Evening star., 1934-02-26


auxiliary equipment put on the pub
lie streets and highways by the tran
sit company In order to maintain
traffic conditions.
The situation has been such that
as rapidly as the right OF way Of
the transit company was clear OF
snow automobiles have of necessity
used the track space and have clogged
the tracks and slots to an extent
that has made transportation very
difflcult.
"A new factor In interruption has
developed due to the continued cold
and presence of ice and snow in the
form of ice freezing in the tube in
the street, causing the Ice to CONCEAL
on the conductor bars. This has re-
suited in the pillow at times striking
places where the conductivity of cur
also resulted in clogging which in
terferred with the electrical service
Tracks Kept Open.
THE company has maintained men
at every switch and has caused its
cars to run all night long over every
foot Of its right of way to insure
that the tracks and slots were kept
open. In addition to that auxiliary
buSses have been used to take pass
engers wherever cars have been
stalled TO the downtown section of
the city.
The conditions are such with re-
gard to the conductor rail that the
pn NJ 10 oh
down the slots In an effort to melt
and dslodge this heavy congealment
OF Ice.
I'VE had no cars derailed and the
suburban lines have been kept open,
but the schedules are necessarily slow.
There were no accidents reported OF
any serious kind. We have main
tanned 800 cars in service, l69 buses
including all the buses that we could
hire for which We had man-power.
We had 10 men who slept In the ga
rage all night for emergency service
in an effort to maintain service at
all costs.
Every bus was sent out equipped
with brand-new chains Every man
has co-operated in an effort to keep
our service up to 100 per cent.
intersections Cleared.
"All night long the plows have been
clearing snow from the car tracks to
the extent Of Is inches beyond our out
er rail, but due to the fact that there
was TO effort made to remove this
snow after We had pushed it away. of
course 1t has been pushed right back
on to the right f-way. Men en-
ployed by the company have been
clearing intersections all through the
night and morning, taking care OF not
only the loading platform but provid-
ing a method of getting across the
intersection for those who were walk
ing as well as those who were using
the trans"
The following statement was issued
by the District division Of the Ameri-
can Automobile Association:
1T has never been, and Is not now,
the intention Of the District OF Co.
umbia division of the American Auto
mobile Association to unduly criticise
District authorities We have always
worked with these officials in the
closest harmony.
However, it is obvious that in
the present transportation emergency
they were not caught unawares, but
failed to prepare adequately to clear
the streets with the first warning and
sign of the approaching blizzard. This
condition is all the more serious by
reason Of the large number Of un-
employed in the city and the fact that
hundreds of men employed by the
C. w. A. are idle during the storm.
Long Delay Predicted.
"The result has been that although
Sunday was a day Of light trafic. when
considerable headway could have been
made In clearing the streets of heaviest
trafflc, little was done. This means
that it may be days before the move
ment of trafnc will be anywhere near
approaching normal conditions.
While the blizzard is perhaps one
Of the worst that has struck the Ma
tional Capital in 20 years, and this
may serve as an excuse for the snow
packed streets in the outlying sections,
no excuse can be offered for condi-
tions in downtown Washington. They
offer convincing proof that somewhere
in our city government those in eu-
thority failed to prepare for an emer-
gency with regard to which they had
ample warning"
The city refuse divisions force of
men, which normally handles snow
removal, was swamped with work early
in the day, and after a conference
of engineer department heads with
Engineer Commissioner John C. Got
walls, it was decided to add 100 per
diem employees Of the Water Depart
ment, an equal number from the
sewer department and 800 from the
highway division. These. togeth-
er with the original force of $40
from the refuse division, placed an
army of $40 District employees in the
field against the snow.
50 Trucks Used.
In addition there were so trucks.
most Of them equipped with snow
plows; three snow leaders and two
rotary plows. The snow was being
downtown district and along main
Travelled arteries and dumped down
sewers.
The large amount of snow removal
has depleted the funds and District
officials were planning to ask for s60,-
900 to S75,00o In the form Of q supple
mental estimate to be sent to the
Bureau of the Budget. and at the
same time had arranged a conference
with Relief Administrator Hopkins In
an effort to obtain an allotment of
c. w. A. funds for snow removal. So
far, Hopkins has never allowed c.
w. A. funds to be used for this work.