The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-12-20
ASICCTSSFUL ENTERPRISE.
The Street Railway Success In San
Antonio.
Excellent Management and a Growing
Prosperous City.-.The Season
of Success,

Prosperous City...The Season
of Success
No single enterprise in our city so complete
ly illustrates its growth and its prosperity as
the street railway. In 1877 charter to
build street railway having been obtained
by number of our local capital
lists, a company was formed and stock books
opened, and the stock was readily subscribed
to the amount of $3oo, 900; franchise was
obtained from the city, and small assess
ment made upon the stock holders to pay e.
pense of organization. Nothing else was done
for some months, when some excellent good
fortune brought to our city stranger who
has since become known far and near tor his
enterprise and lberality, COL A. BelknsP
COL B. was taken in hand and lnveigled
into taking hold of the street railroad enter
prise: to the shrewd business men who had in
augrated the company, San Antonio had
very little use for Street railroad, SO they took
Beiknap 10 as it were, and turned their char
ter over to him-he took the whole trouble OH
their hands, reimbursing them the amount OF
assessment already paid IN, and IN lieu OF a
controlling interest in the stock returned TO
the leading stock holders $4,000 OF
J
to nav all assessments that might be levied.
t In June, 1873, the street car line was opened
from the San Pedro Park to the Alamo plaza;
; everybody thought Belknap badly sold; his
beautiful new cars made their trips almost
; empty for days and days; but the travel in
: creased; and in the face of loss on the hrSt
, two wears operation, the line from the Springs
: was extended to the mission store and another
f line built connecting the railroad depotS east
aud west through the city; and recently an
-, other line has been extended down South
. Flores street to Arsenal street and connecting
y with the line from the mission store, and &c
r. the government depot, having now in opera
4 ton over eight miles of road.
/ The cars are propelled by mules, and the
excellent manner in which this road Is run, 1t!
a stock, stables, car shops, ETC., has been the
: admiration of practical men from other cities
b and it is conceded that Col. BelknapS road l.
u the best in the South.
:, The building of cars is one of the industrie
e. connected with the road and the excellen
= condition in which the cars are kept is mat
l. ter of remark by every one who visits our city
:. the cars look Just as if they had come out O
st the shop.
+ The travel over the street csr lines has bee
20 very heavy during the past two years, and
If steadily increasing; as many as one hundre
id thousand passengers have been carried IN
st single month While the road has done
ia fine business it has at the same time heav
ii expense list, and every dollar of its earning
10 have been paid back again to the community
X. so that while the railroad extension has er
~ HANGED the value of property, and gone largel
81 towards enrichlng our city, it has poured bac
nj again in to the source OF our clty's trade Il
IL earnings. No enterprise for the general goo(
l. n he tv'
st has ever been allowed to pass empty-hande
u by the street car company, and by liberalit.
rT sleepless industry and good management tn
Is enterprise has headed the list of enterprises
our city; in fact, we may say 1t stands alone
IL the only venture that has been made in 0,
ia city, depending upon the pleasure of the pul
p lie for success. Oar local capitalists bui
Us houses to rent. - they remain Ian
W. lords, safely entrenched in their inves
ed ments, but where is there one of the
IL that will step forward and put his fortuAc in
an opera house or magnificent hotel Hc
h l'v KNAPP would do it to-day, if he came like
by did in 1877 to see what to invest his cal
lse tai in.
TO- But as we said in the opening of this impe
~ feet SKETCH the street car enterprise is an iu
he tration of the growth and business Of our cit
Had San Antonio remained as Belknap foul
1, II
;v vestment would not have been profitable. b
ng in 1880 San Antonio began to experience t
h,- boom which has not subsidized yet; large
Vr creaseof population, railroad bulding..west OF
he prosperous seasons-busy merchants; dema
de- for real estate, etc, was vlSlby iclt IN I
So street car enterprise that was pushed where'
it was needed until its ~ mile has grown
ne over miles Of track.
ion Col. has done everything we'll as he We
t iar along After the laying of his first track
Mt determined to use the most durable mater
as and SO secured a tract of cedar forest aAd
Xar had his road put down on cedar ties, VIII
'o'' will last lifetime. When we consider
success of this enterprise, and that its prop
:. ty has not taken anything from, but added
the wealth Of the city, we only wish
more Belknaps would drop in upon US q
take up the enterprises which our local ca
talists are still scary about, and put tn
through. We shall never be able to rec
/, struct our local capitalists, they are eitl
rt, landlords or bankers-,hey fear to venture