The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-01-17

Some answer the cau Of the HauCn.
Sonsc answer the cal q is folk:
Some answer the call generation.
And reTiy with a hex and stroke;
But the best old cal that's been answered
Since Washington fTst quit is POKE
Is the CAL that has inst been answered
OF the herkes last rafting spoke
Old Henry Clay prioked up his ears
and gave a sigh OF relief as Kimulgee
BIZ and Dora Thorne gazed out Of their
stalls and whispered through the ambient
atmosphere that soen would they cross
the river Of happiness and roam in the
land Of eternal bliss.
The rickety cid tires that rolled and
rolled and rolled 10 carry home many
weary wanGerer conhded to the patched
Up traces that they. too, were going 10
meet at the happy hunting ground and
celebrate the burning at the stake Of
their chief oppressor Of the last quarter
century.
Day of Rejoicing
Oh, it was q great day Of rejoicing, and
all because the management OF the Net
ropoHtsn Coach Company announced that
its equipment. now. henceforth. and for
ever. would be Of an up-to-date design;
that metropolitan" would be its slogan,
and that the old street herdics that for
years and years and years have been an
eyesore 10 Westinghouse and a curios-
ity 10 strangers would be replaced this
-,0-.r-- errHo-,-r1,T7ac
Horses and men and management Of
the herdic company have long wondered
what destiny was theirs, and as years
rolled on and relief got farther away it
was beginning TO be limited that the once
modern vehicles would some day be
Transformed into four wheels and
plank. Long ago improvements gave way
10 decreasing the amount OF harness used,
and as Father Time made his mark
deeTar on Friend Herdic the load Of the
horses-that-s really what pulled them
was made lighter as steps OF bolts OF
braces dropped 10 the long waiting
ground
But the god Of progress rode with the
fate Of the herdic and whispered N
the ear Of those who owned them that IL
was tine 10 act And they old act How
ever. not until Congress put its foot down
on the Old way OF running things and
set a time limit on the running Of the
stumbling OmnIbUses that were modern
IN the times OF our f0refathers-
Nevertheless. this little god Of progress
kept on flirting with the bank account Of
those who own. and it was decided that
modern, luxuri0usly furnished motor. cars
would fly where the herdics were won't 20
roam
81 , -s-,-es--,+~-=--s 81 ~, zT,--o--,-7=t-,, =,
Company was sent abroad TO select the
best type Of vehicle 10 be used He in
spected the plants Of various foreign
makers. and purchased buses 10 be used
n Washington
Five of the three best type machines
made have arrived in the city and viii
be put il service Just as soon as the
weather permits. The machines VIII be
tried out thoroughly and the final de-
cisiO1 made on the type that gives the
best results. Additional cars VIII be pur-
chased. and II is the ultimate intention
OF giving a three or four minute schedule
on the line.
style Of the Cars
The cars VIII be high power. viii carry
fourteen passengers. and constructed 50
as 10 insure safety and comfort 10 the
public. The passengers enter from the
rear, on weil-guar1ed platform, and
the seats run Iengthwise. just as in the
best buses operated in London and other
foreign cities.
There could hardly be q greater change
in means Of transportation than that in
volved in the transformation from the
horse-crawn herdics . the speedy. lux
-urious motor cars that now go into use.
The seats are upholstered IN bufred
leather, wide, beveled plate glass win
COWS light the cars By day, and electric
lights are used by night Electric bells
are provided for signaling the chauffeur
The substantial chassis. running on wide
solid, rUbbeT-tire wheels make hardly
any noise or vibration.
Before even a preliminary choice was
made, the country was secured for the
make and type Of motor that would give
the best service Plans were also OBJ
tanned from French and English design
ers- Washington did not want OF require
the numbering 'Noah's arks" used II
New 1Ork and Philadelphia, and some
thing different had TO be found. As IL Is.
two OF the bodies are not exactly what
was wanted, but were accepted TO save
the time that would have been required
20 build new ones.
Delivery Of the cars was promised last
November, with the intention OF putting
them in operation before Congress con
vened. but none Of the builders made
good on their promise before January /
One OF the cars did not arrive until
yesterday. Pontiac. Mich, Buffalo and
Syracuse, n. Y. makers are represented
Fl the practical competition that now
begins TO develop the best possible motor
bus service for WASHINGTON
An Idea of the Speed.
The 24-horsepower motors can drive the
coaches over their twO-and-a-half mile
route in thirteen minutes. including stops.
making the round trip from Fifteenth
and L streets 10 Twenty-second and G
streets in about half an hour The route
covered is the same as that Of the her
dics-frOm L street down Sixteenth to
Massachusetts avenue, east to Fifteenth
street, and thence 10 Fifteenth and H
where motor passengers viii receive free
transfers to and from the lines Of the
Washington Railway and Electric Com
pany. From this point the coaches viii
run west on Pennsylvania avenue TO Sew
enteenth street, and then through G 70
Twenty-second street. the terminal point
The hve-Cent fare wiz be maintained
Later the company expects 10 extend
the service. and il is probable new routes
VIII be started II IS expected that cross
town lines VIII be established, and it may
be that a line running from the Union
station out Massachusetts avenue viii be
operated.
The company probably win build a
large bonfire out on the edge OF the city,
M Ma~roaUsO