Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-08
FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS
DISTRICT AUTHORITIES TO DE.
MAND sMoKELEss ENGINEER
Hearing Before Senate Committee on
Pending Measure-Provisions
Of the Bill.

Determined that all engines running into
the new union station when IT Is comn,e,ea
shall not emit smoke. the Commissioners
OF the District will be particularly active
curing the present session of Congress to
secure legislation on the subject Commits
sioner mcfarland was notified today that
the senate committee on the District Of
Coiumoia will give hearing on the smoke
law provision in House railroad bill $500
next tuesday morning. The Commissioners
Will take advantage of this opportunity to
present their reasons why the legislation
should be enacted and further advocate the
passage of the measure.
Several weeks ago, upon the suggestion OF
Commissioner Mcfarland the District
Commissioners decided that it would benefit
the union station and add to the comfort
or the patrons of that station to have cleo
tric motors substituted for the ordinary
smoke-emitting locomotives on ali trains
entering the District, thus avoiding the
nuisance and Inconvenience of filling the
new station with smoke and gases They
communicated with the officials Of the
railroads which will use the new station
and requested this substitution So far the
pennsylvania, the Baltimore and Ohio and
the Southern railroads have answered and
each showed an unwillingness to comply
with the Commissioners request In spite
or this, the Commissioners determined that
dlshgured and that the smoke and gases
should be eliminated and that the wishes
or the public should be adhered to, and
Immediately began to take steps to force
the railroads to do that which they were
first requested to do.
Introduce Amendment.
The Commissioners introduced an amend
ment to the present smoke law of the Dis
trict which provides that the smoke law
anrnlx r,;1,.
as stationary engines. Aside from this a
bill pertaining to the union station and
containing this same provision about ex-
tending the smoke law to the railroad loco
motives, which passed the House at the last
session, was introduced in the Senate, and
with these two bills the Commissioners feel
very hopeful that their policy regarding the
new station Will prove successful. and that
the railroads will be forced to adopt the
electric motors or else face continual prose-
cutions in the Police Court for violations OF
the smoke law.
1t will be upon the bill which passed the
House and which is now before the Senate
that the Commissioners will be given a
hearing on next Tuesday. The fact that the
bill also provides for additional facilities for
handing mall baggage, express and other
business carried on passenger trains at the
Washington terminal by railroads that are
to use the new union station. which are
very much desired, makes 1t likely that It
may get through.
That section of the bill upon which the
Commissioners base their hopes reads as
follows:
Sec 2. That on and after January /,
1905 the provisions of the act of Congress
approved February 2, 1899. entitled An act
for the prevention of smoke in the District
of Columbia, and for other purposes, shall
be- and are hereby, extended to apply to any
and all steam locomotive engines OF any
description used on any steam railroad
within the District of Columbia and any
officer, agent, or employe of any individual,
firm, or corporation operating any steam
locomotive engine or any steam railroad
within the District of Columbia from the
smokestack of which engine shall issue or
be emitted dense or thick black gray
smoke or cinders after the date above men,
toned shall be deemed and held guilty OF
creating public nuisance and violating the
provisions of said act.''