New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-23
HORSES OUT OF A JOB.
THERE WILL BE LOTS OF THEM WHEN THE
CABLE ROADS ARE FINISHED.

cars can in about year get what they want In this
city. Two Of the great street raroad companies Oh
New-York will within the next year change 10 tie
cable system, and will have large number OF cars IN
their barns for which they win have no further use
II Is common thing for the big street car companies
Of NewYork 10 get rid Of fifteen or twenty wen"orl
cars by selling them to small company NJ nan
cost or less but this viii be the first time IN the
history Of the street railway business here trat ooo
secondhand may be purchased in bunch
a large part this caston equipment Will no douoo
go to the South and the West for the ne" r'iroaus
which are always starting up in the growing young
cities of those sections. The street-car manager III
search of second hand cars will find In the stock soon
TO be placed upon the market almost everything ne
wants. from the one-horse "boo-car' "nch mas seen
MANY years Of rough service 10 the broadway Pull
MANI only recently turned ont OF the SHOP Then ucre
will be something like 200 open summer cars ior
which there has recently been an eXtrnoruihary ue
mand largely from the ambitious summer resorts "a
the North and West There will be no trouble IN
getting rid of that much Of the equipment VI "ic
core som N he offered for sale nearly onefourth are
about as GOOD rs new having been on the road only
sbort time: onehaf are in fairly good condition ana
the others are dapdated from years OF hard service
The Neoy-York street-cars the best that the
car factories are making. II takes car OF tie
strongest build TO do the heavy work required oy te
heavy lines only few years ago box-car cost
Ing 5000 was thought 10 be extravagant. but now
although the cost Of manufacturing equipment lor
sfrcetcars has been materially reduced HUNDREDS Oh
cars are 10 be seen the streets Of this city when
cost from II 900 to 81 200 each. They are larger,
better finished and stronger than the old cars ana
will give as good service after FIVE years use as on tho
day they were turned out OF the shop
The Thirdav company, which has larger
equipment than any other line in the city, and which
will be the first to change to the cable system VIII
have $50 hOrsc-cars to sell next spring VI lis
number $50 are closed cars, some OF which cost
si1OO. Then they have $50 open cars that cost from
5000 to 81 900 each. but not now In the best con-
dition. The greater part Of this stock was manu.
featured in the oOmpany's own shops Inc com
pany anticipated the change to the cable system ana
has built no in the last three years super
ntendent Robinson said to The Tribune reporter
cannot say now what we will do with our old stock
We have been so busy getting ready for the chanse
that very little thought has been given to that sub
ject. BY next March April we will have over 500
cars which will be Of no use to us. They will prob
ably be stored away temporarily in our barns until
the cable road Is in complete operation and then we
will sell them at the best prices obtainabe. l am
aware that 800 is big lot and is more than one
railroad would want IL Is probable therefore, That
We will sell them in small lots and have no doubt
that in the of six months We can find pur-
chasers for all. They viii 60 principally to the new
lines which being started almost every day in the
growing cities OF the South where they cannot afford
10 buy fstclass car"
superintendent Robinson added that the company
would in q few days let the contract for 400 cable
cars, which would cost about 81 900 each. Onehat
will and the others will be the regular
closed car Of the latest pattern and best finish This
is said to be the largest contract for cable or any
other kind Of cars which has ever been given by any
streeSrcar company in America.
The Broadway and Seventhave. company has
made no arrangement for the disposition Of its old
equipment. Henry Thompson, president Of the com
pany. said eve have given that matter no thought.
Tie cable construction is progressing rapidly as
possible and will have the cable cars In operation
Just as soon the contractors can build the road
and the car shops manufacture the but that
IS too far off for me to say what we will do with
The stock we now own. The complete equipment VIII
be retained until the cable system is in successful
operason. The Broadway line will have 900 cars to
sell. They are all of the box pattern, OF hrstclass
construction and only few not In good condition.
The company asserts that ii has been running the
best cars that are made. Some were turned out OF
the shops not long ago at cost Of 81, 200 and the
superntendent says that for all practical purposes
they are as good Inquiries have already
been received by officials of the Broadway line from
two or three companies which ready to buy part
of tho equipment providing it can be had Mt bargain
lat no one has yet offered to take the complete outfit
The slxth-ave company, which runs ninety cars,
will change to the cable system before long President
Frank Curtss said to a Tribune reporter: ave arc
waiting TO see Just how these new cable lines VIII
work and have as yet made no definite arrangements
for road"
over 1000 horses will be ont Of a JOB when the
new cable lines of New-York get TO running The
Tblrdave company has about 1880 horses In its
stables the Broadway and seventhave. company has
over / 900 and the sxth-ave company has 11OO.
They are worth all the way from 1925 TO 600 head
Probably 1000 Of these horses would find ready
sale in any market. They sound animals and six
months or years service ON the streets of NewYork
has not hurt them, and they still good for hard
work. The other thousand are good for little else
than light farm work. some work where neither
speed nor strength Is demanded. President Curtiss,
of the sixthave. line said that the horse market
would no doubt be affected by the offering for
sale of 1000 streetcar horses, but he doubted
whether it would make any material difference
Another official who has given much attention to the
purchase Of horses for streetcar work, said that 1t
would depend considerably upon the condition of the
market at the time. If there should be brisk dc
nand for hOrses-the usual condition of the market
in Ncw-York--no gut would result from the placing
on the market of 1000 head.
Superintendent Robinson, of tho Third-ave. line,
said that the 800 head Of horses With which that
few days after the cable cars are running. 1t is
trouble to sell horses IN New York sod the
200 10 800 which have Outived their usefulness as
SS carts and many Of em ' ara taken % e
COUNTRY l venture to say We win be able TO dis
IeH d9ys after they are offered for SALE
ne average life Of horses on the New-York street
Seventh-ave line. where the work is extremely
heavy and every car carries from three hundred TO
i've hundred passengers daily, three years Is about
as long as q horse can stand II. on the Third ave
Iiae where long trips are made and heavy work is
Teqned the average life of the horse is three and one
b.if wears Both Of these companies buy the best
bors-s i'm the market and have stringent rules against
the ovcrworkng of horses, but the travel Is heavy
ard competition has forced the companies to make
tbe he ID possible speed. These two companies have
fmDd therefore, that while a few years ago a horse
W. good for FIVE or six years service the changing
conditions have reduced llls to three and onshah
ycor, al he best. On the Sixthsve. line work re
Sp,nad of horses Is not 80 wearing. President Cur
lies said that the life OF their horses averaged five
YEAR II Is no trouble 10 dispose OF our WORKOUT
animals he said Nearly all the horses which VIC
sell their feet give out are good for many year,
OF satisfactory work in some other capacty. -. ~,
lines I'm this city horses driven seven years ant
IN some Instances have been known 70 DO gooC
work Tor eight nine years, but at the end OF ina
~ oood forp Othin 50 The Third ave