The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-06-02
STREET RAILWAY.

hhlbWhIs
The proposition of Mr.. Evans, of Council
Bluffs, seems TO the FREE TRADER the
fairest and most business-like proposition
that has yet been offered the city of Ottawa
for the construction Of street railway. II
Is set out in full in the news columns.
Mr.. Evans simply asks that he and his
associates be given the right of way for
from five to ten miles of track. He asks
no release from the responsibilities his
business would place upon him; he asks
no gifts of money or lands he asks no ex.
elusive rights; he asks no relief from tax.
alton. He does ask-simply that he be
given the use of certain streets for single
track railway, with turnouts, all to be so
constructed as to protect the public using
the streets from annoyance and himself
from liability for damages, recognizing, as
he does, that If his tracks do cause damage
to vehicles using the streets, he Is himself
pecuniarily responsible therefor and that
IL Is TO his own interest to so construct his
tracks as to remove all chances for person
al loss In that respect,
He agrees to give Ottawa service of
five minute cars for not less than three.
fourths of the day, cars to be run at about
cablecar speed AS this is deemed safe in
the crowded streets of Chicago, Kansas
City, San Francisco, &c, the people of
Ottawa need feel no apprehension on that
score. On the other hand, the difference
between four to five miles an hour by
horse cars and seven and half to eight
miles by electric cars, Is thing to be de-
sired in itself, all things being equal.
No horse car line In the cities can com.
pete with the cable lines. The statement
was made on Thursday that Chicago had
two or three minute horse cars. Very
true. There is never any difficulty as to
time in finding car to go anywhere In
Chicago on horse car line. The difficulty
Chicago complains of is not lack of cars
but the speed of the car when one has
entered 1t. The State street cable has re-
duced the time from Madison street to the
city limits south by about 40 minutes; and
that Is the reason the cable WAS demanded;
that is the force that compelled Yerkes to
build the North Side cable and will force
him yet to build the West Side cable.
What the people want is to gain time. If
thu Ottawa line Is to be Of any use, 1t will
be for the same reason-to gain time, A
horse Car line will not answer, when bet
ter service can be had on the same or
better terms.
No horse car line would give Ottawa
anywhere nearly so good service as Mr..
Evans agrees to give this city. The main
tainance of horses and the greater number
of cars and men necessary to operate horse
cars would necessarily prevent The
greater speed of Mr.. Evans line and the
superior cheapness of running cars by his
system, makes better service possible at
an even less amount of gross receipts than
a horse car line would require.
1t is nonsense to talk of the possible
failure of an electric line. True, many
have failed; but the majority of readers
knew, before Mr.. Evans told them, that
such lines are a success In Scranton, Pa,
Lima, Ohio, Berlin, Prussia, and at other
places In this country. Their practicabili;
ty is no longer an open question.
Ottawa wants the best, especially when
she can have the best as easily as she can
have the poorest. The question now is
simply choice Of systems. Every read
ing man knows that horse cars are every
where being discarded as fast as quicker
and better service is possible. Ottawa
should not 90 back % years and give an
exclusive franchise to horse line when
an electric line of double or triple capaci.
ty and usefulness ia offered her on sub
stantially better terms than a horse car
line ia offered