Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-07
MAY BUILD RAILROAD
Prospect for Work on 18th
Street Extension.
REQUEST FOR PERMIT
RATHER UNUSUAL IN FORM, BUT
DENOTES ACTIVITY.
Washington Railway Company to Be
Requested to Change Trackage-
Want to Store Supplies En- Route.

From the developments at the District
building today it appears more than posi-
BILE that the petitions of citizens residing in
the vicinity of Columbia Heights and Mount
Pleasant, urging the extension of the Ana
| costa and Potomac River railroad along
nth street to Lydecker avenue, will shortly
be favOrably answered. Gen. George HI.
Harries. vice president of the WASHINGTON
Railway Company, today filed with the Dis
trict engineer department on behalf of the
Anacostia and Potomac River Railroad
Company an application Ito exc1vate and
distribute material along nth street north
west, from Florida avenue to Lydecker
avenue. to install an underground electric
system"
According to officials of the engineer de-
partment, this application is somewhat I'M
usual In form, but 1t is believed to Indicate
that the railroad company contemplates the
beginning of the extension of the line out
18th street. The application, it is noted,
does not request a permit to construct the
railroad" but only to "excavate and DIS
tribute material along the proposed route.
c. B. Hunt, engineer of highways. to
whom the application has been presented,
said today that he will probably request the
railroad company to substitute for the ap-
plicatiop filed today, an application for a
permit to construct the road, which will
| carry with 1t permission to store the neces-
sary materials along the route. In case
the ompany does not desire to make such
substitute application. it is anticipated that
the District officials win issue a permit to
store materials along the proposed route,
for a limited period Of time only.
| This indication that something practical
is soon to be done toward the construction
of the extension of the 18th street railroad
will no doubt be received with pleasure by
many citizens residing in the vicinity of
the proposed extension. The agitation for
the extension has been vigorous for sew
eral years. and the Improvement has been
urged with great earnestness by the Column
bia Heights and the Mount Pleasant Citi-
zens' Association, both in oral. discussion
and in numerous written petitions.
Urged by individuals.
In addition to the organized agitation for
the extension, many private individuals
have spoken and written In an effort to Sc
cure the Improvement. The District Com
missioners have been besieged in their Of
fees by committees of citizens and repre-
sentatives of citizens associations, all urg.
ing the District authorities to exert their
influence and authority toward securing the
extension of the 18th street railroad.
An act requiring the Anacostia and Poto-
mac River Railroad Company to extend it's
Eleventh street line was approved by Con-
gress July /. 1902. This law provided that
the company be authorized and required to
construct the necessary tracks and to make
the necessary connections for the purpose of
operating it's cars by the underground cleo
trio system, such as is now in use on it's
Eleventh street line, over and along the fol-
lowing route; beginning at the northern ter
minus of its Eleventh street line at Florida
avenue, north by double tracks along Elev-
eEth street to Lydecker avenue"
An Unusual Provision.
1t was further provided that the extension
shall be. completed and the ears operated
thereon within two years from the date Of
the issuance of a permit by the Commits
sioners of the District of Columbia" The
provision limiting the time for the compile
ton of the extension to two years from the
issuance of the permit. it is stated, is rather
unusual. in that the law relating to the
construction Of railroads., it is said, usually
provide that the road shall be completed
within a certain time after the approval
OF the law -
For several months the Commissioners
nave been urged to require the company to
take out a permit. The authorities. however.
pointed out that they could not compel the
company to take out a permit. and that
nothing could be done under the law until
the application for the permit was filed.
The act approved July /, 1902, specifies
that the extension Shall be constructed in
accordance with plans satisfactory to the
Commissioners and approved by them. The
further de yelopments in. connection with the
proposed extension viii doubtless be watch
ed with great interest by the citizens of the
ing on the heights when it is definitely
determined that arrangements for the ac-
tual construction of the extension are under
way.