The Washington herald., 1921-06-02

The time was" said the oldest
inhabitant. when the Z o'clock car,
leaeving the Soldiers home gate at
Fourth street northeast was operat-
ed for the sole beneht of eight of US
BrookIanders. That was when the
old lexington railway that was in
corporated in 1858, and incidentally
went into the hands OF the receiver
September FL. 1896. operated over
head trolley cars between Seventh
and New York avenue northwest
and the Soldiers home via Fourth
street and the lexington cut"
These trips" continued the FIRST
settler. were bi-daily events and
when one of the eight failed to
catch the car he became the sub
ject of conversation all the way to
the city and upon returning in the
evening we hastrned to ascertain
il any misfortune had befallen him. :"
Time Was Extended.
Subsequently the line was ex-
tended westward on G street to Fif-
teenth street northwest and an at
tempt was made to furnish motive
power by the substitution of stor-
age batteries for the overhead sys-
tenn but with little success. Due to
its scarcely settled sections and its
relatively long haul, a receivership
was appointed in 1896 and the
road operated under this receiver
ship until 1898 when the property
was returned to the company by
order of the court"
Then" said the pioneer. I'VE be-
gan to have an epidemic of mergers.
An act of congress authorized this
company to change its name to the
City and Suburban railway and &C.
quire the Maryland and Washington
and the Columbia and Washington
Railways. Which," volunteered the
oldest inhabitant, "disproves the
theory that you can't get something
for nothing. And then, just as a
little joke perhaps, congress pro-
vided that they should install an
underground system on all the city
lines. The result of this little joke
appears to be that the company
again went into the hands of the
receiver. who by this time must
nave Oh
ing with his hands out for fear of
dropping one.
system Absorbed Again.
But that is not allf the City and
Suburban railway together with the
Washington & Glen Echo line was
acquired August 8, 1899. soon after
the incorporation of the Washing
ton Traction and Electric company.
by paying sS06.2s6.1s in cash. ST.
325,o00 in its AZ per cent bonds
and s1,200,000 in capital stock for
these, a total payment Of s2.s31,-
26s.19 in cash and securities for
two roads with par value of
s1.96S.000.
Before we recovered from the
series of mergers we were known
as part of the Washington Railway
and Electric company which owns
and operates the lines that run to
Brookland today.
THE line which now runs to
Brookland was extended from New
York avenue in 1901 when Trinity
college gave part of their property
to form what is now Michigan ave.
nue.. The extension was due to the
efforts of the late Maurice Tally
and the late Senator Carter and
Senator Cummings. of Iowa, and the
first car completed the trip in Sep
tember. 1901, with Mr.. Tally as the
passenger. Trinity college was then
an institution of twenty students
as against about 400 students today.
This car line, better known as
the Brookland line. has since been
extended to that suburb, a thriving
community Of over 5000 people. The
other sources of fares are: the SOL
diers' home, Catholic university,
with student body of well over
500 the Sisters college and the
Monastery. During the rush hours
"a car leaving Monroe street is in
accessible three blocks from its
starting point and the patrons liv-
ing on North Capitol street are
sometimes Obliged to wait for five