The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1906-01-28

Far removed, indeed. from the current
of municipal problem discussions must
that person nave lived who has not
/ heard for the past twenty years the
great difficulties that have confronted
i hundreds of cities. both in America and
abroad. in relation 10 the urban trans
| portation facilities As cities nave ex-
banded the question Of urban railways
has assumed a significance and Vide
spread interest that would have 9een
/ ineoneeiYable 10 a community OF wen
/ ty years ago. Today the street railway
system in every city ranks IN impor-
lance with the other public utilities OF
lighting, water. and sewerage.
| In view OF the fact that this ques-
ton of street railways has assumed
such a position of ascendency in the
public mind. it is not surprising that
city IS frequently brought to the at
tention of the people of the country in
a prominent light If the system that
obtains is exceptionally good or excep-
/ tfonally bad Both extremes attract
unusual attention. Next 20 the fact
/ that Washington is known as the Ma
tfcu's Capital, and as the Official home
| of the President. it liz probable that no
other feature is as well and as favor
ably known as its electric street rail-
way system.
| For wears washington has had the
reputation OF having one Of the finest
electric railway systems in America.
not merely In point OF service. but be-
cause the system has preserved the
general artistic appearance OF the
streets
No Overhead Trolleys-
| Had the authorities Of the District
allowed the electric railway companies
10 erect overhead trolleys. the beauty
OF the city would have been destroyed
forever While the overhead trolley system
which DreyaiIs IN all the great cities OF
| America. with one or two notable eX-
ceDtious is bad enough anywhere, 1t
would have been infinitely more oOJec-
tio1abie here than elsewhere, Tor the
width Of the avenues and the general
nIau of the city would have made a
network of overhead wires. an eyesore
which would have forever destroyed
ali idea of making washington the
/ CITY Beautiful Of America No mat
] ter how many public parks should have
! been constructed, no matter how beautl-
: fu! the public buildings might have
/ been in design or in location. the troll
I lev wires would have been as trails OF
the serpent of ugiiness' over them all
| The washingtonlan who has always
lived here cannot appreciate all that
this means until he has gone 10 other
cities. and has observed how these
/ overhead troIeys arc a menace TO life
and bar to all civic beauty
The subject of urban transportation
has been and will Always De of such
] off ma y
| be we'll to depart from the plan Of
/ treatment which has been adhered TO in
discussing other subjects in this dis
sertation on a Greater Washington, -
and give a brief history Of the develop
meut and growth OF the present sys-
tenn in Washington. From & recent
I work, published under the direction OF
! Gen. George II. Harries, the Following
J account is taken:
! First OF American cities TO possess
/ a complete. passenger-carrying, conduit
electric road was this city or Washing
ton The study OF its antecedents, its
I, birth, its troubles. its growth, and its
success would rival any novel in IN
terest-
Many Experiments Tried.
ut is reasonably certain that in
! everything pertaining TO the adapta-
ton OF motive power for street rail-
way purposes, the city OF Washington
has been one of the most conspicuous
centers OF experimentation. The rea-
son for this mental. financial. and me-
chanicaI activity is found in the I'M
compromising public sentiment adverse
10 the overhead construction common
to all cities on the continent, New York
4 and Washington alone excepted.
i "Forty-two years ago the National
Capital made the acquaintance of its
first street railway company; a new
venture, and for a long time most un-
profitable. Then followed a quarter of
a century OF horse cars; conductorless
one-horse cars in large percentage. yet
afTording facilities sufficient for the
needs of a notwithstanding and only
partially commercial community.
During most Of those twenty-five
years there was no great suburban
growth. but suddenly the farming re-
gion around the city yet within the
limits of the Federal DISTRICT was trans
ferred into attractive subdivisions. bris-
4 thing with wonderful crops OF survey ors
pegs, and literally marked with invest
ment-attracting signs. Beauty spots
previously unknown 10 the public. were
cleveTly exploited. while all the varie-
ties of persuasion were Strenuously oper-
ated TO the end that thousands of homes
dot the delightful country which stretch.
es into Maryland and Virginia.
Vital Need Supplied.
Cheap and speedy transportation wa:
one of the primary. essentials to settle
ment. That could not be surnished by
horse flesh, so the railroad mind turned
toward other, more modern and more
rapid methods OF getting there" To
think of cable for such a purpose would
have been absuTdly extrayagant. SO the
overhead trolley was instantly agreed
upon as the thing for the environs
When there was effort TO extend the
poles and wires into the city proper
then there WIS outcry asic serife.
Allegations and pleadings in behalf OF
overhead construction were met with,
what proved to be an overwhelming
combination of fact and argument. pre-
sented by Mr.. Theodore W. Moves. as
sociate editor-in-chief Of the Evening
Star. who insisted that il a conduit
operated road could be commercially
successful in Budapest. tae-e was no
reason why similar venture should
| fail IN Washington. For years there