The times., 1901-06-01
AFFAIRS OF THE DISTRICT
A Complaint of the Street Car
Service to BrOOkland.
MIR. Gaines submits Statement of
the Troubles of Citizens-Tempo-
rary Closing of BIadensburE Road
-EcLington Railway Facilities.

\
I Samuel NJ Gaines, of Brookland, d. c.,
! has addressed the Commissioners, COM
| planning of the schedule upon which the
| cars of the City and Suburban Railroad
| are operated on the Brookland division.
| He also complains that the cars do not
stop at the crossings in South Brookland
| In his letter to the Commissioners Mr.
| Gaines says:
Il have for long time borne in si-
| lencc. but not with patience. the City and
! Suburban Railway Company's fragrant
disregard of the rights Of the people who
| have the misfortune to be compelled to
travel over it's lines. ! reside in South
BroolSland and make daily trips, morn
ing and afternoon, to and from the city
over the Maryland branch of this com
panys road. My two daughters, who are
students in Columbian University, also
! are required to travel over this road. both
in the day and at night
Notwithstanding the fact that the man
ayers of this company have a definite
pecuniary knowledge OF the number of
persons who daily patronize this division
OF their road. and of the further fact that
| thoir charter requires that they shall run
cars at such intervals as the convenience
! of the public may require, they have put
into effect a schedule which does not en-
! brace one-half of the number of cars
which would be required to give proper
accommodations to their daily patrons.
| BY the present schedule they run cars
at intervals of ten minutes during what
/ is known as the office hours of the morn
! ing and afternoon, and at intervals of
thirty minutes during all other operating
hours of the day and night.
I ,5.alr
careful investigation as to the correct
ness of my statement, that this schedule
is a gross violation of the rights of the
public in the premises. l have repeatedly
seen over 100 persons packed like cattle
/ in a box car, in a car made to accom-
modate forty persons. Ladies, frequently
delicate or infirm from age, are COM
| PEELED to stand on the front and rear plat
| forms and In the aisle, pressed in dense
mass of humanity, all of which is viola
tive alike of the laws OF deceucy, health.
and comfort.
This is not an exceptional, but a daily,
| occurrence, and the officers of the COM
pany have full knowledge Of the fact
Therefore, since the officers of this COM
/ pany show by their daily treatment of
| their patrons that they are willing to ac-
| cord to them only such accommodation
and consideration as transportation com
| panies usually afford TO brute creatures.
| ] beg leave to appeal to your honorable
body in behalf of the rights of the peo-
pie.
Il submit that the ten-minute schedule
during office hours is by no means ade-
| quate to the accommodation of the regu-
lar patrons of the road during thosu
hours, and that the thirty y-minute sched-
ule in force at other times is q still great
er outrage upon the public Such a time
table would be a disgrace to a street car
company in town of 10000 inhabitants,
and would not be tolerated
The idea of requiring people to stand
| thirty minutes in all sorts of weather
and often late at night, waiting for
| car. is excessively abusive of the rights of
the people who conferred upon this com
pany the valuable franchise which it en-
| joys. How long would you submit If
/ your wives and daughters were subjected
to such treatment? Especially does this
| abuse become intolerable in view of the
| knowledge that the patronage on this
| line is ample to justify a satisfactory
schedule.
Another abuse 10 which 1 wish to call
your attention is that Of falling to stop
the cars at the street crossings in South
said crossings for the purpose of taking
! the cars. Repeatedly have cars run by
me when l was standing by the side Of
the track and IN fun view of the motor
| man.
This morning. a few minutes before
O'Clock, was standing on Thirteenth
/ Street, Brookland. within four feet of
the track and in broad view of the motor
man for more than 300 feet as the car
| approached me. and, in spite of my
/ efforts to stop the car x ran by and left
| me. A friend on the car saw me and
| called the conductors attention to the
/ fact that he was passing me, yet he did
not stop the car.
1T was car No. 15l, and it was not full
! AS the result of this ineXcusable injustice
! i was required to wait seventeen minutes
| for a car, and then had to take car
| which was so overcrowded that 1 had
| to stand, with no strap TO hold. until
| reached the city. Is such contempt for
| the convenience and comfort of the people
| 10 be endured2
'"Phe next Congress win be asked to
! pass law similar to that in operation in
/ other cities. prescribing that fares shall
not be collected except from persons who
| are given seats, but, in the meantime,
/ appeal to the honorable District Commits
! sioners as the guardiansNpf the peoples
rights, to see that their interests are pro-
| tected You are invested with the au-
| thOrity, and l ask and expect you to take
/ whatever action may De necessary 10 COM
pei this company to conform to the law. .
| The matter was referred to the Engi-
| neer Department for consideration and
| report. A l.. Thomas made a thorough
investigation and reported to the depart
| ment the actual ,runNing Of the cars,
which he said substantially agrees with
the schedule.
! In closing his report Mr.. Thomas said
that he had received assurances from the
| railway company that the traffic Of the
line was being very carefully Watched,
4 and that additional cars would be put on
| proportionately as it increases, but that
! for the present ii was impossible to adopt
shorter schedule. without pecUniary
/ loss to the company. Mr. Thomas states
| that the conditions described relative TO
the operation Of these cars during rush
hours is the same as to the crOwding
which prevails on all other roads of the
| city.
The Barber Asphalt Paving Company
has asked the Commissioners for per
| mission to close Bladensburg Road during
the progress of the proposed improvement
| of the roadway under their contract The
| application was referred to c. b. Hunt
the Computing Engineer for considera-
| ton and he submitted the following re-
| port:
| 81 recommend that the permit be grant
ed as requested. This is in accordance
with the usual practice in paving streets,
| and while 1t viii result In a certain
| amount of public inconvenience, yet it is
believed that the sum total of this incon-
| venience will be minimiZed by affording
the contractor every possible facility for
expediting his work. The permit should
1 al hot r.sf