Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-25
CITIZENS SATISFIED
Through Cars on the Ana
costa Line
0BVIATE ALL TROUBLE
SELDOM MORE THAN FORTY ON
CAR AT THE BRIDGE.
These Now Change Promptly and
Cheerfully in View Of the Old
Conditions Being Restored.

There were many Anacostia people STIR
| ring about the streets this morning at
| early hour to ascertain IL the reports circu
| lated last night of the intention of the Of
| ficials Of the street car company to resume
| the through street car service today were
| true. and when this was found to be the
| case satisfaction was expressed on every
| hand. The system was resumed precisely as
! before the continuous service was aban-
doned two months ago. Cars were operated
| from the city end of the line to. the Frank
| lin street switch, on Nichols avenue, Ana
| costa, at which point two cars took no the
/ service for the people of Congress Heights
| An inspector of the road informed The Star
| reporter that seven-minute schedule was
being maintained, which. he said. would
| finally be reduced to a four-minute one.
| What pleased the citizens of the section
| great deal was the fact that open cars
| were being run, something that has not
| been done since the through service was
| done away with, as far as Anacostia was
| concerned. No traflers were run. During
| the busy travel hours of this morning, with
| the cars running on time, there was hardly
| an instance where the number of passengers
| carried to the Anaeostia bridge exceeded
| forty. The reporter of The Star noticed
but one instance, and then those who left
| the car did so promptly and took one
| short distance behind. having, of course,
| been given transfers.
| From the expressions of the citizens 1t
| was evident that with the through service
| the company could count on the co-opera-
ton of the patrons of the line not TO block
| travel by remaining in the cars when a
number in excess of forty passengers
reached the bridge The conditions APP
| peared satisfactory all around and there
| was disposition among the residents of
| Anacostia to congratulate themselves over
the fact that their contention for continu-
| Gus service had finally prevailed.
1t became known to the citizens of Ana
costa last evening that conferences were
| in progress between the Commissioners and
| the officials of the railway company that
| would likely result in a resumption of
| through traffic today. The citizens main
tanned that. according to the information
given them in correspondence with the
Commissioners, the company had been given
permission to operate its equipment-new or
old-over the Anacostia bridge. How there
should have been any misunderstanding on
| this point the residents of Anacostia We're
| unable to comprehend That 1t would final
ly be adjusted satisfactorily they fully be-
| lieved, as has now proved to be the case.
Blockade Last Night.
Notwithstanding the fact that 1t was UNI
| derstood by many that conditions on the
Anacostia car line would be far different
today. there was a blockade of the cars
caused last evening at the Anacostia end
of the bridge by citizens who had in charge
Il y
car No. PIG to the number of seventy-two,
| and declined to reduce their number to
| forty when the Anacostia bridge was reach
| ed thereby forcing a teup of the line
| The streets contained many people who
| came out to witness the occurrence, and
| when word was passed about at $50 O'Clock
that the company would give through serv-
| ice today the blocka derS left in body and
went home. While the cars are being sent
across the bridge heretofore. there will
not be any change in the refusal of the
| Commissioners to allow more than forty
persons to ride on any one car crossing the
| structure. To this end the police have been
| instructed to note the number of passengers
| carried by the cars in crossing the bridge.
| and If there is a violation of the regulat ton
! to make application for a warrant for the
| employees of the car. The speed of the cars
| is looked after by a bicycle policeman. They
are not permitted to run over the bridge at
| a speed greater than four miles an hour.
No Change in Order.
The news of the victory gained by citizens
of Anacostia and vicinity in their fight for
better street car service was met at the
District building this morning with an as
| surance by the Commissioners that nothing
| In their original order putting into opera
ton the regulation limiting the number of
passengers on any car crossing the
bridge, had been modified in any respect.
Engineer Commissioner Bidde. under
whose immediate supervision the AnacoStia
bridge and traffic upon it come. stated that
the railroad company had apparently de-
cided to reinstall the old type of cars. with
traiers, which were In use on the line be
fore the extension of the 18th street line to
Lydecker avenue resulted in an attempt to
put improved and heavier equipment into
| service. The old cars and trailers, Col.
Biddle said. will accommodate all pas
sengers who wish to ride on the road. and
| by carrying them across the bridge eighty
| at a time forty each on the motor ana
| trailer. the element OF safety Will not nave
! dad
| This condition was advocated in the fol-
lowing letter sent to Vice President George
| H. Harries of the Washington Railway and
| Electric Company by the commissioners
| yesterday afternoon:
| Gen George II. Hairless Vice President
| Washington Railway and Electric Com
pany.
with reference to the letter of the 23d
, | ,,ltimo transmitting to you a copy of the
| police regulations regulating the rate OF
| speed of street railroad cars over the navy
. | ward bridge and the maximum number OF
. | passengers allowed on such cars. am d.
| rected to state that the action OF the Com
| mtssioners in passing that order was based
, on the fact that they considered that while
| limiting the number of passengers might
| | be difficult to do, it certainly Is not Inn
| possible. and the public safety requires
. | such action. Your company, by having
trailers on the present ears which cross
| the bridge, even if these were taken Off at
| the end of the bridge. could reduce the
| stress to an ordinarily safe limit and ac-
.
! the limitation fixed by the police regula-
lions OF forty passengers, there Is no rea-
| son why the open cars, we'll as the win
ter cars should not go over the bridge
| The speed limit of four miles and hour
| fixed by this regulation was established by
an order of the Commissioners under date
of October %. 1897, allowing the cars of
the Capital Railway Company to cross the
J bridge The reason for limiting the speed
: is that the impact due to swiftly moving
cars striking the bridge is a cause OF dan
. | ger While it Is quite possible that cars
| could be run with ordinary load over
| this bridge without accident, until the new
, | bridge is completed. it is also possible
, | that at any time a serious accident re-
| sulting in the drowning Of a number of
, | persons might occur, and situation
, | which any day might be the cause of a Sc
, | rious accident in the community should
, | not be allowed. Very respectfully,
WILLIAM TINDALL. Secretary"
Commissioner mcfarland said that he
| was glad a solution of the problem has
! been found which viii accommodate the
; public and at the same time protect it
. from danger.
IL Officers Commissioned.