Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-02
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Half a century ago the residents Of
washington were displaying q keen in
terest in dis
B. & o. Railroad pute between the
VS.. P1llman Co. P PsiiV and the
Pullman company over the validity OF
patents, which finally developed in a
lawsuit In its issue OF OCTOBER 29'
1880, The Star makes the following edl-
tortal comment on the case:
GAS a rule the public does not con-
Germ itself much with lawsuits between
corporations, but it has q considerable
interest in the litigation now pending
between the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
and the Pullman Palace Car co. touch
ing the validity of the patents claimed
by the latter. In one way ana anotner
the Pullman company has managed to
monopolize about every improvement
that contributes to the comfort of mod
ern railway passengers, and, as Is usual
in such cases, 1t has made them pay
extortionate rates for such accommo-
dations as it afforded, and with which
travellers could not very well dispense.
If 1t shall now be shown, as 1t probably
will be. that the most of its claims can
not be sustained and that every railway
company has the right to build and put
upon its line substantially such cars as
it pleases, q great point will be gained.
At least the excuse of royalty to be paid
can no longer be put forth for charging
as much for a mere sleeping berth for
a single night as will pay for comfort
able lodgings and full board In Q re-
spectacle hotel for "a hours"
X
Last week we gave the admirable
report of Lieut.. Hoxie to Engineer Com
missioner Twining,"
Report on Street says an editorial in
Improvements. Der 80, 1880, upon
the drainage and sewerage of the Dis
trict, and today present the like valu-
able report Of Lieut.. Greene upon the
surface operations of the District En-
cheering Department, the work upon
the streets, roads, parking, etc. Both
at home and abroad Lieut.. Greene has
established high reputation for ability
by his lately published books upon the
Russian army, and the present report Is
well calculated to sustain that reputa-
ton. He explains clearly all about the
different pavements in use here, how
they are made, and which OF them in
the light of experience have proved
suitable for the conditions OF wear and
climate in Washington. The onerouS
nature of the burden Of taxation upon
the people of Washington In conse-
quence OF the very small population and
small revenue to the amount of the
streets to be kept up is shown. Thus
the city has 164 miles Of streets i'm
proved or partially improved in an area
Of nine and one-half square miles, and
for q population of 100000, whose total
revenues, including that contributed by
the General Government, amount only to
$3,280, 900 per annum. There are in
Washington A miles of smooth surface
pavement, considerably more than ex-
lists on the roadways of all other cities
in the world taken together. The large
amount of excellent work. economically
done upon the streets and roads OF the
District, Is certainly creditable to the
Board of Commissioners, and especially
to Maj. Twining's Engineer Department.
lone of the excellent recommends
lions by Lieut. Greene Is that in regard
to compelling the telegraph companies
to remove all their unsightly poles and
to cause their wires to be laid under
ground There are now no less than
1926 of these clumsy poles in Washing
ton, and the evil from them and the
myriad wires strung upon them Is
already great and will increase vastly in
a few years when the immense number
of young trees on our streets have at
tanned such a height that the wires
cannot with safety be placed on poles
above them. 1t is shown conclusively
that there is no difficulty whatever in
laying the wires under ground. The
use of underground telegraph lines Is
quite general in Europe. No telegraph
pole is to be seen in London. Paris and
other great cities, and there are today
more than a thousand miles of under
ground lines In successful operation in
Europe The expense Is somewhat
greater than in the system of carrying
the wires on poles, but, as justly stated
by Lieut.. Greene, no question of cost
ought to allow the streets and trees 70
be sacrificed to the telegraph lines"