St. Paul daily globe., 1889-05-12
The Cable Line Extension
Only Requires a Hearty
Response by Owners.
IF the Bonus Is Raised, Cars
Will Run on the 1st Of
June, 1890.
Capitalists Seeking Invest
ments Are DESTROYS of Buy
ing St. Paul Mortgages.

street car strike has had one good effect
in opening the eyes of everybody to the
fact that the available means of loco
motion in st. Paul are far short of being
adequate. While residents in the out
skirts and owners of suburban property
had all been alive to this fact for some
time, the masses of the people had
scarcely been aware of any inadeQuacy
of transportation facilities. But the
constipation of traffic and the necessary
pedeStrianism caused by the stoppage
of the street cars brought matters to a
head and aroused the real estate board
to take action with view to the ultl-
mate provision of new, or extension OF
present transit arrangements. Atyester-
DAYS meeting the committee appointed
to Investigate the matter of transit and
to prepare comparative statistics, col
lected from other cities, handed in its
report through Charles A. Moore. This
report is in substance as follows:
"Rapid transit into our suburbs needs
to be very much improved. The Stick
nev system. which runs to lnver Grove,
a distance of seven miles for fare of
cents, is the most complete, while the
short line trains on the Milwaukee,
Manitoba. Burlington and other lines
provide partial facilities. What is
wanted most is motor lines reaching the
outskirts of the city, where wOrkingmen
can build themselves homes on land that
is cheap. and which would rapidly in
crease in value with good motor sys-
TEN to reach it. Take Reserve township
as an example. 1t is one of the prettiest
parts of the city, stretching along the
banks OF the winding Mississippi out to
Fort Smelling. 1t is very little settled
except by farmers. but would be covered
with many pretty homes if it could only
be reached in reasonable time. 1t is
all very well to promise people rapid
transit if they will go out and build, but
American people are not so fond OF
walking on promises, and the only true
way is to put transportation facilities
out there. and the people will get there
fas4 enough. The best example Of this
is seen in the Stickney system through
South st. Paul. where large town has
sprung up. through the ease with which
it is reached. The time has passed for
horse ears on long lines, and the cleo
tric system. operated by storage bat
teries on a surface road. is the one that
should be used. st. Paul is
FAR BEHIND OTHER CITIES,
which are growing much faster as re-
suit Of their improved system of rapid
transit. Two years ago, at the meeting
of the American Street Railway associ-
alton in Philadelphia, the opinion was
freely expressed that the time was fast
approaching when horses would be dis
pensed with, their place being taken by
by electric and other motors. We have
been promised the ProSSer motor for
over a year, but Mr.. Lowry controls
that for both cities. and we are not
likely to get it in Ramsey county for
some time. At recent test in
Salem, Mass, it is said to have
worked well. but some change is neces-
sary in the wheels, and Judging by the
very slow progress made in building
this motor in the past, it will take an
other six months to get it in working
order. One great trouble with our
present street car system in st. Paul is
that it is bonded for nearly S3,000.000,
the yearly interest on which is nearly
s150,000 The stockholders claim that
the system does not pay, as it will not
earn more than enough to pay interest
on the bonds. Is it any wonder? No.
No enterprise will pay that is mort
gagged for double what it cost. Cable
lines are good and expensive lines if
they can be kept running. but the least
mishap to the power house, or to the
cable, kills the entire line. Good motor
lines, equipped III first-class shape, cost
one-half what cable line does, while
sections can be run under any circum-
stances, as the entire line cannot be
killed by any slight mishap. We ought
to go right to work without delay and
inaugurate system of rapid transit
that is the best of any. Then you will
see the city grow rapidly. 1t has been
suffering for a year or so for want of
the most improved methods. While
St. Paul has not more than 36 miles of
city railroad, Kansas City has over SO
miles of cable lines, over 10 miles of
horse car lines, besides one electric
motor system. Denver has about 20
miles of cable lines, with franchises
granted for two more: also, three
motor lines, with II miles of track.
Omaha has seven different lines of
cable, motor and electric lihes. besides
over twenty miles of horse railroad.
Los Angeles has three cable lines, three
electric motor lines and two horse car
lines. San Diego has several different
lines of electric motors and horse cars.
Chattanooga, Tenn, has ten miles of
motors, three horse car lines over ten
miles long and an inclined railway to
the topE of Lookout mountain. Bir-
mingham, Ala, has two horse car lines,
each five miles long. three motor lines
over twelve miles long, each train run
over seventy-six miles of street rail-
way" This report was freely discussed,
but definite action was deferred till next
meeting. The balance of the discussion
was on
UNIFICATIoN OF VALUES.
The extension OF the cable line to
Merriam Park was the topic of discus
sion at meeting last week of property
owners in the Midway district, at which
Messrs. c. w. Hackett, n. R. Frost, r.
B. Wheeler. w. s. Morton, A. r. Bush
nell, Capt. James King, w. G. Robert
son, ]. L. Forepaugh, G. E. Dickerman,
E. G.. Handy, II. A. Campbell and
many others were present. The propo-
sitiOn of the street railway company
was discussed. and committee was ap-
pointed to communicate with each and
every man who owns a lot that would
tension and see what he will do towards
securing it. This committee consists of
W. S. Morton, Egbert G. Handy, j. l..
Forepaugh, G. W. Hackett, r. B.
Wheeler and A. R. Bushnell, who will
act as secretary. This committee has
held several meetings and appointed
subcommittees, who have collected a
complete list of the owners of every lot,
and are communicating with them upon
the subject of raising the 100000 asked
by the company. 1t is Of the utmost
importance that every property owner
do his share towards raising this money.
as, if any hold back, the extension will
not be made. The A. E. Ramsey addi-
ton, Rogers, Boulevard, Kuhl, Mer-
riam Park First, Second and Third,
Manchester View, Smelling Avenue
and Summit Avenue additions will all
be highly increased in value il the
Scheme goes through. It IS safe to say