Telegram-herald., 1889-06-08
STREET RAILWAYS
No city IL the World Has Better
Service Than Ours.
BOTH H0gSE-ClR AID CABLE LIAES.
Important Eieanent> in tas Grow {" 81
the stty-Larx~ Capital Invested
kzny .fands H1aplsgca-iA~
ts1sst5Bs statistics.

II s doubtful whether there = am
ether cats of IT. sze ID the Tinted
states which has bester street railway
service than Grand Rapids. Previous
70 january /. l>s8. there were several
lires operated Ia different eoiapSnies-
At that date. however, all The lines
we're consolidated, and the street Raul
uav C1mnarg, If Grand Rapids, was
organized and toak ,sl>,g ,r.on of t4e
several luv- From thai aay there has
tstll q constant gToWtl ana "a constant
uur.vemeut n the service. TINS COM
uanN non operates tNeuly-slN ml-es ot
track. and ha, about 30 employees on
t- uaE-sDll during the summer months
Wneu Ihe dummy line j. in ca. ra-
l0u. beside "a band OF fourteen pieces
which u employs 10 play at Reed :
Lake. some .dta Of the Importance ui
Ile company I us relation, - tnc Cliy
may Ire known from the following
fact,- lue company spends ai"'ul
rl4oVOu per yv4r "a the CITY, rAfcias-
Jag almo,. aI IT. supplies, except ia l.,
at Lomc. Tie company ha, trans
ported Within uue Gar about iouf and
tlrec-touuhs millions Oi pass, nee +,
II uses $50 hor,,> and 10 cal-, and Is
total average mileage per day Is $500
Ibat IS % say. cars are drawn ustlN
about three times thc distance from
Grand Rapids to New York CITY. Dur
ug ihe past year the company spent
on it, track, and buildings ell5,So0, of
which amount 80 ,O00 VAS Tor equip
mcuts. S2o 300 on the East-slrcet
grounds and buildings, and s3o,ooO on
tine track. The horses belonging Ia the
company are led an average OF 4.235
pound, oi ground feed, > $50 pounds OF
hay, and 2.3lO pounds of oats Tie
dummy travels IN average of 300
miles per day during the summer. \
new motor for use on the dummy
line was lately ordered, and ls al-
ready IN operation. The average fare
l- les, than four cents per mllc. 10
the general manager Of the company,
Mr.. Andries Bevier, Is largely due the
improved and excellent service which
the company performs.
The Valley city street and Gable
Railway Company is Il comparatively
now, but very important cnterprIs. 70
Gen. Wm. l.. lnncs, one of the best
known citizens of Grand Rapids, iS due
the inception of the enterprise. On
March >, 1850, the articles of incOrpora-
ton OF the Valley City Gable Company
were filed, with the following incorpora-
tors: VIM. l.. inncs. David \. Atwood,
and Robert W. lnncs, OF Grand Rapids,
Wm. Phoenix, of Chicago. and Henry
l.. Lorcnz and Patrick Dowling, Of To
ledO. The first contract was let April
l., lsS3, almost precisely four years
ago. Ground was broken under this
contract, but the contract was
alterward abandoned. The com
pany WAS rcOrganized III lSS6, the
stock being transferred TO General
lnneS and others. Another reOrgani-
zatiOn took place June &, 1887, under
the present name of the Valley City
Street and Cable Railway Company
The capital stock was placed at 500 900.
with the following lncOrpOratOrs: VIM.
T.. Innes, \. W. Eggleston, VIM. Phoe-
nix and X. w. InneS. A contract for
the construction of cable railway was
awarded TO samuel i. TIbbets and 9TH
ers June 10, 1887. Afterward the Con
tinental Construction Company was
formed. Gen. lnnes sold ms interest
in November, 1857. and Mr.. Ilbbetts
and w. :. Crosby took important inter
eSts. Mr.. Phoenix also retired. Mr..
TlbbcttS ut that time became President
and General Manager. He has held the
latter Office ever since. In June, 1888
4. j. Bovine and d. 4. Blodgett
purchased large interests in the com.
pany, and Mr.. Bovine became president
of the company. The first car was
run over the LyOn-stTcct line from the
DOwcr-hOuSc ut the eastern end OF
Lyon street, To Canal street, ON the
llth of April, 1SSS, and on April Is,
following regular service was begun OF
the line. Horse cars had been running
iOr some tune previous over other lines
owned 10y the Cable Company. During
the fall of 1888 the line was extended
on Canal street To Bridge street, up
Bridge street to Ottawa. and on Ottawa
and Iona To Leonard street. Oh
March :, last, regular service com
mcnccd over the entire line from tn,
pOwcr-houSe on Lyon street 10 Leonard
street. The cable is about five miles in
length, the length of line traycrscd by
double tracks beng about two an one
half miles. I'm addition to this th,
company also operates about TX mile;
of horsc-car lines.
/ III power -lOU~t l. rNlillltI WIFI
boilers winch are capable of developing
40 horsepower, The engines which
are now in use. have a capacity of 20f
horsepower, hut another new and i'm.
proved engine, capable of sustaining
25o horsepower additional, * now in
transit to the company from the East
Thirteen cars are used ON the cabl,
line, and eight ON the horse-car line
About sixty men ana about fifty
horses are employed. SIX trains arr
run daily on the cable line from q q. m
ull II p. IA. These cars make the
round trip iu fortv-tRo minutes, 81
that a tram passes gwen point lu
either direction once ~ every seven
minutes.
The business of the company ha.
CROWN steadily since the first regular
service began. and with thc extension.
winch are to be- soon. and the valuable
service rendered. the Valley city ~trec'
and Cable Railway Company bears a
very important relation to the CITY.
Development.