Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-07-22


tor the intelligent compositor quoted the
last word as buzzard, which makes vast
difference in the meaning
THE STREET RAILWAY.
.ur. Lo,cry GETS B0cit on the Ti{bune-1in
ErplnnntisM Which Ecploins-Ihe Tenn
pestil a Teapot.
To the Editor of the Daily Globe
Being somewhat interested in the Mime
apolis street railway Co, and an officer of
same, / ask the privilege of saying few
words through your columns regarding the
various objections raised, and therein ad-
vanced, relating to extension of trace, and
the Feasibility of single or double track on
the bridge on the east channel of the Missis-
sippi river. Since the Inauguration of the
system of street railway in Minneapolis l
have been III various capacities Connected
with the scheme, and have with others of our
company taken great interest in introducing
such a system as would best accommodate
our whole city. AT the time the enterprise
was started it was thought to be wild
scheme, and only inaugurated for the pur-
pose of real estate speculation. We have,
Notwithstanding the above prophesy, endeay-
ored to accommodate the public, and at
some portions of the road at great incon-
venience to the company. When
the old suspension bridge was removed
we. at great expense and inconvenience,
carried the passengers from east to west
side and return, by st'ge, across the ice.
When the bridge across the east channel
was closed we took up both our tracks and
built on the temporary bridge to accommo-
date the travelling public between the two
divisions. When the old and narrow
bridges were iii use the city compelled us to
lay tho tracks across them, and the theory
was not teen advanced that "the travel was
not sufficient to require two tracks" But
now that the new bridge is almost com
pleted petition is presented to the city
council to require us TO lay one track in the
centre of the bridge, and also designating
where we shall put the frog on or near
Suspension bridge. And the editor of the
Eoeutng 1ribune feels called upon to make
it the subject of two leading editorials
in which he fully demonstrated to any one
of common sense that he don't know how to
run street railway. In one article he says:
"But that it should be allowed to cucumber
these crowded bridges with double tracks,
when these are the only places along its
whole line where double tracks are laid, VIC
regard as an outrage" etc, and tic sd9tO1.
knOeos this to be FUSS Washington avenue
for a considerable portion has had double
track almost since the road was built. There
has also been a double track Except when
the bridges wero out OF, repairs or taken
down from Washington avenue on Henno-
pin avenue to and across University avenue
on the East side. He further says that ''the
only motive Of tho company that
we can comprehend for wish
ing to taugle up the stone
arch bridge, as the suspension bridge has
been tangled up by railway tracks, is that
they may pre- empt their right To do go, and
secure at the present time what they will
probably not desire 10 utilize for several
coming generations" And in an other arti-
Gle he says ''the people Of the East division
who almost exclusively use the bridge. are
opposed to the double track. He must GER
tainly think the population OF the east side
greatly increased since his removal thereto
[ had supposed the west as we'll as the east
side could use the bridges. But it is useless
to quote more from articles that have only
prejudice for their mort. I here is no city
of importance III the United States in which
there is street railroad properly maintained
where they permit a single track on
bridge of any length. 1t has been tried in
manded change. And i'll Wow of our con
templated changes in the street railway il
will be but a short time are We will need fol
the accommodation of the public double
track on all our lines. We propose to have
the best and most complete system of street
railway i'll Minneapolis of any city in the
Uni.ed States not exceeding 10000
inhabitants. The company have been sub
jected to enough changes and if the city O.
Minneapolis or the editor Of the E. T. de sire
to test the experiment of a single track OF
the bridge let them pay the expense of tn
change when required. In crossing bridge
we take it like the boy who took the itch SD,
sitting next to it, One team is not allowed
to pass another but must ''foloy
quietly in the wake" and hence Oh
Crowded bridge" it Is necesstt
for double track. But objections of thi
kind are not confined to the bridge ques
ton. Whenever it is thought desir able t
put in new street railway track, thos
along the line, with few exceptions, begin t.
demonstrate. They spend much time in try
ing to convince the company that they cal
run cheaper on the street next to the on
proposed. They feel like the boy who wa
asked where he would rather have boil, an
he replied at once, son another boy Is nose.
ana one prominent gentleman was nearQ
exclaim that he would prefer ''to have frs
class house of prostitution opposite hi
house than a street railway track past hi
door," don't stop to criticize the gentle
man. Livery one to their liking, as the oil
lady said when she kissed the cow" But
have written more than ! intended, and wi
say in conclusion, that we are not DESTROYS c
giving Minneapolis more st eet railway tina
the citizens want. 1t is not profitable to til
company to build these extra ines, and if
is the earnest desire of the people of tn
thriving city to curtail public improvement
Of this kind we will certainly try and accom-
,nodate them. But we would like an expires
sion from those WHO use the "poor man
carriage" and not from the editor of til
Evening Tribune, who only lives "stone
throw from the city hall.
THoMAs LowRY.
Hn,,feT