Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1884-01-30
STREET CARS.
The Builder of the First Tram-Car
for Street Service.
Notifications OF the Original Type.
Progress Of street Raiironds---
The Idea Abroad The En-.
terprlses OF To- Way. -" :
["Gath's" Letter. !

an 1881, y said John Ster henson, the vet
eran builder of horse-cdrs, to a reporter, IL
designed and built the first tram-car OF the
first railroad for street service in this country
or abroad This car consisted of three sepa,
rate compartments, each compartment hold.
ing ten persons and being entered by
separate doors on the side from guard rail.
seats were provided on top of the car for
thirty or more persons. The car was very
much like the English railroad coach, though
It was set considerably lower. Ii was hauled
by a team Of horses, the conductor remaining
outside on the rail, rain or shine. The COM
pany for which IL 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 Yorkville
and Harlem. Fourth avenue at that time
had not been opened, but the line had been
surveyed in $50 1-. .-.,r. -
1The fare paid varied with the distance,
being sxpence, or six and one-quarter cents,
from Prince street to Fourteenth street, six
pence more to point where Forty-second
street now runs across Fourth avenue, six
pepce more TO Yorkvile, and twenty-five
cents to Harlem These fares were paid in
the silver Of the old Spanish currency then
prevalent In time thrcu IL fare was reduced
the road dit NOT succeed. In 1857, after six
years OF cuu5I0' ton, it temporarily gave
way 70 stearn-ctrs. In IS45, however, it re.
snInea working under its charter, which had
not been given up-and which, by the way, il
the charter under which the present Fourth
avenue horse, car line is operated. In thai,
year, lSsl, the cars were remodeled nearly to
their present style, the great feature being
the adoption Of end platforms and entrances.
Nc other ::cr-s.-,.;;:. .:i;c s-.z b;:h t:i 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 sys-
TEN In 1850, Philadelphia following in 1887,
after which il spread over the country. New
Orleans in 1861 was the first to adopt the
small car. or, as it is caliol, the Dob-tail car.
And should like TO say right here that out
of the AS horse-car lines now existing in the
Uniten States, $40 use the small cars only, the
remaining l49 having the conductor cars. ~
sNe CONE now u tie introduction of the
idea abroad In 1860 George Francis Train
started a line, for which | constructed tine
cars in Bukanhead. opposite Liverpool, in
Eng. AN Po ullr ferlIng was against the
idea, however, ana the line proved a poor
affair, believe it iii rot declare a divi-
ucuu III twenty years 30 lfiteISe WhS tne pup.
ular pref ICce in LnGlani at that time that the
starting of q hors car in London caused
riot, ard the rails were torn up. Nor could
an sct Cf parliament lie obtained until as late
as 1870 for The construction of other roads.
Now lines are oIer2td in the American
style in most II tIe pr.acIgal cities in Great
Britain, our cars Ly their combination Of
lightness, durability aud comfort having
won the Jay against English manufacturers.
AIN 1865 South An-rica took up street
railroad enterprises on large ale, Brazil,
Venezuela, Chill. Peru, Uruguay, Ecuador,
Costa Rica, and the Argentine Republic all
adopting them. And it may be- stated in
general that our shipments to-day are TO the
remote corners of the globe-to New Zea.
land, Australia, Java IIi,iia, Japan, the,Cape
of Good Hope ami Port Elizabeth in south
Africa, as we'll as to Canada,
France, Belgium, Portugal Austria, Hol-
land, Germany, Russia, Sweden, Nor
way 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
u the cara 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. Louis aud Phila-
dolphin. As an institution the system is pc
culiaily American, both in point Of original
conception and its development"