Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-07
PREVENTION OF SMOKE
Commissioners Draft an
Amendment to the Law.
APPLIES TO THE RAILROADS
Use Of Electric Engines to Be Enforc-
ed by Legislation.
MOVING TRAINS IN DISTRICT
Cities Named Where Regulation is in
Force-An Explanatory

AS a means of compelling the various
union station to substitute electric motors
for the ordinary locomotives, with view
of eliminating the smoke and gas nuisance,
the Commissioners sent to Congress today
the draft of bill the provisions Of which
will bring the railroad locomotives within
the District smoke law.
This substitution was recommended by
the Commissioners in their annual report
upon the motion of Commissioner Mac
farland in view of the expressed unwilling
ness of the Pennsylvania and the Balti-
more and Ohio railroads to use smokeless
motors. When the Commissioners learned
last week that these railroads did not favor
this substitution they at once determined
that the wishes of the public Of Washing
ton should be adhered to and took steps to
compel the railroads to toe the mark.
Heretofore the District smoke law, which
has been looked upon by many as par
ticularly stringent one, exempted raliroad
locomotives, but when the unwillinsness OF
these railroads was learned the Commits
s!oners decided that the law should be
amended SO as to include them. BY the
enactment of this amendment the railroads
will have to substitute electric motors to
bring their trains within the District, or
else be subjected to repeated prosecutions
in the Police Court for violations of the
smoke law.
Text of Amendment.
The amendment as drafted at the direc-
ton Of Commissioner Macfariand is as
follows:
THAT the act of Congress approved the
second day Of February, in the year 1889,
entitled An act for the prevention of
smoke in the District of Columbia, and for
other purposes" be, and the same Is here
by amended on from and after the date
of the approval of this act, as follows: The
word stationary in section 1 of said act
hereby amended is hereby stricken there
from and the words Including locomotive
engines are hereby inserted next after the
word engine in said section 1. That
the following words. viz: That the owner,
lessee, person or corporation IN possession
or the agent havingt control OF any loco
motive or movable engine. sand be. and the
same are hereby, inserted at the beginning
of section Of said act hereby amended;
and the word that now beginning said sec
ton be, and the said word is hereby str1ck-
en- therefrom; provided, that, except as
modified by this amendatory act. all the
provisions Of said act entitled An act for
the prevention of smoke in the District OF
Columbia, and for other purposes, shall
remain and continue in full force and with
like effect as If hereinafter re-enacted at
length.
MI. Macfarland's Comment.
In speaking Of the matter today, Com
missioner Macfarland said
1T is to be hoped and expected that Con-
gress will grant the request of the COM
munity and abolish the railroad-smoke
nuisance It was disappointing that the
railroads themselves did not seize the OPP
portunity suggested by the Commissioners
request, and make the best possible cele-
bration of the completion Of the great ter
ZINC nf A.
ton in the world, by substituting volun-
tarily smokeless motors. But Congress can
of course, compel them to do so. The plea
that 1t is impracticable to substitute eiec-
trio motors is contradicted by the fact that
It is being done. We have the published
statements Of the railroads themselves as
to work of this sort which Is being done at
home and abroad in the current number OF
the Review of Reviews. What Is being
done in this way is well summed up by
VIM Mayer, jr., a member of the American
Institute of Electrical Engineers, in De-
cember Review of Reviews, who mentions
as actually completed or in process OF con-
struction the electrification stretches OF
track and terminals much longer and more
difficult than anything required here. 1t
would be much easier for the railroads 10
electrify their roads so as to have smoke
less motors into Washington, from Baiu-
more on the north and Alexandra on the
south than to do almost any of the other
things which they are already doing In
this line"
Railways Mentioned.
In his article Mr.. MAYER mentions
among others: Northeastern railway of
England. 81 miles of track Lancashire and
Yorkshire railway, % miles of track-page
lib.
Italian and Mediterranean railway, Al
miles of track; West Jersey and Seashore
branch, Pennsylvania railroad, Camden to
Atlantic City, 65 miles deuble-track road;
Long Island railroad, five suburban
branches from the Long Island City ter
minal total 80 miles of road, and three
branches from the Flatbush avenue sta
ton, Brooklyn, about As miles Of railroad
page ia.
New York Central-from the grand GEN.
trail station to High bridge, miles; from
the grand central station to Wakefield, ID
miles; ultimately to Croton or Peekskill, on
the Hudson river division, "a miles, and to
North White Plains, on the Harlem d.
vision, "a miles.
Accompanying the draft of the bill the
Commissioners sent an explanatory letter
to Chairman Babcock of the District COM
mittee of the House. In this letter the
Commissioners stated that they believe
that the smoke nuisance now largely due to
the emitting locomotives of these
railroads, is a serious disadvantage to the
national capital and that 1t will not only
continue to affect its general comfort and
beauty, but will seriously disfgure the pub
lie buildings, including the Capitol and the
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