The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-02-03
new TROLLEY LINE
MUST BUY POWER
Richmond and IIciirico Refused
Permission to String It's
Own Wires.
COST WILL BE ARBITRATED
Street Committee Decid S
Against Multiplicity Of Over
head Wires.

|
! torncyS for the Richmond and IIcnrico
| Railway Company and the Virginia
Railway and Power Company. the
| Council Committee on Streets last
night rejected the application OF the
former to string It's own trolley wires
on Broad and other streets where
the tracks will be used jointly. a
statement from President Northrop to
the effect that the old company would
agree to arbitratc the compensa ton to
| be paid for power at the same time
and in the same manner as the pro-
posed arbitration for the use Of tracks.
poles and cross-arms, was made a mat
ter OF record.
Samuel l. Kelley and c. ". Meredith
appeared for the Richmond and Hen
rico. the old company being represented
by a. b. Guigon and President North
rop. Several witnesses were put on by
Mr.. Kelley to show that 1t was prac-
ticable to string two trolley wires side.
by side so that each company might
operate its ears by its own power
Strength of Poles.
Il. ". Scarboro was first examined.
lie testified that the eighteen poles on
Marshall Street between Twenty .lrst
poles on Denny street between VIII
| liamsburE Avenue and Fifth Street,
Fulton and the fourteen poles on Will
liamsburg Avenue Fulton. were OF
suiiicient strength to hold double
overhead construction, but gave 1t as
| his opinion that the cross arms for
the seventeen centre poles OH Broad
street between Fifth and Eleventh
were too weak to carry the weight
they now bear. There was no specia1
engineering difficulty. he thought, in
tightening the supports to carry
he added load
He admitted on cross examination
,{ra oJ, Il, 4.
wires at curves and crossings. Mr..
Scarocro was not ia mliar with tho
weight Of the insulation. and said he
had had little experience In overhead
constructions
he knew OF some cities where the
tracks OF one company were used by
the cars OF another, but of no instance
where each company had its own
overhead equipment
Engineer TrnffOrd rcstffcs.
T. W. Traford testified that he was
the consulting engineer for tho Rich
mond and Hcnrico Railway Company.
and that its plans had been prcnared
under his supervision. He saw no
special electrical objection TO the dun
iicate system. similar to that used
years ago in Richmond, when there
We're two companies. He had been en-
gineer for the Richmond Passenger
ana Power Company, he said. when the
ioStiCH company put
duplicate trolley wires on certain
streets. and later was engineer for tbe
consolidated company and removed the
extra Wire He thought that 1t did
not greatly increase the hazard
cross examined. he admitted that It
was the city's policy to bury wires un-
foreground as much as possible hut
said that from his observatio i, a.
making poor progress; that some COM
panies had been required to go ,,nder-
GROUND. while by special ordinance the
ola Traction Company had been al
lowed to maintain It's feed wires over
iieao IN Broad Street Overhead wires
were also allowed in the underrround
district for arc lights
Not His Business
Why didn't you notify the commit
Tee OF these matters?' asked Mr. For.
gusson.
II didn't consider it my business ;"
was the answer. He knew OF no tech
nicai or physical objections to the
&c troiiey, but thought there might
DC legal or financial objections.
| CITY Electrician Thompson said #
was the policy Of the city 10 bury
wires except trolley wires, and that
overhead wires should be eliminated az
| lar cs possible. He did not recall
thcre having been any trouble when the
duplicate system was used, except by
! nc coiio uctorS stealing current many
or them not knowing which wire be-
| ionsed TO their company
City Engineer Boiling said that all
overhead construction should be re.
duced to the minimum: that there was
certainly more liability of trouble from
Two overhead trolley systems than one
and that duplicate overhead system
| was unsisht1y.
Mr' Kelley argued the case for his
company. taking the ground that It wa
ne" to the field and should be encour-
aged; that 1t was question: able whether
lis outlay would return anything for
many years. and that the curve con
struction objected 10 would be ncccs-
sary In any event. lie said thar the
franchise provided for arbitration as
to joint use Of tracks. but said nothing
as to current, and feared that Tho olG
| company would interpose objections
which would delay operation Of the
| lines.
1 Agrees to Arbftrate.
Captain Guigon, answering, asserted
that ff the matter were not ALREADY
covered. President Northrop would
agree to submit the question Of charge
Tor current to the same arbitration.
and Mr.. Northrop agreed at once Ar