The times., 1899-05-08


every purchase.
The Members of the Syndicate.
The personality of the four leading
spirits in the enterprise is exceedingly in
teresting, one having been an officer in
the Regular Army, another an inventor
and manufacturer having large interests
in electrical enterprises, and another
son Of a former Congressman. None of
them may be properly elassed as Washing
tonians. although three of the purchasers,
Messrs Crosby, Stevens and Mirick, have
taken up their residence and intend to live
here permanently. Mr.. Lieb is New
Yorker. and lives in that metropolis, but
visits Washington every week to look after
his interests in the enterprise and confer
with his associates. He was born in New
York and was for many years owner of one
of the leading machines and electrical
works in that State but subsequently sold
out to the General Electric Company. He
had much to do as an inventor and manu-
facturer with many fixtures familiar in
electric railway practice. He is also presi-
dent of the recently organized Washington
Automobile Company, which expects TO
operate about fifty horseless carriages in
this city and inaugurate system of pack
age delivery by automobiles.
MIR. Stevens has lived here more than
decade in a fine residence in Sixteenth
Street, and is the son of the former Con-
gresham of that name from Missouri He
is now President of the West End Bank.
One of the leading members of the syndi-
cate is Oscar T Crosby, who is at the same
time the youngest person in the enterprise,
having been born in Brookhaven, Mass,
thirty-eight years ago. He entered West
Point and graduated near the head of
class which through a strange coincidence
contained both Captain Edward Burr,
former assistant to the Engineer Commits
sioner, and Captain Beach, the present
Engineer Commissioner of the District.
Lieut.. Crosby graduated in 1882 and was
assigned to the engineer battalion at Will
let's Point. He became first lieutenant in
November. 1884, and was sent to New
Orleans in connection with river and har-
Dor work, remaining there until 1856, when
he resigned to accept position with the
Sprague Electric Motor Company. While
associated with this corporation he was
dispatched to Richmond, Va, to superin-
tend the construction of what was the flrst
successful commercial electric railway in
America. In 1889 he was at the High
Speed Experimental Station near Laurel,
Md, and made, while there, many valuable
and important experiments and discoveries
concerning the resistance of air to bodies
in motion. Afterward he became for some
months the general agent for the Edison
General Electric Company In the Southern
States, with headquarters at New Orleans,
but was not destined to stay there long,
having been called to Boston by the
Thompson Houston Company, which de-
sired him to take charge of their electric
traction department. He remained with
this company until il was merged with the
Edison General Electric Company, forming
the General Electric Company, in 1894. In
this year he resigned TO look after private
interests. 1t was then that he made his
debut in Washington industrial circles,
having come here TO bid for the White
Crosby Company for the construction of
the underground system of the Metro
politap Railroad Company He was un
successful in this one venture, having been
outbid by Contractor Saxton, who is now
constructing the various lines on which
the underground system is being installed.
Since 1884 Mr.. Crosby has been so closely
identified with all the developments in the
local street railway field that his career
is practically the history of the negotia-
tions which have been completed since
that time.
Brief Resume of Purchases.
In March Messrs. Crosby and Lieb secur-
ed the Georgetown and Tenleytown line,
and this road was the foundation of the
system which is now being completed. In
1896 they bought the Potomac Electric
Light and Power Company, OF Georgetown,
and the Washington Electric Company,
which had small lighting plant in Eek
ington. simultaneously these interests
were combined and a new plant established
for the economical production of light and
power. The buildings of the old Dent Iron
Works. with 10000 square feet of land
lying between the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal and the Potomac River, were then
acquired, enlarged, and converted into the
new power plant One of the advantages
of this site is that coal can be delivered
in large quantities to the boiler room from
the canal by the gravity process without
the use of the usual appliances. The en-
gines in this plant were built in the ship
yard of the Cramps at Philadelphia. and
the boilers are similar in design to those
which have given such satisfactory results
on the transatlantic liner St Louis.
After the purchase of this plant came a
long competition with the United States
Electric Power Company, which had been
established here about fourteen years. The
rival concerns waged bitter fight for five
years in Congress and before the Commits
sioners, and were opposed at every possible
point to each other in their battle for local
supremacy. Finally the Potomac Company
secured the right to build conduits in the
city proper and a contract was secured for
lighting the parks as well as New York
Avenue, Ninth, and Four r-and- d-a-hali
Streets.
The two electric power and lighting
companies were rivals until the present
year, when the syndicate absorbed The
United States Electric Lighting Company
The next move of the syndicate, which
Messrs. Stevens and Myrick Joined after
the purchase of the Potomac plant, was tc
buy straas lines hot il
now known as the City and Suburban Rail.
way. The old lexington, Washington ant
Maryland, and Maryland and Columbis
roads were purchased in order to form thi.
company. The Maryland and Columbis
line extends from Berwyn to the Distric
line, and the Washington and Maryland
| line is a continuation of the same line into
the District. Work is being pushed OF
| this branch and within short time car
will be running all the way from the centr,
of the city over the three consolidated line!
to Berwyn, Md. The largest interest ii
this road is in Baltimore. Mr.. Stevens wa
not in the city at the time of the con
solidation and purchase, and is not fnan
/ ciaily interested, for this reason, In tn
! City and Suburban Road.
Then the Anacostia and Potomac an
| Capital Railways were purchased b
| Messrs. Crosby. Stevens. Lieb and larg
Baltimore interests. Ihis was during IN
summer of 1898. and since then the Metro
! politan. Columbia, Brightwood Washing
| ton and Great Falls. Forest Glen, and I'll
Washington and Glen Echo Railways hav
| been secured by the syndicate in the or
| der named. Messrs. Crosby, Stevens, Liet
and Mirick being the interested partie
/ in each instance. These purchases wer
made in connection with the United State
Mortgage and Trust Company, of Ne
York, OF which George w. Young is Presi
dent. The latter makes frequent visit
to the city in the interest Of the consoli
dated concern