Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-08-22
Section J-Economtes and Statistics.

commission, read the first paper on the
German carp and its introduction into the
United States. The United States fish
commission, he said, had some years ago
imported from Germany thirty or forty
pairs of this fish. They were placed in
breeding ponds in Washington and have
increased many fold, the number spawned
now breeding nearly 100000 year. Many
of the young fish have been sent to all
parts of the United States, and are rapidly
being propagated, as the carp is very fine
food fish. The carp is naturally a warm
water fish, and in the waters of the south
ern states grow with astonishing rapidity
and to great size.
They also do we'll in the cold waters of
the north. The propagation of carp has
been taken up as private speculation,
and carp are sold for breeding purposes as
high as $5 per pair. AS to the economies
of this subject, Mr.. Smiley stated that
fish culture was more and more becoming
a part of the farmers occupation, and he
was of the opinion that not very far in the
future most of the farmers of the country
would have little fish ponds in their door
yards, both as a method of obtaining food
and as an ornament to the homestead.
CABLE CARS.
Prof. E. Cox read an interesting paper
on cable cars, which is reproduced entire.
The introduction of the wire cable street
car system in San Francisco by A. S..
Halidee, marks a new era in street railway
traffic, and is destined to do away with
the horse car system. For time it was
thought that though the cable system
proved grand success in San Francisco
whore there is neither frost or snow, that,
in the rigorous climate of the cities east
of the Rocky mountains, it could not be
made to work throughout the year, on &C.
count of snow and ice accommodating in
the underground trench where the endless
cable has to run. But the experiment has
been tried on the most important street
line in Chicago, and though subjected at
the start, to one of the most inclement
winters known for years, and under an
accumulation of more than four feet of
snow, the cable cars pushed their way
through the ten miles of line without loss
of time, and kept the track clear when the
horse car lines were compelled to stop.
By the cable system a speed of fifteen
miles an hour may be had
where the street traffic is
light, and by the arrangement of drums
this rate of speed may be reduced and
regulated to the condition of a more
crowded thoroughfare, or when turning
corners, as is actually demonstrated in
Chicago.
The cable system not only insures
more speedy and agreeable means of travel
by relieving the sensitive passenger from
the annoyance of neryy and overtaxed
horses, and other nuisances. but as will be
shown, it is more economic motor.
Mr.. Moody Merrill, chairman of the
horse car railroad convention, held at
Boston last March, says: ''There
are in the United States and
Canada 415 street railways, giving
employment of about $4,000 men, $4,000
cars and 100000 horses in daily use. These
horses consume 10000 tons of hay and
Ill 900, 900 bushels of grain. Their 5000
miles of track represent an invested cap
ital of $3.50, 100000. The number of pas
sengers annually carried is 1,212,46O,OOO.
In the city of New York there are 10
miles of horse railway, and 1866 horses
are used to operate them. The horses to-
gether with their harness, expensive lands
and stables, feed and grains, make the
operating expenses by including interest,
So, 1O4, 596.79-100 per annum. The aver
age life of the street car horse in
New York is less than three years. This
terrible abuse of animal life should enlist
the public sympathy, and commend at once
system that dispenses with the use of
horses where these faithful animals are so
fearfully overworked. The present horse
railways may readily be adapted to the
cable system, without serious interference
with the travel. 1t simply requires the
making of a trench in the center of the
road in which to place the tube through
which the cable is run. That eminent au-
thority in economics in railway passenger
and freight traffic, S. F. Pierson, who
is the assistant pool COM
missioner of the trunk lines
from the Atlantic seaboard to the west,
shows from official tables that the horse
railroads of New York city, which have
cost including equipment and real estate,
tri1e less than $23,0OO.0OO carried in the
year 1881, 154,O00,O00 passengers, at
cost of SO cents for each passenger, while
if the cable system had been employed
instead of the horse cars, the cost of car
rying would have been but LAC cents for
each passenger, saving of 2.15 cents on
each passenger. A saving of two cents on
each passenger carried would amount to
$24, 249, 200 yearly, sum equal to the in
terest at 6 per cent on ($4OO,OOO, 0OO) four
hundred million dollars. Gen. w. Sewell,
United States senator of New Jersey,
practical railroad engineer and of the
management of the Pennsylvania Rail
road company. who has personally inves-
tigated tbs cable system, both in San
Francisco and Chicago, says. that within
ten years the cable system will supersede
the horse cars on every considerable street
railway line. The former system is appli-
cable to grades where it would be i'm
practical to use the latter. In San Fran
cisco the cable cars ascend steep hills $50
feet high with as much facility as moving
on level ground, the descending car COM
pensating for the strain on the cable,
made by the ascending car. Mr.. Halidie,
the inventor of the cable system
has received 100000 cash
and 100000 in preferred
shares for the use of his patents in Eng
land, and the cable cars will soon be run
ming in that country, For all portions of
the United States except the Pacific states
the patents have been purchased by
syndicate in New York, and preparations
4 J.