Evening star., 1904-03-24
efforts to get traffic to give a frst-class
service.
President Dunlop's Objections.


President Dunlop's Objections.
Mr.. George T. Dunlop. president of the
Capital Traction Company. was called on
to state hiis objection to the granting Of the
new charter. He stated that he objected.
because 1t would impair the rights Of the
Capital Traction Company. For forty-two
years. he declared. the Capital Traction
Company had done more than any other
business influence In the District to
build up the District.
He referred to the union passenger sta
ton Of this company at Both and NJ streets.
and said that 1t was forced upon them. The
bill providing for II was framed by the
Commissioners and introduced In Congress
without his knowledge. The union station
was forced on them to accommodate the
suburban roads, which 1t was believed
would come from Virginia over the bridge
TO that point. The company had been
forced to spend for that station $500, 900,
and had to make three plans before MAJOR
Powell, then the Engineer Commissioner,
would accept one of them. The Commits
sioners had forced them to excavate sixty
two feet deep In solid rock and then build
retaining wall eleven feet thick against
"a wall of rock.
No Suburban Road Applied.
Although the company had been placed at
this large expense with the idea that a
union passenger station was being built for
the accommodation of the suburban roads
from Virginia and those that might come
down along the District side of the river,
up to this time there had not been single
read to apply to share in the use of the
union station, and to take from the Capital
Traction Company some of the burden of
the cost of that expensive undertaking.
This company had been obliged to buy the
particular site on which that union station
was located by provision in the bill. and
IT had not even the right of condemnation.
The result was the company had to pay a
large price to the owners in order to get it.
They did have option site Immediately
west OF 36th street and north of the Ave-
nue., but Major Powell would not permit
them to use that site because, while it
would have answered their purposes per-
fectly. 1t would not have been as convent
ent for the suburban roads coming across
the Aqueduct bridge. as they would have
to turn to the west at the end of the bridge
ana then turn north into the station. All
tins expensive preparation had been made,
and the union passenger station was there
ready to accommodate the suburban roads,
But instead of using that station and
carrying out this plan that was forced
upon the Capital Traction Company the
GREAT rams and Old Dominion wanted to
turn eastward on NJ street and run on the
tracks of the Capital Traction Company
over ten squares, to 26th street when
the building of its own lines, as proposed,
would be begun.
Senator Gallinger asked whether the Capf-
tal traction did not use the lines of the
metropolitan road on G street over several
squares.
Two Companies Using Same Tracks.
Mr.. Dunlop replied that that was correct
but that his company had protested against
1t, and through a BILL now pending in Con-
gress they hoped to reach the new Union
station on e street in such way that they
would not need to go over the tracks of
another company. He regarded the plan
civ r1rla .nI- l1s,r
raliroadfng, although it was resorted to in
several cities in cases in which it seemed
absolutely necessary over short lengths of
track His company had on many occa-
slons been badly tied up on that stretch
OF track, owing to the shortcomings of
It's neighbor. That was what he wished
to avoid by having a single road occunv
only its own tracks.
MT; Dunlop referred to the pending bIl
Ior the extension of the tracks of the Great
fans and Old Dominion to Bladensburg,
He declared he thought he understood
what the purpose of the bill was. but he
did not care to go into that
Senator Hansbrough
Mr. Dunlop said he would prefer not to
enter into that, though he might say what
II was later On. He said he had a right to
surmise what their purpose was but tbere
was nothing he would say in private he
would not say in public before this COM
mittee about them ~
i,cAhS pressed reply he said.
peHeVe, mark you It is nv oninion
this project is for bond-a stock -iobbine
business 'o'Oi"s
Declares It Will Not Pay.
He declared that the road wou,d re,,.r
pay. at least until the far-distant future
In response to a question by Senator CAL
Hnger. Mr.. Dunlop said:
Yes, the road in Virginia will he bui1t
and 1t will not long be in the hands of the
same people. All of these suburban roads
nave gone into the hands of receivers and
not one is paying expenses and that one
VIII not pay expenses in the lifetime of
any man IN the hearing of my voice We
operate road of that Kind in our Chevy
Shase me When we took that road we
lost S4oooo year on it. and we have now
sotteh II Gown so that we lose but S11, ,OO9
year we nave tried to nurse and coax
that road. and that's the best we have
been able to do. There is more on this side
oI the river to pay road than there is on
the Virginia side
But the Virginia road vciII ba b,u. T.
VIII be built in order to enhance the yaIue
vi uie land over there. AS soon as they
get the road people will come here and
Io'iiin%rhce % 10 manner about the bad serv-
ice. The people who have got I'D this road
VIII ihen get out Not one of the original
men Is now In it. These men are there
pushing this road because they want thajr
tdlt tdt improved. do not blame them for
IS no necessity for any other cross-town
ROAD and II there is the Capital Traction
company stands ready today to put in anv
extensions In any direction in this eIty
Where there can be shown there is need of
IL ana sufficient business to warrant the
expenditure ''ie
II this road should be built it would not
pe possible to run cars from 26th and nj
sueets 10 the union station over If and
gam three minutes in time over our present
system between those points. we will
give tne people a three-minute schedule
anu 90 not think any cars will run ON tho
Great Fails line on three minute scheduie
lhey VIII more likely run on an hour
scHeuuie Whatever extension we buiId
We VIII guarantee to run on schedule time
=. VIII be perfectly frank with you" con-
uhusd Mr.. Dunlop. Il will be nerfectlv
frank and say that 1 was in hope thai ali
OF thtse suburban lines would go in the
lands. of receivers and that the CanitaI
1f1cuon Company would get them and
give the people of this city a good service
IN the case or all these suburban lines that
nave been combined here promoters came
along and got between the people with the
raiiroads and some New York peonIe who
had more money than they knew how to
invest. Ihey bought these suburban roads
ANaN