The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1906-01-28
STREET RAILWAYS ARE
THE BEST IN AMERICA

ley wire were duly and completely cata-
iogued and published, accompanied by
marginal references. footnotes, fire-lOss
| 10 completely overthrow the cause OF
those who held the overhead trolley
/ high in esteem as a RAPID traasit meth
I 90. but who were. perhaps, tribe
thoughtless TO the probable effects
/ OF obstrueung poles and wires in the
city.
End of the Struggle.
Resulting from this struggle came
legislation forbidding further trolley
/ trespass and authorizing amy company
authorized by law 70 run ears propelled
| by horses n the District OF Columbia
70 substitute for horses eseetric power
I by storage. or independent electric bat
/ teries. or underground wire, or Under
ground cables. moved BY steam power -
This in brief Is the authentic account
/ of what occurred IN the early days OF
rapid urban transportation OF course
it was not long before the terms set
forth by this act of legislation were
| seized upon by the companies then oper-
/ ating horse car lines. The development
/ of the present complete and entirely
| adequate and satisfactory conduit sys-
/ tenn has been the result OF oft-repeated
experiments and not few Individual
/ failures. But the end has more than
| justified the effort that has oeen ex-
pended in perfecting the system. and
today there is 10 be found in Washing
/ ton a service unparalleled in any other
/ city OF the New World hu, only in rap
| Id transportation. but in the equipment
OF the companies operating, and IN the
| ability 70 handle the enormous crowds
af,.l.
and which would more than swamp a
less efficient service.
| The fact that there are no overhead
/ trolleys TO be swept away IN times OF
a blizzard or a wind storm enables the
/ citizens OF the District TO depend upon
/ their car service even during the most
unfavOrable weather conditions. The
! tie-ups in Washington are conspicuous
/ for their absence, whereas in other cit
/ les. where the overhead trolley is in
use scarcely a year passes that there
| are not some serious troubles at the
/ very time when the car service is more
/ than ever crying necessity
Capital Traction Company.
In July. 1862 the first car service o. tT.ss
National Capital was inaugurated. The
company operating the line was known
as the Washington and Georgetown
I Railroad Company The motive powec
/ was, OF course, the horse in those early
days Of urban transportation The first
/ line was laid on Pennsylvania avenue.
/ and from that day TO this there has
been a service on this thorOughfare
J having been operated without any ser
! ious interruption. though the means OF
propulsion has twice been changed.
| Late IN the eighties il became manifest
| that the horse car could not longer meet
! The growing demands Of the passenger
traffic along the principal thOToughfaTe
AaT he
was compelled 10 adopt the underground
cable system. as the overhead trolley
was prohibited, and the conduit electric
/ railway was as yet an appliance of the
future. The entire system OF this COM
pany was being operated by cable dur
ing the latter part of 1882. and this would
| doubtless have continued to much
later date had not destructive fire
completely wiped out the company
power plant in September. 1887, This
misfortune was, as is so often the case.
a blessing in disguise for the patrons Of
the line. The conduit electric system
had been developed TO point Of COM
merctal possibility by the other street
railway company in Washington, and
the Georgetown Railway Company very
wisely decided not to rebuild their
power plant for the cable system. but
| TO install the electric railway.
Change 70 Electricity.
Their Efforts along this line wers
begun under favorable conditions, as
the cable conduit was easily converted
into the electric conduit now in use.
While the change was being made the
service along the Avenue had been car &
ried on by the use of horse cars. which
took up the regular schedule the morn
ing after the fire, which had destroyed
the powerhouse, occurred. In six
months after the cable system was
abandoned this company was Operat-
/ trlcal power station, thus eVincing a
progressive spirit that has been mani
Tested on more than one occasion.
1t was in 1895 that the Washington
and Georgetown Railway Company con-
solidated with the Rock Creek Rail-
way company, and the name was
changed to the present Capital Trac-
ton Company. This system now com
prises the lines on Pennsylvania ave-
nue., Fourteenth street, Seventh street,
and Chevy Chase. In all it operates
fifteen and oue-haIf miles of double
tract conduit electrical road. and five
miles Of overhead trolley, the latter
: being used in the Chevy Chase line. be-
Iyond the city limits. The service is
constantly being improved and at pre-
sent about one hundred and twenty-five
3 trains are operated a day. most OF
: which consist of a motor car and 4
trailer. The trailer is almost excIu-
/ sively a Washington institution" In
, most American cities the long eight
, wheel cars have been generally adopt
, ed but the Capital Traction Company
, has found the short twenty TO twenty
six foot cars especially adapted for
use in this city. These cars are us
ualIy operated in trains made up of
one motor car and the trailer, as
stated above.
, Quick Changes Possible
The system has proven satisfactory
on account of the ease with which the
service can be changed. Open trailer
cars can be operated for the greater
portion of the winters. which are COM
paratively mild in Washington. These
open cars are quite popular with the
, patrons Of the lines. as they are much
more pleasant than the closed cars.
. | However. if the single units were
would not he