The Washington times., 1916-03-19
PER|[OUS CROSSING
AT EVANSVILLE IS
AVOIDED BY PILOTS
Wayls Over Good Roads and
Little Longer Than old
Route to Baltimore.

Hundreds OF Washington motorists
every weelt risk dangerous grade
crossing at fayetteville, Oh their way
TO Baltimore. l
Tho crossing 10 reached aftor travers-
ing tho BIadcnsburg pike. which In
many spots IL q rough road.
Tho crossing, tTaversed ut an obliaue
angle. covers fifty yards across unpro-
tsctcd steam and electric tracks. whore
IN the past many people have boon
killed.
In an effort to plot another route by
which this sradc crossing may DO
Avoided. The Times sent out a pilot car.
rcrss P@Sieh em aSSs 'S eSsods out me
Ayattsvillc grade crossing. II II over
good roads. and very little lonFer than
the old route.
The New Route.
Starting from Fifteenth street and
New York avenue. the route goes out
Vermont avenue. to Rhode Island avo
nue: east to First ktrcet and north to
MICHIGAN avenue: out MichiRan ave.
nue. to Brookland. turning to the route
OF the Brookland car tracks at Monroe
street. following Monroe 10 Tenth
street ard back into Michigan avenue
again. eliminating O grade crossin;, at
University Station.
Brnkerhill road Is reached from Mich
Chapel road. which Is used to reach A
gravel road In Hyattsville.
Down Wine avenue IIyattsvilIe for a
short distance brings the motorist onto
above the srnde crossing.
Herr are the Details Of the psthnnd-
Ing trip and COMPARISON OF the old
ana the now route. - H.
Experiences on Road.
The pathfipding trip, in q. new Pack
ard twin six, with tested bpeedometer
and odometer. driven by Samuel A.
Luttrell. gave the following experience
on the two routes:
Going out from Fifteenth street and
New York avenue, heavy traffic was
encountered to eVrmont avenue, q Of a
mile. There the road opened with little
or no traffic on this broad boulevard
&c. 70 Hnode Island avenue, except at
gesuon. This g Of a mile was made in
5000 time. a. was the distance II miles
70 First street northwest.
Ihough there are five street car lines
70 DC crossed out Rhode Island avenue,
ten twin six was held up at but one Of
them--at Seventh street.
UP First street from Rhode Island
avenue TO Michigan avenue, o Of a mile.
the,e was an open way. over fine as
pnait; ana practically no traffic. Turning
INTO Michigan avenue you take to the
road; after making . total OF 80 miles,
From the Soldiers Home gate at First
street. the route follows Michigan ave-
ns .s 20 srookand: This 10 good oiled
once the pathfinder had to turn out for
string Of dirt wagons that hoRRed the
road. and once. at Lincoln street Il was
stopped by funeral.
Follows Car Tracks.
The route leaves Michigan avenue at
monroe street in front OF Catholic Uni
Versity. following the Brookland street
ear tracks. Down Monroe street to
Tenth street northeast. and then north
70 Michigan avenue again. BY thus
following the street car. tracks a dam
Eerous grade crossing at University sta
ton. At Brokland, Is eliminated, as the
Baltimore and Ohio tracks are bridgeu
Tor the street railway line and other
trafic ct Monroe street.
Monroe and Tenth streets form the
length ana base OF q triangle OF which
Michigan avenue Is the hypotenuse.
The route via Monroe and Tenth
streets 10 perhaps tenth OF q mile
longer than the straight line out Michi-
gan avenue. but II Is infinitely SAFER.
The distance from Soldiers Home
gate to the bridge over the Baltimore
and Ohio tracks at Brookland Is ex-
actiy one mile. the odometer at this
the Bunker Hin road. This road Is
every bit as good as Michigan avenue
but you leave II after 4 of a mile to
turn into the Queens Chapel road. a
from Fifteenth street and New York
avenue to Queens Chapel road Is an
oven tive miles. ..
Fine Concrete Road.
II II g OF a mile out Queens Chapel
road to the District line. whore a fine
concrete road begins. and holds for IL
miles. where 1t abruptly ends and runs
into a narrow gravel road. This gravel
road is not good. 1t is rough in spots.
and no doubt muddy in bad weather.
There Is q stretch OF a little over a
mile or It into Wine avenue, Hyatts-
willie. From Wine avenue II 10 3 or a
mile down Spencer street to the Balti-
more Washington boulevard.
The odometer readings were 5.6 miles
To the District line; 81 miles to the end
OF the concrete road; 7.8 miles at the
end OF the gravel road at Wine street,
and 81 miles to the junction with the
Washington Baltimore boulevard, at the
bank corner, at spencer street.
There was but one bad grade on the
entire trip, and that is on the gravel
road In fayetteville, just before reach
ing Wine avenue. 1t Is, short. but
steep aud rough hill. IL could be graded
with little difficulty.
The trip In through Bladensburg over
the present boulevard to Fifteenth and
II streets Is familiar to practically all
motorists of the Capital and Baltimore.
The first thing encountered. scarcely
a Cit block below the bank, or Spencer
street, Is the dangerous double grade
crossing, which the motorist or other
driver must cross at an oblique angle.
Car Is Held Up.
The twin six was held up at this
point. as was other traffic, by a long
string OF freight cars. The crossing
10 probably one OF the longest to get
over. in distance and time that there is
In the country.
There are six tracks to cross at a
long angle. two interurban electric
tracks that are unprotected, and four
railway tracks protected only by gates
1t Ia fully fifty yards from the time
the motorist crosses the first rail until
he clears the last one. because OF the
long angle he'll must make.
It IL good road. an even two miles
In TO the District line at Bladensburs.
From Bladensburg into Fifteenth anc
II streets northeast, "a miles. II is moi
so good. The stretch along the trolley
tracks, from above Mt. Olivet Cemetery