Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-10-15
On the Passenger RaiIways.

In Washington city new system of run,
ming cars has been inaugurated. Only one
horse cars are run, and they have no,eon-
ductors. They are u feet inches long, 4
feet 6 inches wide, z feet inches in height
Gnside), and are calculated for 16 passen-
gers each, eight on side. These ears are
said to weigh about 5000 pounds each.-
There is no rear platform, but in its place a
low step, on which people get in and out.
The front platform is exclusively for the
driver being semi-circnlar in form, and
fenced in to prevent passengers seeking an
entrance at that end. In these cars the
feature of most interest is the novel mode
of collecting the fares without the agen-
cy OF a conductor. 1t is patented
arrangement, and is said, to be in use
on the street railways of several other
American cities, and in New Orleans has
been in successful operation since 1S6l.--l
This arrangement consists of an obs,
long box, placed upright at the front of
the car, inside the door, provided with glass
windows, SO that both the driver and pas
sengers. canfsee within. 'Thepassenger. on
paying his fare, advances to the box and
inserts the money or ticket, as the case
may be, through brass-rimmed aperture
in the top of the box; the fare descends
through series of zig-zag compartments
designed to prevent the money from be-
ing extracted) to disk where it rests
The driver sees through the glass face to
the box that the fare is correct, and pulls
aspiring letting the fare fall into an iron
safe below, and the disk flies back ready for
another fare. The driver has no access to
the money or tickets in the safe, aud when
the car Is turned in at night the
accumulated fares of the day are removed
from the safe by the proper officer of the
company. Should passenger by mistake
put in larger amount than is due. it can
not be rectified by the driver, but applicaI-
tion must be made at the office. Tue box
is lit up at night by a small lamp prepared
especially for the purpose. When pas
senger enters the car should he not advance
to pay his fare the driver summons him by
a bell to walk up and settle. Should the
passenger not have the exact change (sey-
en- cents), he notifies the driver by pressing
down brass plate in the front door label
led "Change," by which pressure bell is
rung. He passes his money through the
change through the same aperture;
the brass plate flying up in each
case, afterwards, to close the aper-
ture. By this means there is no necessity
for opening the front door in cold weather,
to obtain access to the driver. The driver
is supplied with leather belt containing
five pouches. In these pouches are sealed
envelopes supplied with tickets and change
in amounts from 10 cents up to 81. Thus,
supposing passenger to desire change for
% cent note, he passes it through the
''change gate" to the driver, who returns
him sealed envelope labelled "2o cents
The passenger opens this and finds in it a
cent car ticket a 10 cent currency stamp,
and the balance Is cents) in nickels. If he
passes 10 cent stamp to the driver for
change he gets an envelope marked " 1O
cents;" containing car ticket and 3cents,
The system is the same for any amount
changed; but change is not given for an,
sum above 50. On getting his ticket and
change the passenger drops the ticket into
the box through the aperture above des-
cribed, i