The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-08-09
A POSSIBILITY OF ELECTRICITY.
II Can Be Used as an Adjunct to Steam
Railways and Greatly Aid the People.

1t Can Be Used as an Adjunct to Steam
Railways and Greatly Aid the People.
Assuming the commercial success of
the use of electricity as motive power
for running street cars, it seems to us
that the time is soon coming when not
only what is called the rapid transit prcb-
lem will in this way receive a satisfac.
tory solution, but also a settlement will
be given to some of the now yexed social
problems which spring out of the conges-
ton OF population within the narrow
limits of a great city. There is clearly
no need of crowding people together in
tenement houses, provided means can
be found of giving them ample room to
live in within reasonable distance of
those places where they carry on their
daily work. At the present time very
considerable number Of those who are
employed in the workshops, stores and
offices of this city live either in the
suburban wards Of the city or in some
OF its surrounding towns; but the num-
Der of those 80 living would be greatly
increased if the country within circuit
Of ten miles OF the city hall could be
reached in a relatively short time and at
small expense.
Settlements are apt to grow up in the
immediate neighborhood Of the subur-
ban stations of our various railway lines,
and the demand for land in the vicinity
Of these is sufficiently intense to carry
the price up ndprevent those of humble
means from buying land and owning
homesteads. Between stations, or a mile
or two distant from them, there are in
most instances large quantities of land
which could be purchased at very low
prices; but the obstacle in the way Of
the purchase of land SO located by those
who are compelled to come each day to
the city to earn their living is that the
time occupied in going to and coming
from work, and the Inconvenience in
supplying daily wants, more than offset
the cheapness of the land and its desira-
bility as the place upon which to build
house and bring up a family.
Now, it seems to us that it is the fu-
ture destiny of electricity to make such
locations as these-and in quantity OF
land they are of enormous extent-read-
lily available to those who would benefit
by purchasing them. That is, it seems
to us that the time is soon coming when
the companies which own the steam rail-
road lines leading out of Boston will find
it for their benefit to construct one or
more electric street railways from each
of their suburban stations. These rail-
ways can be built out into the country
at each station, two or three miles on
o,ob eide ~ Tho frack nj rn1a tivnIy
small cost. Motive power can be sup
piled to them from central station To-
Gated at the point in Boston which would
be most convenient to the company;
while the cost of maintenance would be
practically confined to one, or at most
two, men for each car which was put in
service, with such few electricians as
might be found necessary. The COM
pany could then arrange to run these
cars in connection with its regular trains;
in short, at relatively small expense,
these companies could extend their sys-
TENS, SO far as the transportation of pas
sengers was concerned, several miles on
each side of their tracks.
The electric railroad would be simply
an extension Of the regular road. The
passenger leaving the main station at
Boston would be carried first to the
suburban station, and then, by an imme-
diately connecting electric car, to within
a short distance of his home, which
might DO two miles or more from the
suburban station, and this in short
space of time and by Communication tick
cts at low price. In this way the rail-
road companies would add immenselyto
their suburban patronage, and, by the
very immensely of this traffic, could af-
ford to do it at what would seem to be
exceedingly low prices. Any one who
will but ride through the district we have
referred to, within the circuit line Of ten
miles from Boston, going up hill and
down hill, across thousands Of acres of
unoccupied land, will quickly appreciate
the force of what we have been saying,
and the great advantage that would I'M
questionably result both to the railroads
and to their patrons by improvements of
this kind.-Boston Herald.