Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-10
SMALL AUTOS IN PARK
Big Ones Not Desirable, Says
Rock Creek Engineer.
ROADWAYS TOO NARROW
Overhanging Trees Also Would In
terfere With Passage.
REPORT TO THE COMMISSIONERS
Bus Line License Favored. But
With Size of Vehicles Limited.
Woman Park Lover Protests.

Should an automobile bus line be al
lowed to operate through Rock Creek
Park. i'll carrying out the plan to popu-
larize the public reservati ton, only small
sized sightseeing automobiles are to be
used. if the Commissioners approve rec
ommendation forwarded TO them today by
L. r. Grabill, assistant engineer in charge
of the park.
To Engineer Grabill was referred the
application of the International Auto
Sightseeing Transit Company for a permit
to operate line of cars through Rock
Creek Park; and Mr.. Grabill has suggest
ed to the Commissioners what conditions
should be set forth in the permit before
the bus line can be started. The Com
missioners have taken no action on his
report, it being in the hands of Acting
Engineer Commissioner Kelly for a rec
ommendation to his colleagues. He may
suggest further conditions or moditica-
tons of those set forth by Mr.. Grabiil.
Il have inspected the cars of the COM
pany making the request for this permit,
says Assistant Engineer Grabill in his re-
port, and find that they have on hand
three sizes of sightseeing automobiles, run
by storage batteries, as follows:
Description of Cars.
"First-Cars for thirty-seven passengers,
measuring feet wide, - feet long, with
wheel base of about Il feet; weighing
five tons. without load; on four wheels,
with tires about inches wide.
.'Second-Cars for twenty-four pas
sengers, 61a feet wide, 16ia feet long, with
10-foot wheel base; weighing about j
tons, without load; on four wheels, two
with S-inch tires and two with 6-inch
tires.
''Third-A car for twelve passengers, '5H
Foo wiz writ 1,-En
wheel base. weighing 400 pounds, on four
wheels with tires ) inches wide.
"The latter car. or something similar
appears to be the only one suitable Tor
use on the drivewayS of the park. The
two styles first mentioned, on account OF
their great width, length and height, are
not adapted for use on these roads, which
are in places less than sixteen feet in
available width. with overhanglng trees
which would have to be trimmed to allow
passageWay for vehicles of such height.
Some of the curves of the roadways are
too short to permit the convenient turning
of vehicles of the larger class. The most
serious objection, however, is that such
large vehicles approaching on narrow
roadway would brighten horses and en-
danger drivers and pedestrians.
Large Cars Not Practicable.
1.-THE use 'of such cars is practicable
in Fairmont and Central parks because Of
the great width of the drveways of these
parks, where the manner of treatment
is more open 1t is not though desirable
to increase the width of the roads in
Rock Creek Park. both on account of
the considerable expense of such increase
and because it is desired to in every way
preserve the rustic failures of the land
Scape, without intruding upon the view
more than necessary any artificial fea-
ture, such as even wide eXpanse of road
way should present.
II have the honor, therefore, to recon-
mend that the permit be granted to allow
the use of vehicles OF size and weight
not exceeding that Of twelve-passenger
cars herein described; and that the pres
ent regulation be changed to permit the
use of such cars.
II have the honor also to suggest
that one of the routes considered begin
at 14th street and Park road and pro-
coed by way of Park road and Kringle
road to Beach drive, thence up the
creek by Beach drive to the Military
road to Brightwood returning by the
four miles in each direction, through
the best scenery in the park and con-
Meeting with three lines of street cars"
With his recommendations Assistant
Engineer Grabill has forwarded to the
Commissioners a letter asking that the
buses through Rock Greek Park be pro-
PEELED by horses instead of by motive
power of their own. The writer is
MRS. b. ii. Lane OF 4ItZ Kansas ave
nue., who signs herself "A Lover of
Rock Creek Park
Il have been noting with much inter
est the proposed measures suggested for
bringing the beauties of Rock Creek
Park within the reach of those who
most need to see and enjoy it, she
says.
Protests Against Automobiles.
What I see'in tonight's paper as pos
sibility | wish to protest against, though
it be with but the strength of one voice.
The automobile is the terror of the park
as 1T is. The short curves of the road
way make it a dangerous object to meet.
and especially as the average car driver
loves to dash around these at the highest
speed limit. And wLo shall say he does
not oftener exceed it"
Granted that touring cars may not do
this when progressing slowly, they are ex-
tremey noisy. ard for that reason and
because they are in themselves unsightly
they are terrifying to nervous horses If
no larger ones are allowed than at pres
ent (seating eight persons). l see no rea-
sonable objection except the speed.
But l would suggest as much more
conducive to the enjoyment OF the park
beauties, that the bus line be drawn by
horses, the passengers then being given
time to see the beauty Of stream and
WoodlaWn they pass along.
Il heartily approve the movement to
enable the public to reach the entrance