Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1914-01-01
SHORT LINE MAY
USE NEW HEATER
Public Service Commission Makes
Second Report.
NO FAULT TO FINED.
Chairman Bruce and Member Timsnus
Make investigation.

With the approval of the Public
Service Commission the new cars Of
the Annapolis Short Line will be
heated By means Of a forced hot air
arrange ment instead cf the unsatis
factory electric heaters.
The Commission had ruled against
the use Of the heaters while lsboring
under a misapprehension of facts,
but on Monday granted their use.
The re port Of w. Cabell Bruce, gem
eral counsel 10 the Commission, and
on whose conclusion right to use the
heaters is granted. is as follows:
81 have received your commuuiea-
tion of the eth inst. transmitting to
me a copy OF formal report dated
the 9th inst, made to you by the
Chief Engineer of the Cor mission
in relation to the Peter Smith hot air
forced ventilation system proposed
to be used by the Maryland Electric
Railways Company in connection
with twelve new steel cars which are
now being constructed for it.
1.-The conclusion l reached with
respect to the application of Section
25S of Article p of the Public Gen.
eral Laws of Maryland to the heating
system in question in my communi-
cation TO the secretary Of the Com
mission of the 18th insC. were based
entire ly upon the statement in the
communication of the secretary TO
me, namely: This device necessi-
tates the use of what IL TO all intents
and purposes a coal-burning stove
located in the car TO be heated.
"The formal re port of the Chief
Engineer and the facts and views
impaired to me orally by the chair
other members, Mr.. Timanus, put an
entirely different face upon the mat
ter. AS unders tand it, the chair
man and Mr.. Timanus are both salts
fed after actual inspection, as well
as after reading the report of the
Chief Engineer, that the proposed
heater is, to say nothing of the steel
construction of the cars themselves,
so completely insulated by virtue OF
its own structural character as well
as BY virtue of the asbestos Lined
cabinet by which it is shut off from
the interior of the cars, as to lead
the chairman and Mr.. Timsuus to be-
lieve that even if one of the cars
was inverted or was struck sidewise
in a collision, ignition caused by the
heater would be practically impossi
BILE.
"Such cars and such heaters are
manifestly different from those
which lead the Legislature to declare
that 1T shall net be lawful for any
steam railroad doing business in this
State TO heat its passenger cars by
any stove or furnace kept inside of
the car or suspended therefrom'
Thoroughly insulated as the heater in
question appears to be, it seems to
me that il cannot fairly be asserted
to be a stove or furnace kept inside
of the car in the sense of the physi-
cal condition and the mischief that
the General Assembly had in mind.
"fn reaching this opinion have,
of course. not been unmindful Of the
fact that in the case of cars propelle
as those of the Maryland Electric
Railway Company will be, there is
no steam heat with which the cars
could be heated and that to heat them
by electricity would involve the use
of electric wiring which would be
almost if not quite as dangerous as
stoves or furnaces kept inside of the
car or suspe nded thereffom.