Evening star., 1900-08-07
STREET RAILWAY SERVICE
COMPLAINTS BY CITIZENS OF THE
PROPOSED EXTRA SUBURBAN FARE.
To the Editor Of The Evening Star:

To the Editor of The Evening Star:
The public was informed. through the
columns of your paper. Of certain changes
which the Washington Traction and Elec-
trio Company propose putting into effect on
and after the 18th instant. We are told
that on and after that date two fares will
be charged (or four tickets for % cents) on
the Georgetown and Tenleytown and the
Rrightwood branches. A person living near
the District line on the City and Suburban
branch can ride to the city and go as far
as Anacostia to the District line on the
Great Falls branch for one ticket or vice
versa. Yet If person wishes to go from
Dupont Circle to the naval observatory or
from 9th and F streets to Howard UnlNer-
sity he Is compelled to pay two fares.
Again, he will be able to ride to Cabin John
bridge or Glen Echo over the Great Falls
line for one ticket and a 5-cent fare, but
should he go via the Georgetown and Ten
leytown line he will be charged an extra
fare Is 1t the intention to discontinue the
running of cars to these points via Tenley-
town? Nobody will care to pay three fares
when they can go for two. Why this dis
elimination?
The country along these lines Just re-
covering from the severe blow inflicted by
the old regime. which drove into the city,
owing to the miserable service, people who
We're anxious to make their homes in these
beautiful suburbs. With the new order of
and one fare to the city. there was new
demand for homes in the suburbs. new
buildings were being erected, and 1t began
to look if these beautiful avenues lead
ing from the city would before long be
thickly populated. The proposed action of
the Washington Traction and Electric Com
pany will put an immediate stop to all this.
Carfare IS quite an item to a family of
three or four who go daily to the city. and
when 1t Is excessive they will stay away
from the suburbs. Is this the way to
build up the suburbs so the road in time
will pay?
The public know that all the street rail-
ways. with the exception of the Capital
Traction Company, have been consolidated
under the Washington Traction and Elec-
tric Company. How is it that under the
law they can charge more than one fare, or
SIX tickets for quarter, over the lines
within the District? l presume that they
have not as yet complied with the law.
This was done for purpose, no doubt, and
now made acquainted with the pur-
pose. This can only last until Congress
meets. CLEVELAND PARKER.
The Cleveland Park Traffic.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
Your editorial in Saturdays issue concern
ing the proposed change in the transfer
system of the newly consolidated street rail-
way company is timely and just what the
patrons of the road appreciate. The people
living along the lines of some of the di-
the way they have been treated, and they
welcome the aid which The Star can give in
securing for them their rights. Take the
Tenleytown division for example | have
been patron of that line for more than
five years, and except that there has been
an Improvement In the tracks and in the
cars themselves, l cannot recall when the
service was worse. 1t has not infrequently
happened that patrons have been compelled
to wait thirty and forty minutes for a car.
The long intervals between cars, the waits
at the power house sometimes six and
eight minutes while the conductor or motor
man attends to some matter of business in
the building, have caused people living on
the line to look hopefully forward to the
time when a change would come Two
weeks ago. when the cars suddenly ex-
tended their trips to 9th and F streets
every one was delighted. This accommoda-
ton atoned for many sins of omission and
commission of which the railroad company
had been guilty: but as suddenly as they
came the through cars disappeared, and the
patrons of the line were compelled to go
back to the old system of changing cars in
Georgetown with the old-time rush and
scramble for a seat after perhaps a long
wait. Can 1t be wondered at that many
people in disgust from that time became
regular patrons of the Chevy Chase line
even at the cost of a longer walk to catch
a car? VIII the management Of the Ten
leytown line please explain why II is that
the Chevy Chase line can run with profit
car every seven and half minutes dur
ing the day and much more frequently in
tHt evening, tnOuRn tnera are comparative
ly few people living along the line Of its
route. while the Tenleytown line, which is
lined along almost its entire route with resi-
dences, more populous road by far can
not find 1t profitable to run a car once in
hfteen minutes, and irregularly at that and
now threatens that 1t will recede still fur
ther from the improvements proposed in its
service by reintroducng the coupon ticket
at the rate of four for 81 cents? 1t cannot
be that the District Commissioners have
through their proper officers Kept very
strict watch upon the service on this line
If so. they would find that the management
has catered entirely to the excursionists
who travel to Glen Echo and Cabin John
bridge, refusing to stop along the route
for the regular local patrons when the car
could get a good load at the starting point
Let them improve our country roads lead
Ing to Connecticut avenue extended and
those who wish car will walk even a
much longer distance to ride on the Capital
Traction line. The blessing of a through
car. II only one every half hour or even
less frequently. seems to be something
which those who have been wont to travel
that way can no longer hope for, and un-
less some powerful influence like that of
The Star is thrown into the scale the public
may expect very little in return for what
they pay to ride over the Tenleytown line
SI'RIFRRA