Use
The Committee VIII Recommend
Remedial Legislation.

/ "a
sub Committee on Streets last night his
report on the condition and schedules OF
the various street-car companies in
/ Richmond. He rather astonished every
one present when he declared that the
schedule operated by the Richmond Rail
way and Electric Company on its Main
street line is better than that 'nade Icy
the Traction Company; hat the clay
street lines schedule is nearly as good,
and that the schedule Of the mlle-car
/ line is bett-r than that Of any line in
the city.
The city Engineer had very little Giti-
cism 10 make Of the condition OF the
Traction Company's cars and road-bed,
| but he severely criticized the Richmond
Railway and Electric Company. assert
ing that many OF their cars were unfit
for use. and that their tracks in many
places were i'm horrible condition. so
definite action was taken by the commit
tee. but if was decided to appoint com
mittee Of three TO prepare report for
the Council. and to endeavor to love
/
legislation locking to an Improvement
of the street-car service. City-Attorney
Pollard gave it as his opinion that the
! Council had authority to regulate the
schedules and service generally.
The members Of the committee present
were Mcssrs Pollock chairman, Gibson,
King. Ebcl. and Woody. Others u~esent
were City-Attorney Pollard, City-Engi-
ncer Cutshaw. and Messrs. Whittet, Bur
ton. and Turpin. Of the Council; a. b.
Guigon. counsel for the Richmond Rail-
way and Electric Company, and William
Nlosely. of the Richmond Traction Com
panv
REPORT OF COLONEL CUTSHAW
Colonel Cutshaw was armed with
number Of voluminous documents and
tables setting forth the schedules ope-
rated by the various lines in the city
and he submitted I'm connection Herewith
the following report;
Richmond. Va. March g. 1899.
Mcssrs pollock, Ebel King Gibson and
! Woody.
GentIemeu.-As directed by YOU. l beg
! 10 report as follows upon the several rail-
wav lines of the city: observations were
made continuously. with few exceptions
| on different days. of the cars OF tne sew
| raj lines passing certain points IN boJh
! directions to ascertain the intervals pc
| tween cars. ana complete round tripS
! were noted. TO compute the average ldte0
| of speed made. The cars thenselNes W.
| carefully examined az the sheds 10 llnd
| out their condition and equipment. me
| tracks were examined throughout the city
! TO determine the kind and condition 9i
! rails i'm use and the condition OF the rodu-
beds These examinations ana oDStI fd-
| tions as given below. in tabuldtrd form.
are the iata from which the following
| conclusions may be- drawn:
| regular hve-minutes scheguie Isl, is as
! .umed for the horse-c2r. Mdln-Streel'
! Cl9v-street BrOad-street. and OakWood-
| HOLLYWOOD lines. as all these lines nave
been considered as carrying out suGh
| schedule This schedule y prescribed lot
| tho Traction Company lines IN lhclf OF
] finance but Is only mentioned as Idlf
/ service to the public in the ordinances OF
| richmond Mon Passenger kdllW.y "N"
| the Richmond city Railway. ana ms u"
! service mentioned I'm the ordinance OF the
| old Richmond Railway. \ comparison OF
| the tables of percentages OF intervals be,
| tween cars shows that on the puncpal
| lines of the city very few for each oal
/ were five minutes. or bunchcd even Ili'
| ,oss intervals while very large per
! rentage is shown where the intervals are
| over five minutes. running even to tcn'
]
! some interference occurs IN fultoil: Gnu
! ,rrhaDs al Broad street by the Shllul5
! of engines and trains OF the Chesaptahe
and ohio railway. but not enough 20 a,-
| count for all the long lnlelNdls' ds VIZ Dr
I f,und i'm The tables. Without increasing
| the speed of cars which Is now Deyohd
! that fixed by ordinance. IL lS cNlueht 1liat
| none of these lines have cars enough Ii
usa 10 make and maintain constant anu
/ regular fve-minute schedule Throughout
| tbe day even if they should shorten up
| the circuits with some cars running over
| portions Of thei. routes.
| nm the branch lines of Manchester Dl
! seventh and by Fourteenth street 20
! pi-pr View and New Reservoir 10
! chestnut Hil. TO Lakeside. Seventeenth II
! street Marshall and Fourteenth slevlS.
and at west Marshall street Nh'Ie i"i
tbesa several lines fair service io the
| n,,bl. "0fteen minutes ana twenty
! minutes" are the prescribed schelulvT,
| ~. irregularities are even greater tHdil
| an the main lines. ana au neeu ii!ot' 80 &
| to maintain "a regular ana constant ser
! vice.
CONDITION OF THE CARS.
The cars of the Traction Company
| lines are generally in excellent cOhdltlon;
Some few repairs are heeutu' anu SIlo"'I
! lac attended TO at once. some leW cars ol
all the other lines are IN ialr coHullioh'
! Lut most of them need immediate ana cN-
| feusive repairs. ana Shoulu De hldue
p4ater in appearance. some are 'HIiiC ~
unfit for use, ana shoulu DC '"h'" 0i ''0
| lines. III. ,., NTH oil
! H. lines where the improved 8ruONed
| eirder rail Is in use. but where thc Hdt
ss.tl an wood stringers Is in use II should
| h. reDlaced at once win the sIooNCu
| yirdcr rail Where the paved roads-oeus
,ra laid without concrete. good dedl ol
| rclaving and repairing Is needed, anu Oh
| an eraVelled streets repairs are AT oiITc
| n"eded and should be kept up constantly
| hv all ths companies. or else these stTeetS
| viii be I'm q generally bad CONDITION ~ ~ -
! evident that all streets shOuld pe paN.
! where they are now occupied by ralIN ~
racks With immediate attention ~
| needed repairs both of paved anu st,@nn'
rd streets. the lines of the Traction l ~
many can be brought back 10 thtlI lol IL
sood condition, but unless we lns.o,,.,s. 49,
lines the Richmond Union mi
pafivav Richmond City Railway; anu
tEeir etver9i branches-are reneWtu 70 -
ior@e extent and extensively IcPlHCu
- large portions. both the car ser ~ ~,
and street traific win become NtLs D''' o''
Ire streets used by the coHpa.ieS, make
II was not deemed he.eSs"' he'.,.,ar nleurs of
,r cvamination of the power pl.n, d.
,i,.,... ,nrnnauies. az they nave aihpI1 i,', "
,,,.,,,troted their capacity ior ,SI,S iS,,.s ne
il,,,l roster loads under the sche9u,o sc',i
mere assumed; ana, IT "a of Them. this
should hereafter be lrq"I, I,,,.,iiered
question could theh ."
Very reSpeo'i"''W T.. CUTsHAW.
city Engineer.
cors MORE INTO DETAIL
Colonel C,rshaw also presented num-
80. 80 ,sbles carefully prepared by MN
80. ,ha renorts OF his assistants ana
.',.d ''V'i to elaborate the report above
-, a,hich ne described as the boiled
95nr.r., snbstance OF his investigation lie