Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-10

sonally the reporter boarded the 5:35 o'clock
| pm. train after purchasing ticket for
Rockville. The cars had been swept and
busted, but the odor of coal gas remained
| and there was susgestiveness in the coach
of the interior of residence In which a
smoky coal-burning stove had been busy
The car was soon filled with a variegated
assortment of passengers-men, women and
children. The government clerks were
easily distinguished from the real country
article. nearly all of them were provided
with copies of The Evening Star, in the
contents of which they quickly became abb
sorbed and oblivious to all surroundings
i The others, like Aunt Nancy at the fair,
scrutinized their fellow-passengers and
then became interested in the scurrying
railroad men the platforms and the be-
lated passengers as they hurried to catch
| the train. Finally the signal to go ahead
sounded. the big locomotive snorted and
pulled and the train glided over the rails.
The wind furries were from the north.
and the smoke that issued from the funnel
of the engine was driven into the train shed
passing the windows Of the passenger coach
in fantastic f1urr.es and shapes. Not a
great deal of 1t penetrated to the interior
of the car. as the windows were closed to
keep out the raw November air. Just as
the train had cleared the shed stout coun-
tryman who had reached the car after
some rapid sprinting for a man of his avoir-
dupois scrambled up to the platform and
entered the coach. blowing like porpoise.
AS he opened the door the interior of the
car was filled with the gaseous smoke from
the locomotive. b., - .' t-t
Started Passengers Acoughing.
That started several Of the passengers
acoughing. and an old lady ventured the
remark that some people would be late
even when Gabriel blows his final trumpet
call at resurrection time. AS the train
proceeded toward the boundaries of the
city many smoke fiurries from the locomo-
tive swept past the windows. and it was
easy to imagine what the. conditions inside
the passenger cars had been in the sum-
mer and early autumn when the windows
were open. -
A communicative passenger who occu-
pied the seat with the reporter entered into
a discussion of the smoke nuisance. He
commended The Star for what he termed
its lust statements and expose of a law
that was clearly intended to Cypress GER
tain citizens for maintaining a lesser nui-
sance and excuse the great railroad cor
porations who maintained a greater one"
Referring to summertime conditions, he
said:
81 live near Terra Gotta station and have
been going back and forth in the cars over
the Metropolitan branch for several years.
When the windows are open the black
smoke. coal gas and cinders from the soft
coal fill the coaches and make the trip, as
short it is most unpleasant. Always
after reaching home on warm days devote
some time to combing the cinders out of my
hair and beard. The flying ashes also fill
the seats and ground into the clothing
Of passengers. Congress should pass law,
if such thing is permissible. requiring all
railroads to burn hard coal, following the
example Of the Philadelphia and Reading
company. And it strikes me that If Con-
gress can pass law which, as applied to
the foundries. hotels, laundries and cleo
trio plants of Washington, Is practically
prohibitve to the burning of soft coal by
those institutions, such step could also be
taken as to the railroads"
AT this juncture the brakeman announced
md hos 1ht,rt ITO oil cd
Sea of Black Smoke.
Stott's and Lamond's were reached, each
place being bathed in a sea of black smoke
from the snorting funnel of the big throb-
bling engine. Finally halt was made at
Rockville. and, Notwithstanding the fact
that all the windows had been closed, the
atmosphere of the coaches was impregnated
with the smell of smoke and gas Some of
the flying cinders, too, had filtered in and
settled mo the velvet cushions and the cloth
Ing OF the passengers The customary
crowd of waiting ones was on the plat
form at the Rockville station. and the COM
muters who were returning from their days
toll for Uncle Sam were greeted by wives.
sisters. mothers and daughters and escorted
to their homes.
The citizens with whom the reporter con-
versed expressed themselves pleased with
the action of The Star In taking up the
matter of the injustice of the District smoke
law. Some of them made comparisons be-
tween the conditions on the electric rail-
ways and those on the steam roads, and
the consensus Of opinion was that hard
coal should be used on all roads where
practicable. but that electricity Is destined
to solve the smoke problem and other prob
lens connected with railroad travel III the
future.
Under present conditions. however" one
Of the citizens said, 1.-The smoke law In the
District of Columbia should be applied as
equally to the railroads as to the indi-
viduals and companies fined under its pro-
visions"