, 1875-11-07
What the City Railway Company
Has Been Doing the
Past Year.
The Wabash Avenue Line Our Greatest
Internal Improvement Since
the Great Fire.
4 Description OF the Magnificent Cars
Being Placed on the Avenue.
The Handsomest Cars Ever Run On kny
Street in the World

In no respect is the prosperity Of Chicag
more clearly shown than in the remarkable I'm
provements during the past year Of the Cit
Railway Company IN the extension OF the tracks
the construction Of new and elegant cars, an
the provislon OF facilities for comfortable travel
which the patrons OF street-car lines do no
often enjoy. Since the rebuilding after tn
great fire no one thing has contributed more t.
the growth OF the South Division than the re
paving Of Wabash avenue and the placing o
street-cars on that great thoroughfare. On thl
account, aud in order to lay before the readers
Of TIE TRIBUNE q statement Of the wosl
that has been accomplished in this direo
tion dnfing the past few months, q repre-
sentative Of thus paper yesterday paid q yisi
TO the general Offices the stables, and the con
etruction shops recently erected by the Company
Very few people have correct understanding
Of tbs
LARGE AMOUNT OF CAPITAL EMPLOYED
in this single branch Of our intramural transit
system, or what extensive and never-endine
outlays arc necessary in order to keep the
various lines in good condition for use. anu, We
might add, what continual drain there ia upon
the Inventive faculties OF the onlcors that tbs
public may be served to their satisfaction and
with profit. This is especially onerons in the
case Of the City Railway Company of Chicago,
for there probably cannot be found street cal
company anywhere which has to eerye
PEOPLE SO DIVERSE
in their habits and conditions Of hfs ia
City Railway Company. One hne
passes through the N ost aristocratic portion Of
Chicago, over streets walled IN with palaces OF
marble and brick, where wealth is the rule aud
moderate competence the only exception. an
other line reaches tue most ,denseIy populated
t,n faf&p
and the rough element Between these extremes
there ia section inhabited by people in mode
rate circumstances. and here, too the City Rail
way Company has one Of its lines. The reaier
may well imagine that to conserve the interests
and accommodate each of these Classes is no
easy task for the officers Of the Company. Il
their patrons were all Of one c1ass, there would
be no difficulty. If all were OF the wealthy or
midule classes, one kind Of cars aud conductors
would answer for al. Or. if only labor1ng peo-
Pie had to be accommodated, there would be no
difficulty.
TIE ASNoYANCEs WHICH THE COMPANY HAS HAD
TO OVERCOME
will be readily understood aud appreciated by oil
who have been accustomed to ride on the South
Side cars prior to the opening Of the Wabash
avenue line. Ladies' can testify to the ruin OF
their elegant dresses by contact With the un-
cleanly attire Of careless packiug-house em-
ployes, and many gentlemen will remember hav-
ing to submit to- insults from Intoxicated
These couficts between the classes were una
voidable, and although the Company sought by
the style Of the cars and running them
oftener TO obViate the difficulty, it never fully
until the Wabash ayenue Ine waa
opened.
The City Railway Company Was the
FIRST TO 1Ax DOWN TRACK IN THE STREETS or
CHICAGO.
There ara many people living in Chicago now
who can remember with what ordinations OF
JOY tho inhabitants Of the more southeriY For
tlon OF the South Division nailed the conssruo-
tion OF the line down State street to Twenty
second street. We do not design to follow the
Of the various lines Of this COM
pauy year by year as they we're laid down, but
we will say that the Company has ever been on
The alert to accommodate the people OF the
5onth Division, and whenever there has been q
demand for new line, as IN the case Of Wabash ]
avenue, or Tor the extension OF an existing line,
he Company has always been ready to meet it. |
Tue Cottage Grove, Indiana avenue, State
,treet, aud Archer avenue inea are longer than |
he lines Of either Of the other railway COM
oanies. They extend south from Lake street q |
Instance Of from ~ to miles, which gives the |
longer ride for his nickel than he |
:au ge3 On any other strees-car line in this t
country.
THE OPENING OF TEE wABAsH AVENUE LINE t
Eas 10 compliance with the general demand from
he people residing Oh that tho1ougnfare, and On !
he ine avenues to the eastward. The task Of I
'ullding and eQuipplng miles Of double track is
10 Ordinary one. It calls Tor an enormous out /
~ Of capital. Realizing that this line would be
by the very best people OF Chicago,
70 expense was spared to make it worthy OF [
heir patronage, and, IN order tAat the public |
night be accommodated, cars we're run imme-
lately, aud have continued to run ever since,
Notwithstanding the repaving Of the avenue
as occasioned much additional annoyance aud
xpense. Now that the 1epaying is nearly or
ulto complete, there ia smooth unbroken line
miles over the finest avenue in the world.
PASSENGERS BY THIS LINE
annot have failed to n0tice the elegance OF the
a1s which have been put upon it. Their equal
lnuos be seen i'll Chicago, and it is doubtful il
treetr CARS Of superior construction can be found
aywhere. They are twenty In number, and
ere built by j. II. Jones l. Co., Of West Troy,
T., and John Stephenson l. Co., Of Now York.
no say they are the hnest ever turned ont of
leir shors. 4 ,iady may enter them without
AT Of aoiting her gaFmeuts, for they are kept !
clean. The upholstery is equal to
lst Of the Pullman palace car, the only differ
ICE beng that q street-car does not afford as
'od an opportunity for ornamentatiop. and may
1ass Snowy ou that account. The inside 1s |
,ished in black walnut and ash, and trimmed
"a nickel platiug. Each car Is provided With |
4 RECENT INVENTION,
lich sheds abundance Of light On the interior. |
1e cars hare the ordinary head and end lights
sides. Passengers cau read their newspapers On |
ese cars after dark as easily Us they could in | .
cir own library at home. The lantern domes
at come $500 each-an important item. Another |
postaot purpose which they serve is to RESIST
Dple On the street to tell the street car runs ]
The lantern dome from the outside ia an i
animated sign. The extra finish on the GERS .
Ii cost fully $500, making the cost Of each ca, {
mptete about 81 500. We must not forget to f
,ntion that each car is provided with the Hlelev
1ning gear attachment, which sltnost entirely | t
es away with the jolt aud jar generally Incl /
Ut to street-car travel. t
The Wabash avenue line ia largely patronized c
the very best class Of iadies Of Chicago. In c
t these CARS are the fashionable vehicles Of
rel Of the South Division. J
N DAYS FAST i
avenue bus #as considered the only proper ]
ans Of cheap tranBlt By the denizeus OF the b
,nues to aud from the business portion of the c
:. There MAS more secusion in them, it was
uRht, and iess danger Of contact with the
gh element. Now all this ia changed. The ?
bash cars are more elegantly finished, more | tt
and freer from contact with roughs
n the 'buses ever were. We 1eed not mention t.
greater security Of the car. Runaway 'buses | c,
intoxlcated drivers were features peculiar to ir
bus SYSTEM N
he opening Of the avenue street-car-travel, Il,
the elegant manner in which it has been I q
tipped By the City Railway Company, is Of &c
1t benefit to the real estAte interests Of the