The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-12
HISTORY.
A Talk with the Man Who Constructed the
First S~treet-Car.
New York Tribune.

New York Tribune.
In 1881 said John Stephenson, the veteran
builder of hOrse-cars, to a reporter, Il designed
and built the first tram-car of the first railway
for street service in this country or abroad. This
Car consisted of three separate compartments
each compartment holding ten persons and being
entered by Il separate door, on the side, from a
guard-rail. Seats were provided ON top of the
car for thirty more persons. The car was very
much like the English railway coach, though it
was set considerably lower. 1t was hauled by a
team Of horses. the conductor remaining outside
ON the rail. rain or shine. The company for
which it was built was called the New York and
Harlem road. running from Prince street, on the
Bowery, along the line of the Bowery to Four
teenth street, thence along the line of the pres
emit Fourth avenue to Yorkville and Harlem.
Fourth avenue at that time had not been opened,
but the line had been surveyed'in 1910. The fare
paid varied with the distance. being ~sixpence or
d IA cents from Prince street to Fourteenth
street. siXpence more to Il point where Forty
second street now runs across Fourth avenue,
SiXpence more to NOrkville. and % cents to Haf-
lem. These fares were paid i'll the silver of the
old Spanish currency then prevalent. In time
the through fare was reduced to eighteenpence
and then to twelve. But the road did not sue
coed. In 1887, after six years of construction, it
temporarily gave way to the steam cars. In 1915,
however. it resumed working under its charter,
which had not been given up. and which, by the
way, is the charter under which the present
FOurtl-avenue horse car line rs operated.
'In that year. 1915, the cars were remOdeled
to their present style. the great feature being
the adoption of eud platforms and entrances.
No other horse car line was built till 1852, when
at about the same time charters were granted
for the Second. Third. Sixth and Eighth avenue
lines. Outside of New York, in this country.
Boston first adopted the system in 1886, Phila-
delphia following in 1857, after which it spread
over the country. New Orleans. in 1861, was
the first to adopt the small car. or. as it is called,
the bpb-tail car. And ! should like to say lust
herr that out of the 42S horse car lines now ex-
f-t,pnr in tha IT1ito1 Statoc O-O rSo flo eVoalt
cars only, the remaining l49 having the conduc-
tor ears.
W come now to the introduction of the idea
abroad. in 1860 George Francis Train started a
line, for which | constructed the cars, in Birken-
head. opposite Liverpool, in England. Popular
feeling was against the idea, however, and the
line proved a poor affair. l believe it didn't de
clare a dividend in twenty years. SO intense
was the popular prejudice in England at that
time that Che starting of a horse car in London
caused a riot and the rails We're torn up. Nor
cOIld an act of Parliament be obtained until as
late as 1870 for the construction of other roads.
Now. lines are operated in the American style in
most Of the principal cities in Great Britain-our
cars. by their combination Of lightness, durabil-
ity and comfort. having won the day against
English manufacturers In 1866 South America
took mp street railway enterprises on a large
s~cale-Brazil. Venezuela, Chill. Peru, Uruguay.
Ecuador, Costa Rica and the ArgentineR Republic all
adopting them. And it may be stated in gen
eral that orr shipments to-day are to the remote
corners OF the globe. to New Zealand. Australia.
Java, India. Japan, the Cape of Good Hope and
Port Elizabeth in South Africa. as well AS to
Canada, France. Belgium. Portugal, Austria,
Holland. Germany, Russia, Sweden, Norway
and England. The English cars. for which we
have large orders, differ from American cars in
having winding stairs at each end by which to
reach the seats on top of the car. The fares.
too, in an English car are so much a mile, as is
the case with most of the European lines. There
are three other companies constructing horse
cars in this country, at Troy. ST. Iouis and