The evening times., 1899-05-23
TAEOMh PARK Wants
BETTER GAR SERVICE
Up inArms Against the Bright.
wood Railway Company.
Management Severely Criticised at
a Citizens Meeting.
Rolling. stock Declared to BE Dan
gerOus and the Line In
Deplorable Condition.

Deplorable Condition.
At the meeting Of the Takoma Park Citi
zens' Association held last night in Ia
koma Hall the matter Of securing better
street railway facilities was considered.
President W. G. Platt was in the chair.
and H. E. Warren recorded the minutes OF
the proceedings.
Homer Guerry, chairman Of the commit
tee on streets and walks. recommended
that the. grade crossings at Carroll Ave
nue., where a number of fatalities have
the tracks. The committee further recon-
mended that Wabash Avenue be opened
from Blair Road to Sixteenth Street ex-
tended, in order to accommodate the chill
dren who will attend the public school to
be built this summer, and that it also be
extended from Blair Road to Magnolia
Avenue extended, under the railroad. so
that the children living east of the rail-
road will not be compelled to cross the
tracks. Other recommendations OF minor
Importance relative to the improvement Of
streets and sidewalks were made. The
report was received and approved.
resolution was adopted asking the
Commissioners of the District TO request
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad TO lay
planks over high culvert few hundred
yards south of the railroad station. Re-
Gently a resident of Takoma was seriously
injured by falling through the space be-
tween the tracks, and in view of this the
action was taken last night.
Capt. T. A. Lay, chairman of the COM
mittee on schools, reported that the Dis
trict Commissioners had selected a site
on the west side of Piney Branch Road,
north of Vermillon Avenue,
for the erection of the new public school
building.
Upon the motion Of H. E. Warren. that
the Commissioners be requested TO appoint
F. J. Lung, resident OF Takoma Park, as
special building inspector TO supervise the
work OF constructing the proposed school
building, the secretary was instructed to
the recommendation TO the
proper authorities.
J. B. Kinnear chairman of the committee
on railroads, stated that he had seen the
officials of the Brightwood Railroad Com
pany sometime ago, and had been prom
lsed better service. but. contrary to these
promises, the service of the road has gone
from bad to worse. For the past week the
service of the road has been especially bad.
Cars have not been run on schedule time.
the schedule called for a seven
and-one-half minute service, but during
the past week cars have been operating in
a haphazard sort OF way, sometimes be-
ing as much as three-quarters of an hour
apart. At the call OF President Plett, of
the Takoma Association, committee rep
resentative of Brightwood and other in
terests affected by the road. met last Fri
day evening. at the home of C. VI. Heaton
in Takoma, and discussed means OF better
ing the street car service.
The committee, while it recognized and
appreciated the efforts which are being
made to put the road in serviceabic condi-
ton. recommended that the Commissioners
of the District be informed of the condi-
ton of the railway and be urged TO use
whatever power they may possess 10 ON
pei the Brightwood Railway Company 10
observe a schedule as good as the one I'M
der the old management.
Superintendent Mcclellan. Of the Bright
wood Railway, was present at the invita-
ton of the railway committee. He was
given an opportunity TO speak for his road.
Mr.. Mcclellan thought the road deserved
all the criticism which had been passed
upon it. When the corporation secured
the road il got little more than fran
chise,' he said. The track is In de-
plorable condition and the car machinery
is no better. l hope TO give you better
service within ten days, when Dfteen-
minute schedule through to Takoma VIII
be inaugurated. with a seven-and-a- -naif-
minutes schedule on the main line. He
hoped to furnish a ive-minute schedule
later on.
Ashley NJ. Gould, in view of Mr.. McClel-
lan's explanation. thought that the Joint
committee should delay its visit TO the
until the railroad company
has had time to carry out the promises
made by its agent. Mr.. Mcclellan. and he
offered motion to that effect. l.. L. Shoe
maker objected to this on the ground that
with the same facilities at its command,
there was no reason why the new manage
ment cannot operate as many cars as the
old
C. NJ. Heaton objected to Mr.. oGuld's
motion and thought that steps should be
taken Immediately TO secure less dan
eerous mode OF travel. We do not COM
plain said he, that the road is not re-
built at once. We recognize the large
amount of work before the new syndicate,
but we do want street car service in the
meantime which is not dangerous to life
and limb. The Brightwood Railroad acts
as a check upon Takoma Park and 1t would
have been better off If the road had never
been built The system has been detarior
ating since the change in management, SO
that now il is many per cent worse than
ever before. / want to live to see the re-
road, but l sincerely believe
that there is great danger of being killed
in the meantime unless the service is i'm
proved. The cars are rickety and the track
very rough. The cars some time rock as
much as two feet in the air."
Mr. Heaton feared catastrophe SINH
lar to the Congress Heights disaster last
summer and thought that the Commission
ers ought to be asked to send an inspector
to look into the condition of the road Mr..
Gould stated that he felt confident that the
would take no action. The
company would point out to them
the fact that it was about to rebuild the
line and, On that account, could not make
the desired improvements.
Mr.. Gould further stated that an expert
engineer had told him that it was better
to operate the old rolling stock in the
present condition of the road as it would
be unsafe to run new cars; they would not
stay on the track.
L. P. Shoemaker was Of the opinion that
the new management had not had suffi-
cient experience in repairing the old cars
and for that reason was unable to keep
enough rolling stock out of the sheds to
run the scheduled service.
Captain Lay argued that the railroad
company be given one more chance, and
il it failed to keep its promises this time
b., MOULD haunt ha commissioners daily