The Washington herald., 1921-10-14
Street Railway System
Simplified,

To the Editor. The Washington Herald:
Your recent analysis of the fnan-
cial side OF our local street rail-
ways is model journalism, indeed.
leaving nothing to be desired and
little to be said Complete and ex-
haustive as IL is, IL will be OF per-
manent value for reference and
will rank high among the pages
of local history. The wide atten-
tion IL Is attracting is even less
than its due.
Rereading IL has tempted the
writer to offer similar, II inferior.
service to your public from the en-
cheering angle. Many Washing
ton engineers would have been glad
to contract for the service rem
dered recently by Mr.. Beeler and
his corps of deserving Democrats,
imported from the shadow of Tam
many Hall as street railway ex-
perts. and a fraction of their ac-
tual cost to the District
Yet they do not deny that Beeler's
service was valuable. or that its
results are enduring. despite the
apparent lack of familiarity with
the details OF local conditions. The
permanent platforms on Four
teenth and G streets and the bar
rier now in hand at Scott Circle Of
credit for the latter belongs to
Beeler) are both monuments. like
that of Horace, enduring as brass '
In view Of the too obvious fact
that this city lies under an almost
unparalleled burden of duplicated.
roundabout useless and obstructive
trackage, the experts would seem
to have stopped too soon, unless,
indeed. some secretive undertaken,
paid as a filing clerk, has buried
an unpublished report by that COM
mission.
Most of us may recall the notable
improvement made in some traffic
conditions by laying the single
block of track which connects F
street and the Avenue on Four
teenth street and which saves the
railway company and its patrons
ten blocks and half as many min
utes on each trip each way. And
also the like results attending the
construction and operation of the
tracks on the block lying between
II street and the Avenue on Seven
teenth street Il may not be right
in recalling the dates as prior 10
the arrival of the New York ex-
perts.)
1t was at Seventeenth and the
Avenue that the best bet was
missed. At that point eastward
curves, in addition to the westward
curve and the crossings. should
have been Included in the change
of construction. And they are as
important now AS ever.
II II Is claimed that they cannot
be included until the companies are
merged. no stronger argument for
such merger can be adduced- For.
with such curves laid and operat-
ing. cars running to and from Con-
ncticut avenue could and should
be routed via Pennsylvania avenue
and Fifteenth street to connections
on New York avenue, @ or F
streets; while cars running on
Fourteenth street should not use
either New York avenue or Fiji
teenth street. but run direct to
and from the Avenue on existing
tracks. Even the Potomac Park
cars to and from U street can be
much better routed. as has. in fact,
been proposed. and as will be shown
later. without trespassing on New
York avenue.
So with a few curves, costing less
than the Beeler fees. both compa-
nies and their patrons may save.
in addition to varied benefits In
other directions. say. four minutes
on each trip each way every day
and cut out the present congestion
which frequently causes much
greater delays.
The changes proposed would in
clude the abandonment and removal
of Washington Railway and Elec-
trio Company's tracks on Four
teenth street. IL not those on II
street between Seventeenth and
Fourteenth. The latter, however.
might come into a loop II. or when.
We are ready to take leaf out
of Philadelphia's book.
Or they may be connected by q