Evening star., 1950-04-02
Early Washington Transportation


which carried his name. Prior 70
this Mr.. Van Derwerken built the
wagons and thus advanced tho
means for starting what later be-
came the Adams Express. In
lS4e-5o. his wites health being
bad. he sold out his factory and
removed to Washington City and
took personal control OF his line
OF omnlouSes in this city. On the
appearance OF the Streetcar SyS-
tenn. he came within two votes in
the Unrted States Senate of get
ting the franchise. afterward
obtained by the Washington e.
GEORGETOWN Railroad Co. His
omnibuSes ran from GEORGETOWN
along Bridge street from High.
where his warehouse was. thence
along PENNSYLVANIA avenue 10 the
Capitol and Navy Yard; also on
Seventh and Fourteenth streets.
In 1862 he retired from the omni-
bus business and confined his in
terest TO the streetcar lines.
A few months after the city
council had shown what it could
do in the way of regulation OF
the railroad company. attention
was turned 10 correcting the
abuses of another form of public
service. For just at that time the
change had begun which was
gradually consolidating the indi-
vidual interests of the omnibus
service.
Competition Was Reckless
A sharp competition for busi-
ness was started, which was in
tended to drive the weak to the
wall. but which also served 10
intensity the recklessnesS and dis
regard for public rights on the
part of the drivers. This form OF
business rivalry was not new. II
had been the subject of many
complaints, and also of some city,
legislation. even before 1880,
when the omnibus. then Just COM
ing into use. took the place of the
stage. At this time. as in the
early days of the city. the route
was still confined to PENNSYLVANIA
avenue. the larger number OF
omnibuses running between the
Capitol and Georgetown. and
some from the Capitol to the
Navy Yard. After the steamboat
came into use a branch line TO
the Eleventh street wharf was
added
The competition of the earlier
period was individual between the
drivers of the buses. who were
for the most part the owners
When the traffic increased, and
the ownership became more con-
centrated. the methods changed
In addition to the physical strug-
gle for the individual fare, which
resulted in fast and reckless
driving. collisions and profanity,
conditions obnoxious and danger
Gus to the public, a rate war be-
gan. Instead of levy of l2la
cents, which had been for nearly
two decades the current omnibus
rate, the fare was reduced by one
company to ga cents.
The lower rate became general.
which naturally made the strug-
gle for business more aggressive
and violent. Then the regulative
authority of the City Council was
evoked. An ordinace was enacted
prohibiting racing. and also desig-
mated stands. to put an end to the
obstruction of the streets by
drivers waiting for a paying load.
But the regulation did not regu-
late. The process of consolidation.
as it advanced and centralized the
control of the business. had that
effect. For about the year 1854
the omnibuSes had largely been
acquired by one man. The domi-
nant figure was Mr.. Van Denver
ken. who had come to the city
from New York some four years
before. At first he was associ-
ated in partnership with John E.
Reside. who had gone so far
along in the direction taken by
Mr.. Van Derwerken that he had
enough vehicles in service to desig-
nate them as the Union Line.
Just before the Civil War, he
moved from the city to Virginia
and built Falls Grove, in Alex
andria County. now Van Denver
ken. Arlington County. Va, where
he resided until his death. He
opened the large stone quarries
on his estate, on the Virginia side
of the Potomac River near the
Chain Bridge. embracing much of
the stone quarries on the Potomac
River, and from them supplied
much material for various public
and private city Improvements
and enterprises. He left a widow
and three married daughters, Mrs.
A. B. Grunwell of Georgetown.
D. c.; Mrs. T. B. Jewell of Kansas
City, Mo-. and Mrs. George E.