The times., 1899-05-03
SYNDICATE SECURES
THE GLEN echo ROAD
Formal Transfer Made in This
City Last Night.
Effect of the Sale Oh Suburban Ex-
eursiOn Transit.
Plan of the Crosby-Stevcns Com
binntion1I Is to Reach the Goal
MT Great Falls.

| Ahotuer loyal street railway line passed
into the hands and control of the Crosby
Stevens syndicate last night when the
Washington and Glen Echo Railway was
| formally turned over to Messrs. Oscar T.
| Crosby, and other members of the syndi-
| cate, which has been purchasing Wash
| ington transit lines and lighting plants.
| The purchase was made outright from
| Gustavus Stahl, of Philadelphia who was
| practically sole owner OF the line. The
| negotiations were inaugurated last week.
j. III. Miller acted as local agent for Mr.
Stahl and although the sale was Dracti-
cally made last Friday, the final papers
were not signed until last night Mr.. Stahl
came over from Philadelphia for the pur-
pose of concluding the negotiations and
the papers were signed without delay,
| transferring the road to the syndicate
| When seen by Times reporter last even
| ing Mr.. Crosby expressed himself as
| pleased with the deal. saying that every
detail had been carried out without the
slightest hitch.
| With the purchase of the Glen Echo
system the transit syndicate secured con-
! troll of the last stretch of local track
which seemed to offer any great obstacle
to the consolidation plan, every local road
having passed into the hands of the syn
dicate with the exception of the Capital
| Traction Company and the Washington,
| AleAduuTli, anu MOUNT NeTHOu ftdliNds.
Although the Glen Echo road Is one OF
| the half dozen or more lines running into
! the suburbs, its sale to the syndicate is
| regarded as an important transaction. 1t
possesses five miles of we'll -ballasted,
double track extending from the Chevy
! Chase Circle, at the intersection OF Con
necticut Avenue. extended and the Dis
| trict line, to a point on the Washington
and Great Falls Electric Railway. just
east of Glen Echo. From this point the
| two roads run over the same right OF way
| to within several hundred yards of the
| Cabin John Bridge where they separate,
| forming a Y, which leads the cars OF each
| line to a separate terminal at the bridge.
| The Crosby Stevens syndicate purchased
the Washington and Great Falls Railway
several weeks ago, and. thus secured con-
troll CT the up-the-river traffic as far as
the juncture of the two roads. Beyond
| that point traffic between the city and
| Glen Echo and Cabin John Bridge was
shared by each road Under that condi-
ton, and for other reasons, the syndi-
cate found that it would be to its inter-
| est and for the welfare OF the travelling
public II the two lines were brought under
| its control 1t began negotiations immedi-
ately for the acquisition OF the road which
was formally transferred into its manage
ment last night.
From this time on. 1t appears, the syn
dcate will operate all up-theriver traffic,
| including the very considerable and vastly
important summer excursion business TO
Glen Echo. Passengers going either by
way of Georgetown or the Circle at Chevy
Chase will ultimately be compelled to pass
over the syndicate's lines. 1t is a source
of wonder that the Capital Traction Com
pany did not purchase the Glen Echo line
| in view of the action of the syndicate buy
| ing the Washington and Great Falls line,
| but since the changes of the past few
days that opportunity is lost.
1t is asserted by moving spirits in the
syndicate that arrangements will be conf
pleted whereby special Inducements will
| be offered for summer excursion traffic to
points and pleasure resorts along the up
per part of the Potomac River. in the vi
cinity of Glen Echo and Cabin John Bridge.
| One of these arrangements will be TO run
| through car service out the Washington
and Great Falls line to the junction this
side of Glen Echo and return to the city
by way OF Washington and Glen Echo and
| Tenleytown lines. thence into the city over
the Tenleytown and Metropolitan road.
The road crosses the Glen Echo Rail-
way about half a mile east of the Chevy
| Chase Circle, and. by inaugurating a sy5-
| TEN of transfer at this point of intersec-
| tion, persons travelling southwark from
Kensington. Tenleytown. and other places.
as well as passengers going north from the
! city on the Tenlegtown line. may be af-
forded the privilege OF changing cars and
| travelling through to Glen Echo and Cabin
| John Bridge. Such a change would prove
boon to residents OF Tenleytown and
| Kensington, and will bring them several
miles nearer the upper Potomac resorts.
The success of the syndicate in gaining
possession OF the two river lines strength
ems the plan to build an electric road to
Great Falls. Each river road has long
been casting envious eyes at that goal,
and would probably have been there be-
| fore this time had it not been for the diff
| fculty experienced in crossing the Con-
duit Road in the vicinity of Cabin John
| Bridge. While the War Department en-
gneers in charge of the Washington Aque-
| duct would have strenuously opposed the
| laying of two systems of double track
across the Conduit Road at the bridge, it
| is thought with both roads under the same
management some arrangement can GER
tainly be entered into whereby one road
may be extended TO the Great Falls.