Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-22
REGARDED As MENACE
Exposed Conductor Rails of
Capital Traction Company.
THE SUNKEN ROADWAY
RESULT OF EXCAVATION FOR
CAPITOL HILL TUNNEL.
Dangers Pointed Out by Residents
Leaks in Gas Mains Near Con-
gressional Library.

| The sinking OF the roadway along list
street between y and East Capitol streets
! southeast, which resulted from the boring
| OF the railroad tunnel now in course OF
| construction. has also resulted In the un-
covering OF the tracks OF the Capitol Trac-
| ton electric railway at Is, and d streets
| diagonaliy opposite the southwest corner OF
| the library OF Congress. These exposed
| tracks. residents OF that vicinity declare.
| are menace to life not withstsnding tho
/, open place Is guarded constantly by watch
men.
Just below the exposed tracks are the
conductor rats. heavily Charged with fric-
tional electricity. and they are without COW
ering of any sort. Ii pointed out to-
day by citizen of that locality that should
a person accidentally fall Into the open
place and touch the conductor rail. which
supplies motive electric power for the long
railway. the unfortunate person would BE-
electrccuted Instantly.
Other dangers mentioned were in the pos
sibilty OF children cTawdns into the exca-
walton. or that runaway teams, such as the
one which dashed into the excavation nc
9Th street and Massachusetts avenue north
west several nights ago, might stumble into
It, The conductor rail. exposed at LIST and
b streets southeast, Is said 10 be heavily
charged with electricity. necessarily, and IL
Traction Company will be required TO take
time by the foreiock before fatality oc-
ours, and provide a, means of covering the
exposed rail-
Further Sinking Not Probable.
There can be no danger from the sunkeu
roadway otherwise. engineers say. as at
most. the surface may only sink an inch
or SD more. This sinking is due to the
water being drawn from the earth In that
vicinity by large pumps employed in the
tunnel construction. After the water was
drawn the earth dried and contracted, and
naturally sank from one foot to eighteen
inches. causing the concretcd roadway to
sink wish r.
No steps wall be taken 10 restore the
road to its original plane, Ct IS said, until
the tunnel whereabouts il completed and all
danger of further sinking sverted
There is absolutely no danger to be fear
ed from this settling of the street" said an
engineer to Star reporter today "and 1
believe now the sinking is pretty we'll over
1t was also stated today that the Virginia
avenue tunnel, which extends from I'd street
to l1th street southeast. Is practically COM
pleted. 1t has not yet been decided what
disposition will be made OF the old navy
yard tunnel. which extends along X street
from 9Th to 18th streets southeast II Is
said to be probable that It may be filed in
pedestrians and vehicles on Massachu-
sets avenue at the point where the street
crosses the proposed line OF the Pennsyi-
vania railroad under Capitol Hill pass over
the top of the new tunnel. A section OF
the new Capitol Hill tunnel from the old
line Of Massachusetts, avenue to G street
northeast has been built. and the new htgh-
way passes over It. 'z- 49,
1t Is said the completion and covering
over the tunnel up to this point gives tiie
contractors a chance to go ahead with the
brick In construction, and the deep canon
Left for the purpose of keeping Massschu-
sets avenue open will soon be filed.
The Capitol Hill tunnel is now arched
over from the entrance at T. street south
west TO about A street northeast, and the
work OF joining the two ends. that is TO
say. from A TO c street northeast. is going
rapidly forward.
Leaking Gas Mains.
The sinking OF the roadway in front or
the Library of Congress resulted in a num-
Der Of leaks in the gas mains, and WORK
men were engaged yesterday and today In
excavating there to repair the leakage.
These operations resulted in the publica-
ton of a statement that the disturbed
asphalt roadway was being resurfsced.
Lamp posts along LIST street are tilted,
and in some places the hagstones have be-
come sunken. while in others they are IN
a state of upheaval Fences have been
constructed along the eastern extremity
of The Capitol Park.