The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-08-15
ELECTRIC MOTORS GO.
But Unfortunately They Go
Out of Use for the
Present.
LAST RUN AT MIDNIGHT.
What The Trouble Is As Cleaned
by a "News" RepOrier-Ri-
valry Between Com
panies and Other
Things.

Tonight the electric motors on the
Montgomery street line will be taken OF
and tomorrow horses will be used alto
gether, and for time rapid transit to the
Hill will cease.
resident Thurston Of the Jersey City
and Bergen Railroad ssid this morning
that the company regretted very much
depriving the people who live on
the Hill of rapid transit to
and from their work, but the
expense Of keeping up the motor system
and horses too. was too great. The offic-
isls OF this city had refused to permit
the company to run its motors below
Varick street, although the experiment
made by the Trolley system between Var
lex street and Bergen avenue mas been
III the highest degree successful.
This rapid transit was so greatly appre-
ciated that IL took much patronage from
the belt line, for persons desiring TO reach
the lower part of the city or to 90 to New
York would transfer from the belt line TO
the MONTGOMERY street motors and
thereby save about ten minutes. Ten
minutes saved night and morning Is
twenty minutes a day, and twenty min
nj es is sufficient time for many men to
make or lose fortune in.
The motor system was placed on Mont
gomery street last fall IL was under
stood by the company and the people in
the city that IL the experiment made by
the company between Bergen avenue and
Varick street proved TO be successful, the
line would be extended to the ferry.
The company had many difficulties TO
overcome. The first was to secure sum-
cient power to force the motor and at
tached cars up the steep hill from Cor
nelson avenue to Baldwin avenue This
was successfully overcome, and then
another obstacle presented itself.
DANGERS OVERCOME.
Occasionally the electric fluid set fire to
the cars and destroyed the machinery.
This trouble was successfully combattsd.
and means were found 20 prevent it. Next
came the winter, aud with IL some severe
snowstorms. This was the most
severe test the motors were
put to. and several times the
company was compelled to take
them off and use horses. Perseverance,.
however, overcame this difficulty, and
during the last half of the winter the
motors experienced no trouble. Today
their trips are made with the regularity
OF clock work, and the withdrawal of
them, after the people have come to look
at them as a necessity. will be serious
thing.
Whea the company was thoroughly
satisfied that the 1rolly system had givea
satisfaction 10 the people, and that IL was
all that had been hoped for, the company
proceeded to lay wires to the ferry from
Varick street. The underground wires
were all laid, aud several posts erected on
which TO stretch the overhead wires
At this point Mayor Cleveland and the
Street and Water Commissioners who
were appointed by him began series OF
obstructions. Mayor Cleveland mad al
ways opposed the motors and vetoed the
original ordinance granting the COM
panY the right to run the motors. The
ordinance was passed over his veto.
From that time until today he has fre
quently expressed himself dissatisfied
with the Trolly system.
The Street and Water Board, when 1t
interposed objections said 10 have been
suggested by Mayor Cleveland, claimed
thai the company must obtain an or
dinance from iI before the company could
carry out the conditions OF the original
ordinance and run It's lines to the ferry.
President Thurston made every proper
effort he could to give the people the
rapid transit they wanted, but the street
aud Water Commissioners said NO."
and by saying this left the people look
ing backward" In other words, progress
sion has been retarded twenty years by
this action. for the people generation
ago had the same facilities for reaching
the ferry that they will have now.
IL is not believed that the com papy and
public will permit the complete Annlhl-
lation of rapid transit, and that the COM
paDy will apply to the courts for relief.
This action was taken in Newark in q
similar case with success and it is
thought that it will be repeated here.
To-Day the motors Will run on regular
time, but tomorrow people who want TO
catch boat must leave home at least fif-
teen minutes earlier. While the belt
line of cars ran under ten minutes head
way, the motors ran every five minutes.