Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-26
The Mission OF the Electric Car.
Boston Journa

This is such a busy world, and the
| people of Boston are so active in attend
ing to their own peculiar business, that
they have scarcely time to consider the
great changes which are taking place
almost under their eyes The growth of
Boston and its suburbs was largely slim
|. ulated by the introduction of horse rail-
roads. When Messrs. John z. Ober,
Hamilton Willis, NJ. Field Fowler,
HoratiO Harris and others took an active
interest in the Introduction of street cars,
there were many OF our best citizens who
predicted the speedy failure of the sys-
tenn. 1t took from three-quarteTs of an
hour to full sixty minutes to ride from
the old state house to the Norfolk
house, and from Scollay square to
Harvard college the same amount of
time was consumed. The steam rail-
roads, with their rapid transit facilities,
made the NewtOns and other places ten
or fifteen miles away from the Hub
practically nearer IN point of time to
State street than the outlying suburbs.
The introduction of the street cars
checked, in a measure, the rush to the
country, and in two years from the date
of their introduction all that section of
the city lying west of fremont street be-
gan to attract the attention of house,
holders, and builders could scarcely meet
the demand for houses. The coming of
the horse railroads added to the valua-
ton of Boston millions of dollars, and
they also increased population by fur
nishing accommodations. They per-
formed the same service for the Back
Bay, and Charlestown, Roxbury
and Dorchester would be al
most deserted villages had not
this mode of conveyance been introduced.
And yet in the early days of their intro
duction they were opposed. When it
was proposed to run the tracks through
BOylstOn street, the abutteFs turned out
to a man to protest. The quiet citizens
Of Harrison avenue were belligerent,
throwing snow upon the track faster than
it could be shOveled off In Charles
street the protest against laying the
track between Beacon and Cambridge
streets was so potent that it was delayed
until the same pTOtestants asked the
road built through this avenue. 1t is q
singular fact that not q business street
in Boston has been injured for trade or
has deprecated in value OH account of
the iron tracks, and proposition TO re-
move them now and abandon a route
would no doubt cause q local insuTrec-
ton
And all this is not old-time history. 1t
covers period not very remote. It Is
suggestive OF the future growth of Bos-
ton and vicinity. It is not only this, but
it is an instructive bit of local history.
1t shows that a great city never reaches
its perfect growth, but IS always prog
crossing. The mission of the electric car
can scarcely be predicted, whether we
consider the decreased expense, the COM
fort Of the citizen, the saving of time,
the enhanced value OF land away from
the business center, or the sanitary adj
vantages of q great city by removing 5000
horses from the streets. Not Il week has
passed since the storage battery first ran
through our city on its trial trips to the
present time without witnessing some i'm
proyement, some change for the better.
And thus we believe it viii continue until
the safest method OF local travelling
reaches its highest possible condition.