Wichita eagle., 1886-10-24
OUR STREET RAILWAY.


! mention the fact, and TO say that the object
of his visit was to learn Of all the discoveries
and improvements in street railway nppli-
| ances and management. and that whatever
| was found that was useful and practical, es-
pecially in the way Of rapid transit,s would
| be adopted by our company.
Before the Ma jor's departure and during
his absence, there seemed TO be feeling Of
| anxiety on tho part of several enterprising
citizens for mora rapid transit Of cur street
cars. This feeling came SO near being a pub
lie sentiment that think it proper to answer
it in this public manner, especially as the
fact that Maj. Powell was in search of i'm
provenlentS was mads public through your
editorial columns
l write now to say that Maj. Powell came
home satisfied that nothing had yet been dis
covered in the way Of mechanical motors
which could be applied to the operation of
street cars in Wichita.
The only change from tha present horse
power system which would como within tie
means OF this company, or which would be
justified by any future prospects In Wichita,
would be the adoption of steam engines.
The great cost of the endless chain or cable
system which has proved successful only in
few very large cities. would prevent its adop-
ton here. The gross receipts of the Wichita
Street Car company anticipated for twenty
years to come, would not be sufi-
cient to establish the plant Of a
cable line here, and it is doubt
full if the gross receipts of our line
were devoted to this end whether it would
pay the actual cost and running expense of
the locomotive or dummy system. 1t need
hardly be stated tina. tho present track
would have to be replaced with much
heavier rail TO bear the increased weight OF
q steam engine and the further strain of il
creased spead an1 tho rocking cross motion.
Besides il al this were practicable, the one
question o. danger to life and property
would condemn the use Of steam on the
streets OF Wichita. The question OF the
rights of tho public is a serious one, and 10
individual or company will put
such rights III Jeopardy for any light reason,
not 30 hGInor the ambition OF q few
persons who are possessed with the one idea
Of rapid street transit in Wichita. TO this
class oa persons I will make the following
oiser:
viii give reward OF 5000 for any plan
or invention to propel ears on the streets Of |
Wichita which win for all reasons bo better
han the present animalpower system.
Saving OF tina, cost OF furnishing and |
operating, and safety to the public to be the
actors to DO weighed and compared to the
present system. Tho test to bo made il
Wichita at the expense Of tho party who ac-
:epts the challenge, and the decision to be
made by committee composed OF the mayor
md common council Of the city of Wichita;
be money to bo deposited with the mayor at
my time o responsible party shall give nc
ice thGt within thirty days the test VIII be
Iade.
Mr.. John Stephenson who Is called the
veteran street railroader," made many ez-
'oriments with mechanical motors
or street car Use in New York
The writer of this article had extensive busl-
,ess ira nsact tiorS wish ME. Stephenson, be-
.iaIinS a. early q, 1851, and covering .
,eriod OF - years, ans. caa bear witness that
o.. inventive skill and thorough business
ut an equal. lie was Interested IN The great
hird and Fourth avenue lines ,aid expended
arge SUES, covering & space OF 40 years in
Tsrious sciei2es TO supercede tho uso o.
lorss5 on those tfloroughface5, and h5re is
What ha sag: IAN ordinary 5ra1pwey is not
liice1it tor the use OF steam but is soon de-
troyed because OF the weight OF the motors
n addition II tie wrigglsng melton of the
ngine." ''Wo regard the question as fairly
attlad that no mechanical motor is yet in
igdt 20 take taa place OF animal power Ia
street cars"
40 this conclusion may be excepted in
art the cable syste,n, which has only devel-
ped superiority ca grades, Uhero animal
over could not bo used Tue heavy first :
o5t OF the cable system with It's complicated /
machinery subject to accident, causing de-
.ys, wido spread lncoGyeniencss and loss,
re serious drawbacks for which remedy has
OF yet been found"
England has boen fo-' fourteen vears Wig {
rousiy pushing such experiments regardless
[ cost, but with no better results. and the
'rench efforts may be summed up by the f3l-
owing quotation from q recent report: AZ
y an experience of five years end exhsu5 .
We tests of twenty one different systems, the
aris Tra,nway company has saoGudoued tie
Sc OF steau and reverted 70 horses .s
heaper and III all respects more satisfactory ,
lotivo power. Scarcely o week las
assed without some accident 10 the steam {
nes which proved costly to the company I
lst the authorities forbade the Use of steam !;
ID the railroad company was perfectly
'ill;ng to acqUiesco.'
In 1860 the second Ave. line IL r-ew Yor', Z
egan 10 experiment with steam and either :
;otors and after six years experiments re =,
lrned TO the use OF horses.
Brooklyn AMI Philadelphia have also had c
IA t~Sp af
ruggles have returned to the use Of horses.
his viii siIffice for the present Oh the sub
sct of motive power and loY 4 word per- s
,ral as 20 our little enterprise AMI the little /
,npany who has cna..,e of it and thcpecpe !,
7ho have been and ere 10 lie served by it.
When Nichita vas TOO sEiali for anybody I
no had anything elss 70 do, 70 build q street G
abroad, a company 1as formed by virtue of i
uthority granted by the people Of Wichit- :
trough It's city legislature to build and oper-
te street railroad for the term Of twenty /
&c years, and further, that tie right cf this q
orlpany so to DO should be exclusive. .
ldeed, but for this assurances that this right I
louid be exclusive tbs company never 7
-ouid have been formed. or il formed no 7
IAN could have been induced to ilves: dol 1;
II in too scheme. Upon this assurance the :,
oplps-ly was formed and tila money raised /
n.l the plant was established. This wes four !
ears ago. and sooI after vixen it was very 3,
feeble plan.n Maj. Powell, the present man
,er bou2h large share Of tie stock and sue
eedsd TO the franchise and tue management
will state here without feer Of coat-adic- 1
on. thai no msn in wichita has performed I
IL labor. mental ond p.iysical, IN the pas. q
lres years that MAJ. Powell has done, and
oubt he.her apy business man IN wichita
as spent oue-hsif tie number oE hours in Q
cts,5i work tha. Ma. Powell Eas doTe. I
Now what ccnpe1sa ton has be received :.
nd what dividends Ens tais enterprise =
aid! 4aj. poEeil put a snug little fortzile c
TO tlis property when he bougL. in, and !