The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-29
THE TROLLEY SYSTEM.
NO DANGER IN TIE OVERHEAD
ELECTRIC WIRES.

| 6OSLOn 10 CamDrlQ8o on an GloCJTlC
Car-southern Cities Following in
the Lead of the Cities of the North
A New Suburban Road to be Oper-
ated by ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS for a
Double Track on Drayton Street
Talk of an Electric Road on Tybee.
Maj. A. L. Hartridge, during his visit
north this month, became quite convert
| to the plan of operating street cars by cleo
trical power, by the system of overhead
trolley wires Maj. Hartridge says he rode
distance of four miles on an electric street
railway while in Boston, going from Boston
to Cambridge. This line ia, however, from
eight to ten miles in length.
The ride is described by Maj. Hartridge
as delightful one, the car running with
ease and almost noiselessly. The car in
which he was a passenger was
an open car, much longer than the cars in
use here, and it had another car in tow,
both cars being crowded with passengers,
At point on the line where horse cars
also run over it, the horses had baked and
would not move peg. The animals were
detached from the car, and the electric car
pushed it along to the next switch and then
| proceeded on.
POPULAR IN BOSTON.
The Bostonians. Maj. Hartridge says, are
| delighted with the electric cars, as they run
more rapidly and are in reality safer than
| the horse cars. As their speed can be regu-
lated, they can be stopped within a cars
| length and by the simple turn of a crank
| can be reversed. There is not so much dan
ger of an electric car running over
| pedestrians as there is with
| car drawn by horses or mules.
| for the animals will not always
check up when wanted to, and the driver
has not only to attend to his horses but TO
his brake at the same time. With the
| electric car its movements are regulated
by the brakeman, who only needs common
intelligence to manage the car with the
crank by which the speed and direction of
the car are regulated by a simple turn OF
the wrist.
Maj. Hartridge noticed that while the
| crossings are numerous on the line of the
Boston and Cambridge road. and pedes-
TRANS and vehicles are constantly going
and coming, the electric cars were slowed
up with ease and their speed increased and
diminished at will. The line is operated by
the overhead system of trolley wires and
he can see no reason why they should be at
all dangerous, and they are not 80 consid-
cred there.
DON'T AFFECT THE WATCHES.
The question was raised by some of the
passengers who were not used to riding on
electric cars whether or not their watches
would be affected by the electricity, but
Maj. Hartridge says that he not only took
notice of his own watch, but others did the
same with their timepieces, and none were
in the least affected by magnetic influences.
Maj. Hartridge predicts that the electric
system OF motive power will be equally as
popular here, when it is adopted, as the
I uxrGfo Dc D., -
| comfort and safety will be the result Of the
change from horse power to electric power.
There seems to be an impression here that
| it is only in the south that electricity is
| used as motive power for street railways.
There are, on the contrary, comparatively
few cities in the south where the system has
been adopted, but it is rapidly coming into
| favor in progressive southern cities. In
many cities of New York, Massachusetts,
| Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Connecti-
| cut and in faP-oR California electricity is
fast taking the place Of animal power, and
| even of steam power on suburban lines.
| The schedule speed ranges from six to
| twelve miles an hour, and the overhead
| wire is used in nearly all cases, as surface
| conduction and underground conduction
| have not been found desirable. 1t is be-
| lieved by electricians that it will be many
| years before the storage battery system can
be perfected.
COST OF OPERATING ROADS.
| 1t is estimated that it costs street railways
about l u cents per passenger to operate
railway where horses or mules are used to
draw the cars, whereas by electrical power
the cost is reduced to about three-quarters
| of cent per passenger. a saving IN
favor of the modern motive power of
three-quarters of a cent per passenger,
| so that passengers Iuay be carried at 3
| cents on the electric plan and leave nearly
| as large margin of profit as the horse car
railways make charging cents per
passenger.
| 1t requires team, driver and conductor
to each car when a relay of cars is sent to
| the depots to meet excursions. whereas q
couple of electric cars, or more, can be
| coupled to a regular and sent to depots with
great saving over the present plan.
| A gentleman we'll posted predicts that be-
| fore another season there will be another
| suburban railroad to the salts, south Of the
| city, operated by electricity, so that passen-
| gers may go and come with greater comfort
than at present, avoiding the smoke and
| cinders which fill ones eyes and begrime
| the clothing by the present system Con-
venient schedules will be arranged, and it is
understood that negotiations are pending
| for rights of way for the new road. and
large blocks Of suburban lands will be
| opened to induce those who desire TO
reside out of town to build where there will
be breathing room. Matters have not yet
assumed definite shape in this direction, but
it is quite probable that they will at an early
day.
MORE ELECTRIC LINES.
| One of the new street railroad companies
proposes submitting proposition to the
city council to asphalt Drayton street, from
| Bay street to the city limits, in considera-
| ton of the right TO double-track that street
with an electric railroad. The residents
along that street who have been approached
on the subject express themselves as favor
| able to the project.
| 1t is reported that company is being
| organized 60 build an electric road on
| Tybee. The plan is TO have it run from
| Furber's to the Artillery club house.
| Youth and Beauty
Preserved by using that marvel of the age
o1lrela Oil =, Though called an oil L. .,,oro