Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-01
WILL HEAR PROTESTS
Commissioners May Modify
Order Cutting OF Lights.
WANT TO SAVE EXPENSE
Illumination 20 Be Restored Where
Shown to Be Expedient.
REPORT OF AN INSPECTOR
Saw Only Four Persons Passing IN
-Four Nights on Suburban Road
Costing S40o q Year TO IAghA

Costing s4oo a Year TO nAshA
That the suspension OF the suburouo
lights is temporary, made necessary b.
the state Of the electric lighting appro-
priation. Is the of1cial explanation Of the
commissioners order TO extinguish <ST
lamps on outlying dark roads tonight
Commissioner Rudolph said today tat
the Commissioners expect 20 receive pro-
tests from people living In the sections
affected. and should II be proven that any
of the lights which win not burn tonight
should be stricken from the dar1keuing
order they will be allowed to glow again.
Although the Commissioners have not
invited hearing on the subject OF road
lights. II has become known that the best
way for the protesting citisenS associa-
tions to get their arguments before the
Board Of Commissioner win be TO unite
In a single hearing In the boardroom a
the District building. II possible.
Commissioner Judson - expected 70
return to Washington tomorrow. All
written complaints and protests on the
to him. and the decision will probably
be left to him as to the date and hour
OF a hearing.
The lamp posts for electric. gas and
was explained today by Thomas J. Fish
er. OF the electrical engineers Office. as
IL 10 undoubtedly the policy OF the Com
missioners to light the roads again when
IL Is proven to them that the travel over
the roads demands IL.
An Inspectors Report.
It Is further pointed out In tho eSse-
trical engineers ONCE that the effort
was made to discontinue lights only on
roads where the travel was not great
On one OF the roads. II was said By
Commissioner Rudolph today. an inspscs-
or was posted after dark. and he saw
in three nights only four persons pass
ing. The lights on that road cost the
District 800 a year.
I'VE have endeavored to take lig0ts
away on roads In accordance with the
usage OF the road" said Commissioners
Rudolph today. "and think . study Of
the maps will show that not . single
section has been affected % that people
cannot get into an important neighbor-
hood, or TO q well travelled. Will lighted
main road by some intersyeing road
that haas HAS lssi sss sooS on f. sn. pSssS,s
that have been left without lights are
roads that seem to oe Of little value
anyhow"
Capt Markham. Assistant Engineer
Commissioner. said yesterday that some
OF the roads led to points In Maryland
that are plunged into an Egyptian dark
ness the minute the Maryland line y
reached:
''It seems uneconomical TO the commas-
sioners," he said. ito have splend1dly
lighted boulevards through a bare sec
tion and have the lights drop OK to moth
ing as soon as the state Of Maryland y
reached.
Why Lights Are Discontinued.
The thirteen naphtha lamps On Branch
avenue and the eleven naphtha lamps on
the Suitland road hate been ordered dis
continued because the Commissioners b.
lieve that any one coming into the city
via the Bowen road can get TO the city
by striking into the eastern extension Of
Pennsylvania avenue. Nayior road lights
have been ordered out because the Com
missioners believe that most travellers at
night come into that section via the Har-
rison road
The Ridge road. from which thirty-eight
lights will be taken. runs through q deep
woods, II Is explained by the electrical
inspectors who studied the situation
They claim the road fs an unfreQuented
one. has but few houses on IL. and is q
poor road for travel
to ahs for ,hs
road the Bunker Htll road and the
Queens Chapel road, end any one trav-
cling toward that nortl ern section of the
District at night. It argued. can get
The Foxhall road s characterized 1T the
District building as one which ''starts
nowhere and goes nowhere and nobody
nue. is pointed out as tghted thorough
fare which can be us instead OF Fox
hall road.
Denounced by = I. Weller.
NJ. I. Weller OF the East washinstsa
Citizens Association said today that he
thought the Commissioners' order TO put
out the lights is a 'crying shame"
The lights were put along thsse
roads," said he. after hearings before
the House committee on the District. 1t
which the Commissioners Il that time
showed the lights were needec> II they
were needed then they are needed now.
I do not accuse the present Commissioners
of any injustice at all. but / think they
have made a mistake. and II have the
chance / will try to prove II to them.
Il have been on four juries In damage
suits arising from accidents to farmers
wagons being hit on Wisconsin avenue
at night. II there are accidents with
lights what would happen without lights.
1T strikes me also that there might
be a question of food supply In this
lighting proposition. for ] don't believe
the farmers are coming I'm to town along
dark roads any more than they can
help"
Resentment Among Suburbanitea.
W. W. Price. chairman OF the central
committee of southeastern suburban
associations. said today that he knew no
action of the District Commissioners for
years that had stirred UP 50 much feel
ing among suburbanites generally as this
one cutting on close to 45O lights.
There has for years been q strong
feeling among suburban people. especially
those of the southeastern and northeastern
sections OF the District. that they have
been Disseminated against In District
affairs in favor Of the northwestern sec
tion." said Mr. Price. Personally. am
confident that this u not the intention Of
the Commissioners or Of Congress. But
ehe trouble is that the District Commis-
sioners. as q rule, follow the recon-
mendations of subordinate officials who
really know little Of conditions In the
suburbs. who make few visits 60 these
eectyone and whose oficial and personal
lives are spent strictly within the city
limits. These men are fair. but II 10
difficuit to separate their personal from
their official existence. We are eli biased
by our surroundings to Q great extent.
Consequently. when there must be re-