Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-06
Declares It Outrageous.

District commission
Declares It Outrageous.
Judge Charles Bundy then opened the
argument for the Brightwood straphang-
ers. He declared the users of this line
deserve no such outrageous treatment as
is accorded them by the Washington
Railway and Electric Company" He in
sisted there should be through service to
the center of the city on this line, and
that putting passengers off at the loop
was the same as making passengers for
New York get off at some Jersey City
suburb-if such thing could be thought
Of for a minute.
Secretary Eddy. at the request of Gen.
Wilson. then read his report on this line.
He said the commission had received ten
different complaints against the Bright
wood line. One OF these was from the
Columbia Golf Club, of which Mr.. West
Is member. He refrained from recon-
mending anything in regard to through
traffic on account Of insufficient data.
but suggested that better cars and new
loop at the transfer station should be pro-
vided II there is to be no through service.
Life is in daily danger at the loop just
north of Florida avenue. he saiG. and the
situation there was plainly one that
should be remedied. He presented figures
to substantiate his statements combining
his report of crowded conditions chiefly
to the morning and evening rush hours.
<, L.
Eddy, to see over forty persons standing
in car and hanging on to it when it
has a seating capacity of but thirty-five.
Mr.. Clayton's Argument
The principal argument in behalf of the
Brightwood people was made by William
NICK. Clayton. who represented the five
affiliated citizens associations which have
long fought for better service on the line
which they use to get to the city,
This question has not sprung up with
us overnight" said Mr.. Clayton; we
have been wrestling with it eight years
or more. The act of Congress of May q,
1908, imposes upon the Brightwood COM
pany the duty of providing comfortable,
convenient cars and to transport it's pas
sengers expeditiously to their destinations.
We insist that the service given us at
present is anything but expeditions. To-
day we make no request for paving be-
tween the tracks, as the law requires; we
do not ask that the roadbed be. sprinkled,
although the clouds of dust arising dur
ing the summer, settling every one,
are an insufferable nuisance"
He read from report showing that in
1899 the Brightwood line carried 1,55S 900
passengers, and in 1907 transported $685.
90 passengers.
Through Service to Laurel.
IF a man can board a car at 18th and
G streets northwest and ride all the way
to Hyattsville, Riverdale, Berwyn and
Laurel, all Of which are in Maryland" he
asked. why cannot we. who live in the
District, be taken to our homes without
change of cars? And, further, if a pas
senger can board car at Park road and
ride clear through to Anacostia, a dis
lance of eight and one-half miles, entail
ing thirteen curves in the tracks, why
cannot we be transported less than five
miles without q changer?
Lastly he took up the financial situation
declaring the Brightwood line had been
showing a deficit every year since 1903
when a mass meeting was held with a
view of obtaining better conditions on the
line.
our meeting was followed by a report
of deficit" said Mr.. Clayton. Before
the meeting the road was paying. This
deficit is a pretext not to improve con-
ditiOns.
Mr. Clayton said it was perfectly plain
from the number of passengers carried
that If this road does not pay, no road
in the city pays He read letters and
affidavts from persons living along the
line showing the number of passengers
that crowd into the cars at all hours OF
the day. He also presented photographs
to prove his assertion.
Others Present Grievances.
Louis p Shoemaker and c. c. Lancas-
ter followed with their statements of the
troubles of the Brightwood people. The
former said it would be like carrying a
refrigerator to the klondke TO tell the
commission about conditions out there
Mr. Lancaster declared that the railway
was dealing with the people in trifing
manner that should not be tolerated for
a moment longer.
'Modesty Is something we of Bright
wood don't possess any more" said r. "
Powderly I'VE leave it at the boundary
when we make a dash for the car. The
women lose their modesty and their
clothes, for when anything gets between
us and our car it must go down, or we
so down..
Conditions on Rockville Line.
~ The testimony of patrons of the Rock
Vile line did not indicate the conditions
there to be so bad. James H. Taylor
asked that better rolling stock be in
stalled, also airbrakes and better sched-
ule.
Others who spoke for the Bethesda.
Somerset Heights. Tenleytown and Rock
Vile residents were Il. l.. Hooper of the
Washington School for Boys, s. w.
Briggs c. c. Lancaster, S. D. Caldwell,
]. c. Rabeson and G. N. McGill.
Secretary Eddy read his report on this
road. 1t urged better roadbed, more
modern cars, improved signals and a bet
ter schedule.
No Railway Men Present.
There was no representative Of the
Washington Railway and Electric Com