Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-07-24
srEAM ON THE ELM GROWS Rail-

revival of it, originating either
with Madame Rumor or the company
itself .
II the Elm Grove Company can ac-
complish two things, one, to procure
an engine that will propel its cars with
out noise and smoke or interference
with ordinary travel on the pike, and
the other to furnish secure and IN
creased rate OF speed over its line at
reasonable expense it will not only re-
move all opposition to the enterprise,
but confer a great advantage upon the
people of Wheeling and its suburbs
and insure an increased profit to the
company.
We take it for granted that the COM
panv will not desire to move in themat-
ter unless first assured that these two
obiectscan be accomplished. The first
of these will be more difficult OF attain
ment. Experiments with the dummy
for street railways have not proved en-
tirely satisfactory, although We cannot
saw they have proved impractical. They
have been adopted with some degree OF
! success on some of the lines in Phila-
delphia. They We're tried in Baltimore
with less satisfaction owing to the UNI
usually steep grades and the narrOwness
Of some of tine streets, which brought
them in too close contact with the
horses. They are used also on some OF
the New York lines.
Ii would seem, therefore, TO be a SELL
evident proposition, that ii they can be
used at all on the crowded thorough
fares of a large city, they could he adopt
Ell without fear OF inconvenience or
damage to the public, on a suburban
| line of road, such as the Elm Grove.
But it is "a well known tact that horses
i'm the country, unaccustOmed to the
noise and hustle OF the city, are more
irightiul than they are when disciplined
10 all manner of noise and confusion.
The people OF Wheeling are very SEN
sitive to any interference with "the
pike" They regard it as one among
their very few iavorite drives, and guard
it well. II steam were introduced on
the Elm Grove road, the engines would
have to be an Improvement on any yet
invented, ii they did not make travel 4
little precar:ouS at sOme points on the
pike. Yet it is not absolutely ncces'
sary, We suppose, that the present
| line OF the road be maintained. In any
event radical changes would be ncccs-
sarv both in the line OF the road and in
the bel, and it might, therefore, be
found quite practical, in making such
changes, to remove it 4 safe distance
from the pike over nearly the entire
length.
The Company will, however, be very
careful to consider all the contingencies
before embarking in the enterprise, as 1t
is one inevitably involving large cost.
/ Even should they find the engine they
desire-one almost noiseless, and Tree
from any of the qualities that brighten
the horse, they will cost money. 1t will
require from twenty to thirty thousand
dollars, at the lowest estimate, to equip
the road with engines, beside the eX-
pense of readjusting the track. But we
do not mean to intimate that t"e result
would not Justify the changeif it can be
successfully accomplished. The risk is
only in a failure to make it satisfactory
AMI permanent.
The dummy for street railways is
itself an experiment rs yet. The prob
lem is not vet considered solved OF pro
viding an engine that meets all the re.
quircmcntS for a street railway. 1t is
true that the best style OF dummy
now i'm use seems 20 have many advan-
/ tascS over drawing the cars by horses
They are more speedy and have much
greater capacity, and on an extended
line OF road. like the Elm Grove, will be
less EXPENSIVE. Yet the fact that they
do not meet with general appreciation
and are adopted by only a few com
panies, indicates that they have draw
backs that to some extent offset their
advantages.
The time is not far distant, however,
when the problem will be solved. Amer
lean ingenuity will not be ioiled in an
undertaking that promises a return SC
profitable. 1t may be. even now, that
the invention is in use that will shortly
meet with universal adoption. Several
different kinds are ON trial in various
localities, with more or less success. il
may be that among these the Elm
Grove Company can discover what il
needs, or what it is willing, at least, to
put upon trial. Or it may be that the
plan OF having stationary engines could
be- successfully inaugurated on their
road. How dothcy know until they try?
sENSATIONALIsM
The Tyler Independent thinks "our
Wheeling papers are fast earning arepu'
tation for scnsationalism OF libelous
character that is anything but crcdita-
BILE
This criticism is provoked by reason