The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-02-09
STREET CARS.
The Builder Of The First Tram-Oar
for Street Service.
Notifications Of the Original Type
Progress Of Street.Railroeds
Tho Idea Abroad-The
Enterprises Of To-Day.
("Gath's" Letter.1

| NOVA A/OStOlsJ
"In 1884," said John Stephenson,
the veteran builder of horse cars, to
= reporter, II designed and built the
first tram-car of the first railroad for
street service In this country or
abroad. This car consisted of three
separate compartments, each COM
partment holding ten persons, and
being entered by separate doors on
the outside from a guard rail. Seats
were provided on the top of the car
for thirty or more persons. The car
was very much like the English rail-
road coach, though 1t vas set consid-
erably lower. 1t wa hauled by u
team of horses, the conductor remain
ing on the outside or the rail, rain or
shine. The company for which 1t
was built was called the New York
& Harlem road, running from Prince
street, on the Bowery, along the line
of the present Fourth avenue to
YOrkvilless and Harlem. Fourth
avenue at that time had not been
opened, but the line had been sur
veyed in 1910.
"The fare paid varied with the
distance. being sixpence, or six and
one quarter cents, from Prince street
to Fourteenth street, sixpence more
to a point where F~Orty-second street
now runs across Fourth avenue six.
pence more to YOrkville, and twenty
five cents to Harlem. These tares
were paid in the silver of the old
Spanish currency then prevalent.
In time through fare was reduced to
eighteen pence, and then to twelve,
but the road did not succeed. In 1887
after six years of construction 1t tenn.
pOrarily gave way to steam cars. In
1916, however. ii resumed working
under its charter, which had never |
been given upland which, by the
way, is the charter under which the |
present Fourth avenue hOrse-car line |
is operated. In that year, lS45, the !
cars were T., modelled nearly to their |
present style, the great feature being /!
the adoption Of end platforms and
entrances. j
mo other horse car line Was built !
till 1857. 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 1856, Philadelphia fol-
lowing in 1857, after which it spread
over the country. New Orleans IN
1861 was the first to adopt the small
car, Or, a 1t is called, the bOb-tailed
car. And I should like to say right
here that out Of the 42S horse-car
lines existing in the United States,
2@ Use the small cars only, the other
149 having the conductor cars.
I'VE casue now to the Introduction
Of the idea abroad. In 1850 George
Francis Train started a line, for
l constructed the cars, in
Birkenhead, opposite Liverpool, in
England. Popular feeling was
against the idea, however, and the
line proved a poor affair. I believe
it did not declare a dividend in
twenty years. So intense was the
popular prejudice in England that ;
The starting of a horse-car line in
London caused a riot, and the rails
torn up. MOI could an act of
be obtained until as late
1870 for the construction of other
Now lines are operated in
the American style in most of the
cities of Great Britain. our
by their combination of lightness
and comfort, having won
The day against English manufact-
urers.
In 1866 South America took up
street car enterprises on a large
scale, Brazil, Venezuela, Chilli, Peru,
Uruguay, Ecuador, Costa Rica aud
he Argentine Republic all adopting
hem. And 1t might be stated III
that our shipments to-day
ire to the remote corners of the globe
to New Zealand, Australia, Java,
Japan, the Cape of Good Hope
md Port Elizabeth In south Africa,
IS well as to Canada, FraIce Bel
rum, Portugal. Austria, Holland,
Russia, Sweden, Norway,
md England. The English cars,
or which We have large orders. are
the American cars in having
winding stairs at each end by which
reach the seats Oh the top. The
ares, too, IN an English car are SO
much u mile, as is the case on most
European lines. There are three
,ther companies constructing horse
'ars in this country, at Troy, Saint
and Philadelphia. As an in
titution the system is peculiarly
American, both in point of original
ana its Development"