Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-20
yellow Car Service.
itor Of The Evening Star:

To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
VIII you allow me to protest. through the
columns of The Star. against the manner
in which the Metropolitan railroad treats
its patrons who live north of Dupont Circle
and are so unfortunate as TO be compelled
to ride on the yellow cars? Since the cleo
trio cars first began running out Columbia
road 10 18th street that section of the Dis
trict has grown with wonderful rapidly,
The population being of a sort that can az
ford to patronize the cars literally and, in
fact, must do so owing TO the distance from
the business section; yet ii is true that the
car service is not nearly as good as II was
at first. 1t Is not at all unusual for pas
sengers going north on F street or Con-
necticut avenue to wait for three, four or
even five green cars to go by before a vel
low car comes in sight. And then, 1
have seen myself. the yellow car is often so
packed that the motorman declines 10 stop
for another passenger. Within the last two
months l have frequently waited as long as
fifteen minutes for yellow car. Two weeks
ago, when this happened, j rode on the
bottom step as far as q street before 1 was
able even to get standing room on the
platform.
If this had happened once or twice
should not complain. but such condition
of affairs has come to be the rule and not
the exception. This is a statement which
every patron of the line will agree TO. In
other words, the service is entirely made
quate to the demands made upon IL. L am
not referring to this particular season OF
the year. when, of course. travel is UNI
usually heavy, but this condition OF affairs
has continued for months. A fortnight ago
a conductor told me that last summer the
officials of the road had taken OF seven
cars, three from the green line and four
from the yellow, and that none had been
put back. Two other conductors confirmed
this statement. Now, II that is not a
''penny-wise, pound-foolish" policy do not
know what is. l gave up riding my bicycle
TO and from my office when the electric
road was Installed. but must go back to II
If things keep on getting worse. / know Of
a number of men who have already done
that very thing.
Yesterday afternoon during the busiest
time of day-between and o'clock-the
condition of affairs was more than exasper-
ating. / took a Georgetown car on F street
intending to transfer at Dupont Circle.
When L got there 1 learned from people in
the waiting crowd that two other green
cars had already passed. Six others went
by, making nine in succession, before
yellow car came. That was 50 packed and
damned that IL any passenger aboard had
attempted to draw a full breath the car
must needs have burst. 1t was raining and
a large crowd of people, many Of them
ladies' were compelled to stand In the cold and
wet for periods ranging from five to more
than twenty-five minutes. Then, to pile on
the agony, when We finally got aboard we
learned that there had not been break
Down or "burn-up," but that the yellow
cars had simply been, held up at the
Capitol, for some reas bn which the con-
ductors and motormen Mere unable TO faith
ON.
Were i the owner of much property on
Washington Heights l should like to pre-
sent handsome homes TO a few influential
senators and representatives who do not
keep carriages. and l warrant you the Met
ropolitan Railroad Company would quickly
wake to a realizing sense of the duty it
owes to long-suffering community I'm re-
turn for its use of some of the leading
thoroughfares of Washington.
Dec. 20, 1899. WYOMING AVENUE.