The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-01-26

H0QNI4
aad allowed - stand sin GOOD deal Of the
time they win Last . long vbile l assume that
this II the theory on which he line 10 managed
though hare no actual susl4orify for It
Besides these two lines the city has another
and IL regards Il - its main line. too II ron viii
believe II. II rsns from about the middle OF
town OVER to ssOid Town. about fuc miles down
b operated 81 al. which r. not Always These
motors are daisies There are three OF them and
they make half houriy trips when not more
than one OF them ID laid mp for repairs. which n
not often. when two Of them break down the
o,heagets around when il can. and the weather
IL stcrmy its trips. ike angels visits, are rare
fndeed Bad - this service h the people OF
Tacoma incline 70 give il . liberal patronage
They begin tokafher ct the termini and ~ points
along the line about the hosr when the cars
sre supposed to be due 20 move, and almost A.
wars Ind themselves ahead OF time. They are
total strangers to the sensation of hndsng them
selves late IL tina weather be
stormy they haddle under the caves Of friendly
buildings or in neigh boring stores. until il ID
evident that the crowd 10 90 large th.. the car
and motor WIN not be able 10 accommodate them
ell when II does arrive, or drag them up and
down the hills II they do ind roam to cit or
stand. and then the stronger and least patient
ones gradually gather mp their overcoass or
wascrproofs and take their h0mcward way on
els on the company rs they &C. but nothing to
what one would expect who is not used. ~ hey
are. 10 this sort Of treatment
Hope keeps the heart whole," said . rather
sober and sedate looking Tacomaite. whose
opinion asked Is to why the people endured
this sort Of thing. ..You zee we have been prom
ised frsf-class electric line and Z cable up the
hill, and we thought for . long time We were
going to get it. The company got its franchises
last spring anc promised 70 begin 70 build ct
once We were happy though we had no real
causcto be. for the town has been covered with
projected IInes from time immemorial. None of
them have ever been built, and now any old
time resident would brain you with the first
club In reach II you said projected line to him.
The company made no move 70 improve pres
cut facilities for some months after il began to
make promises. All the summer long while the
weather was pleasant il was idle aud passive.
II did absolutely nothing except TO tell an oecs-
sional credulous reporter that IL was about 10
begin at once, and would certainly have its
new and elegant electric cars running by the
first Of September. When the first of september
came it had done nothing but set few poles
for its wires. Then the opening was postponed
until the first OF October. The first of October
came and the happy day was again postponed,
and so II has been ever since. When the rainy
weather began the city government had sur
rrising awakening II concluded TO plank .
company had 10 do something. so Ii began to
lay track In patches. here and there and every
where. always beginning bat never finishing
anything. until most Of the streets along its
ronte were made utterly impossible, So they
remained for weeks and months. II we ven
tured to inquire why some part OF the track
wasn't completed and some one street opened
again. We were told that the iron hadn't come.
or the curves hadn't come, or wire couldn't be
had. or q frog was wanting. or almost anything
that might lead as to believe that 1t was not the
company's fault, bat rather that OF somebody
somewhere else, whom we didn't know or
couldn't find, and whom we might curse as
much A. We liked but couldn't hart nor hurry
mp one bit.
As New Tears day drew near we began to
hope we were 70 celebrate the beginning of 1890
with a real street car line But we didn't do it
The excuse given was that thsy had dropped q
fly wheel, belonging to some of the machinery,
and broken it Now. some of the best mill men
in town have told me that II the wheel was
theirs they would have il fixed in two days, but
the company has been pottering along with n
for month, giving out from day TO day that
they we're making Herculian efforts to get II
fixed. and finally they have announced that it
Is all right again and they are going to have it
put In place right away. But, take my word for
1t. when II 10 In place something else viii be the
matter. They will blow 1ue out OF boiler or
Ufc1k y Wlro eOWeWHofes OF ma tn8I tue1I cars
lack electrical Appliances. or the good Lord
only knows what excuse will BE- given out. The
only thing We feel sure of II that some excuse
will be- given and the cars viii not be running
The trouble seems 10 be that one company has
got ell the rights that the city can give, or
nearly all. and feels that IL 10 forever safe
from competition. Like other monopolies, there
fore, IL proposes 10 let the people be hanged for
all it caroA IL may carry this policy too far,
however. though there doesn't seem TO be any
great danger OF It. as the people are apaihctic
and the council seems to stand ready 1t any
time to do the company's bidding, whatever It
may be.
The history of the street railroad business in
Tacoma. briefly. is about this some years ago
Nelson Bennett. one of the really enterprising
citizens OF the place, got from the council the
right To build on the principal streets. He sub
sequentiy got an amended franchise permitting
him 70 run his cars by electric other motive
power. He went to work and built few miles
of track and began To run his cars with .'other
motive power" wig: the smoky. noisy, horse
soaring. runaway producing affairs tho are stiil
used. though happily nearly worn out He ia
supposed to have invested about s25 900 In the
enterprise, when the present monopoly came
along and bought him out He thought he had
made q very handsome thing of il as he got
ti2500o In cash, but the new company Is show
ing him his mistake. They Immediately go,
from tue COUNCIL Tic flEHt 70 use Hi the OEhef
snoccnpied streets, and without expending any
great sum In addition 10 the original par base
price, have already been offered and refused
3i7s Tor the stock they paid only so for. That
profit of 80 Der cent. which IL moderately fair
In the judgment OF those who still have to walk
because there II no means OF riding. No cable
has been built ap the hill aud none will be
People who live on the hill must walk. that's
all. They ought 10 have known better than To
go 60 live on the mill In the q rsf plaoa
The effect of this sort OF management of the
street railroad facilities has been to de press and
discourage business in sll lines. People have
not been able 90 set down town to do their
trading and shopping. and trsdesmen and shop.
keepers have suffered in consequence Some of
them have failed Real estate il Hat Nobody
cares Ia buy property that is not accessible to
town and mighty little If IL is accessible in the
present condition Of things. Eastern peorie
who come here 10 bay easily see what the
trouble 10 and go elsewhere. And when they 20
they never return bne other result is worthy
Of note Mr.. Mason aud q few other really en-.
teEprising citizens who have had franchise
fer = line 20 the far north end aud have bee.s
promising 10 haiia Il for a Long tine. have uoa
gcss To work ia earnest ard profgis 20 have
their cars running by OF hesore March /. They
have found that projected north end line
won't 90 any longer The other projected
itne" basiders have been laying very ssla lately.
There are several OF them. bat what they den L
say about their protected lines ,lsese DAYS would
h'i "hoae libraries TESDggFooT.
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