St. Paul daily globe., 1890-03-14
Mr.. LOWRY RETURNS
And Settles Several Points OF
Interest to the Twin
Cities.
The Council Investigating
Committee Takes a Rest
ing Spell.
An Oriental Romance in the
Municipal Court--A Doc
tor Sued.
The Business Mems Union
Votes for DireetOps--The
The Business Mems Union
Votes for Direetors--The
City.

Thomas Lowry has returned. That
is at last an assured fact. Although he
did not reach Minneapolis quite as soon
as scheduled by some over-anXlous
newspapers, he is here now, and that
should satisfy every one. According to
his usual custom, the man who Is sup
posed to hold well-secured first
mortgage on Minneapolis no sooner
reached the city where he made his
fortune than he proceeded to deny any
and all stories which have been set
at1oat concerning his plans for the tut
ure during his absence. But this is
nothing unusual, and should occasion
no surprise.
While Mr.. Lowry was in New York
the evening newspaper reporters SOld
controlling interest in the street rail-
way system to Henry Willard. Mr..
Lowry says that he has not sold a con-
trolling interest in the street railway
system, that he has not sold any street
railway stock, that he does not intend
to sell any, but that, on the contrary,
he has purchased more shares Ill the
company which he organized and mas
put upon a paying basis. lie de-
clares that it is his ambition to give to
Way system that shall be a model to all
the cities of the world, and that he Will
not cease to be manager of that system
until that ambition is satisfied. Accord
ing to his own statements MI. Lowry
comes back with renewed faith in the
application of electricity as motive
power for street ear lines, and says tlat
in two years time there will not be a
car line in the Twin Cities, other than
the Selby avenue cable line OF st. Paul,
operated by any other power than cleo
tricity.
Work will be pushed on the new cleo
tric lines in Minneapolis as soon as pos
sible. The Washington avenue and
First avenue south city lines, and the
University avenue line TO st. Paul Will
be hurried along, and Mr.. Lowry THINKS
that the city council and the people Will
be so well satisfied with the WORKINGS
of these lines that no objection to put
ting electricity into use on all the lines
in the city will be offered. He pro-
poses to make the University avenue
line feature of the electric system. he
saws thai that avenue. being broad and
free, cars will be run at higher rate or
speed than on the other lines,
and that the trains will compare
we'll in speed with the short
line trains. Taking into consideration
the delay in waiting for trains and the
travelling to and from depots, Mr..
Lowry claims that the electric cars will
make even better time than the short
line trains. Add to all this the fact
that the fare from city to city will be
only 10 cents, and the outlook for big
business on that line, he thinks, is
promising.
In regard to the proposed cross-town
lines, changes and extensions, Mr.
Lowry has, as yet, little to say. He has
not thOnght of the matter muchs but
says that changes and extensions
will De made whenever required. lie
does not think that cross-toWn
lines are needed. Nor would he speak
of the proposition to put the poles sup
porting the trolley wires in the middle
of the streets and making them support
street lights: he not having given the
matter much attention.
In regard to the rumOred dlssatlStac-
ton because the RObinSon-Moon Car
company did not get the contract for
furnishing the new cars, Mr. Lowry
said that there was no cause for such
dissatisfaction, as the contract had
never been promised to the local com
pany. The street car company, he says,
simply advertised for bids and gave the
contract to the lowest bidder.
The street car .magnate would say
little of the Meeker island project.
While he undoubtedly knows just what
Henry Willard intends to do, as he says
himself, he prefers to let that gentle
man do his own talking when he ar
rives, as expected, next week. Lowry
does not know whether the German
financier is satisfied with the amount OF
power to be secured at Meeker
island, but he is satisfied that If
the showing is at all encouraging, Will
ard will go ahead and push the dam
building as rapidly as possible. But the
operation OF the street car lines by cleo
tricity will not depend upon the devel-
opment of Meeker island. Electricity
for that purpose will be required in the
immediate future. and steam power
plant for the generation OF harnessed
lightning will be put in in each
city in the rear of the company's
offices. But while he will say little
as to what Willard intends to do. it is
certain that. Lowry looks upon the
formers enterprises with favor. He is
satisfied that, if the prospects are EN-
couraging enough to warrant the eX--
penditure of money by Willard, good
deal will be done by that gentleman to
build up the business interests OF both
st. Paul and Minneapolis.
G. G. Hartley and A. S. Chase, two of
the heaviest stockholders in the Duluth
Street Railway company, were in the
city yesterday comforting with Mr..
Lowry on street railway matters. Ev-
erything is ready for the putting of cleo
trio lines in Duluth, and the company
For, hn nIl To
grant a franchise for the erection of the
poles in the streets, about which the
two gentlemen anticipate no trouble.