Evening star., 1901-08-27
WILL BE TWO FARES
Proposed Change to Be Made on the
Brightwood Railroad.
new TICKETS FOUR FOR A QUARTER
Residents of the Locality Are In
dignant Over the Change.
MASS MEETING PROPOSED

H. w. Fuller, the general manager of
the Brightwood Railway Company, has
issued the following notice:
ION and after Sunday, September 1.
1901. the Brightwood Railway Company
will be operated from Florida avenue and
street to the District line. Frees trans
fers between the Brightwood Railway
Company and the Metropolitan Railroad
and Anacostia and Potomac River Rail
road Companies will be abolished. Coupon
tickets-four for 25 cents-good over the
lines of the Brightwood, Metropolitan and
Capital Traction Companies, may be pur--
chased of conductors on the Brfghtwood
cars, in accordance with the terms of the
company's charter
This resumption of the right given to the
company by its charter of selling tickets
at the rate of four for a quarter, each good
for a ride over it's own lines and those of
the connecting road within the old limits
of the city, is not agreeable news to the
patrons of the company. Several months
ago a similar course was determined upon,
but owing to vigorous protests on the part
of residents of the locality the execution
of the order was suspended.
1t was at that time maintained by the
patrons of the road that the one-fare
policy would tend to increase the business
of the road, and that the section would be
built up. Now, however, it is held by the
company that the experience Of the past
six months has not borne out this predic-
ton. For this reason free transfers are
to be abolished on and after Sunday next,
and two fares, or four tickets for quar-
ter, are to be required of the patrons of
the Brightwood line coming into the city,
No More Commutation.
An order has also been issued doing
away with the Communication tickets which
y, hoo, tray Inns %
Woodside and the Brightwood roads
Those already issued will be accepted, but
no more will be sold and passengers from
points beyond the District line will pay
fare to the latter point, and then can use
the four-for-a-quarter tickets on the bright
wood road.
A force of men is to be at once put to
work to erect the necessary poles from the
loop on 7th street south to Florida avenue
or street. Beginning Sunday morning
the Brightwood cars are to run through TO
the old terminus of the road at TIN street
and Florida avenue. At that point the pas
sengers can take passage on either the ath
street cars or those of the Capital Traction
line. According to the provisions OF
four-for-a-quarter tickets, both the
Metropolitan and Capital Traction COM
panies are required to receive the coupons
from passengers on these lines. The 9th
street cars will continue to go, as now, TO
the loop, where the passengers bound nortn
can take the Brightwood cars.
Reasons for the Change.
1t is asserted that this change was forced
not only by the financial condition of the
road, but by The action of the Brightwood
Citizens Association in calling the atten-
tion of the Commissioners to the failure on
the part of the company to comply with
the provision of it's charter requiring it to
maintain at least 15-minute schedule to
the District line The attorney for the
Commissioners, in a recent opinion, stated
that the company was required to render
such service and held that the schedule
which was equivalent to that in point of
time taking into account that for the en-
tire day, was not compliance with the
law. AS there was no question of the
scundness of this Interpretation of the law
resource was had to the old charter. The
company decided to balance the more ex-
pensive schedule which 1t will now have
to furnish by endeayoring to increase the
passenger receipts.
In this connection there is a strong feel
ing that neither by the railroad company
nor by the patrons should the old charter
be called into action. The present consoli-
dation of the lines it is said, should have
meant the passing Of the old charter. with
its requirements for a 15-mnute schedule
to the District line. with Takoma Park on
shuttle car line, and also the four-tickets-
for-a-quarter provision.
The charter of the Georgetown and Ten
of four-fo -a-quarter tickets on that line.
Such tickets, however, have not been is
sued by the present owners of the prop
erty. following in this respect the same
course as that In connection with the
Brightwood road. 1t was stated by an
official of that company today that there is
no intention of making any change in the
tickets In use the Tenleytown road. 1t
is further stated that the consolidation of
the various railroad companies into one
concern will not affect this change in the
Brightwood road ticket system, as. the Off
cial claimed, the privileges as well as the
obligations of the respective companies will
pass intact to the new company.
Views of the Patrons.
Residents of Brightwood and Takoma
and of other points in the locality served
by the Brightwood Railroad Company, at
least those who were seen today by a Star
reporter, are not at all pleased with this
latest move of the railroad company.
Granting that the receipts from passen-
gers are, as claimed by the company, no
larger in amount than they were last year
and that the business of the road has not
grown, they argue that this is due largely
to the poor service furnished by the COM
pany
1t is claimed that more people would
have made their homes in that section dur
ing the past year IL they had been sure
about the continuance of the railroad fa-
cilities. and II these facilities had been bet
ter The conditions that have existed on
that line, say these residents, are highly
discouraging to prospective home seekers
as well as to those already located there.
1t is not conducive either to comfort or
good nature to be obliged day after day,
these Brightwood railroad patrons say, to
go to and from their homes in cars that
are uncomfortably crowded.
The supplying of more cars according to
these critics, would have improved the
financial prospects Of the road. Instead of
more cars, however they state, the number
perience of the regular riders has been a
daily unpIeasantness. Now, they say II
in addition to the present defects of the
service those who ride are obliged to pay
a higher fare, then the last condition Of