Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-31
Street HALLWAY Motors.

The American Street Railway Associa-
ton was in session at st. Louis during
| the past week, and motive power was one
| Of the most important subjects discussed.
! OF course no definite action was taken,
| but from the drift of the discussion it
seemed to be the opinion of nearly all the
delegates that only animal power can be
| economically used in the smaller cities.
The cable system was largely favored
for the larger cities, but the opinion was
general that it could not be employed
| proftably on line which cannot depend
on five thousand passengers per day. The
cost OF the plant of machinery and
of constructing and equlpping the
! lines, as we'll as the necessity for
the employment of skilled labor, it was
conceded, placed the cable system beyond
the reach of places of less than 100, 900 in
habitants, and in large cities, it was
agreed, the cable roads were only practi-
cable on the more important lines. The
cables are highly priced for steep grades.
The report of the committee stated that
the cable system was by no means a new
thing, as the engineers of the Liverpool
and Manchester railroad reported in favor
of cable propulsion as long ago as 1881.
What should probably have been the
most interesting part OF the discussion
was gone over in rather short Order-viz.,
the electric motors. 1t was the opinion
of nearly every delegate that electricity
as motive power is too expensive, while
some asserted rather dogmatically that it
was impracticable. 1t was agreed, how
ever, that the cost Of the system placed it
out of the question.
In the light OF recent successful expe-
riments in Baltimore and other cities, II
the reports on these experiments are TO be
believed, the views of the association on
electric motors appear to be rather re-
markable. 1t is claimed by the advocates
Of the electric system that it is much
cheaper than either the cable system or
animal power.
Perhaps the electric people claim too
much for their machines. but whether
they do or not they may as well take
notice that they will encounter pretty
solid opposition to the introduction OF
their system. The opposition will dis
|
demonstrated beyond doubt that the sys-
tenn is both practicable and economical.
The troublesome broken rice question
was settled yesterday by decision Of the
Secretary OF the Treasury. As the de-
cisiOn was the result OF compromise
between the rice growers and the brewers
it is probably not wholly satisfactory to
| either party in interest. As neither the
rice growers nor the brewers have much
reason to expect that all they claim
/ will be granted, the decision, doubt.
less, will be accepted for the
| present at least The rice growers have
| been the gamers by the controversy, how
ever, because a grade Of broken rice that,
under Collector Hedden's ruling, was ad-
united nj duty OF 20 per cent. ad
yalorcm, and which had damaging in
tluence ON the rice market, viii now nave
TO pay the same duty as whole rioe, viz,
2},c. per pound.
Hayes private secretary says that Gen.
Grant told him in 1879 that ''it Mr.. Tilden
had undertaken to come down TO Wash.
ington and be sworn In as President /
would have hung him." Probably the
only motive Hayes private secretary has
in thus besmirching Gen. Grants name Is
70 get little not riety for himself. lie
will hardly succeed es well as did Mr..
ChaUncey Depew.
New England thrift was exemplided by
"a Providence man whose wife presented
him with four little babies the other day.
Although the little strangers all died
within few hours after birth, the prac-
deal father opened a show, aud made q
snug sum by exhibiting the diminutive