The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-29
CITY FREIGHT CARS.
Street Lines Now Carrying
Much Merchandise.
EASTERN CITIES CATCHING ON.
Seattle Made the First Experiment
sharp Contest Over the Innova-
ton in California.

way system, which, considering the Sszs OF the
city, is the best n the United States is brought
iatO considerable prominence. In this city the
Seattle Consolidated rail- gay. the Yesier avenue
Gable, Madison street cable, Rainier avenue
electric and West street & So-ta End all run
freight cars The West street road was the FIRST,
not only IN Seattle, but in the country, TO put
freight car with regular electrical equipment
motors such as ara in passenger cars. Before
that car was started ths Seattle Con-
ran small platform car hitche9 as trailer 20
the other cars. BE- this trailer the Consolidated
brought IN good deal Of wood from Green lake
sad Fremont The West street freight ear,
which was built IN Seattle, received good deal
Of attention from street railway men and iue
cut OF i was printed in the street RGuay Rsgtss,
OF Chicago. Us operation pays aoou. IS we'll as
thai OF any car On the line.
within the last two months the Seattle Con-
soiiGs'ed company has fitted ou: q rooied
freight ear with motors, and it carries eonsid-
erabte freight cut on the suburban lines. The
sr4Iiers OF the Rainier avenue electric an1
the Yesler avenue cable are III regular use.
The street railway papers are, Of course, very
strongly in favor Of the operation OF freight
Cars on the street lines, and bitterly attack the
express companies and private express men
who naturally oppose ordinances granting
street railway companies sueh rights. The
Chicago Street Railway Reries in its December
issue devoles mncn space 20 the subject Under
tile heading, Freight Cars Good for the City,"
it prints the following:
That is the title under which the Spokane
fNashingtonl sp0sesm0H commends the opera
ton OF freight cars on the lines OF the electric
railway IN that place, and says: "In the city OF
Seattle the street railway companies have fran
cDisss for the handling Of passenger and freight
traffic. and the Ballard road there runs special
freight cars al AL hours OF the day and night,
and handles freight between the city OF Seattle
ana Ballard In seattle this privilege has been
Oh considerable beuent 70 the commercial inter
ests Of the city, and appears to Dc thoroughly
appreciated"
there was some talk about the effect on the
draymen, but the opinion is frequently ex-
pressed that they viii not he particularly
affected. .Look al the advantages il wou ID give
the small manufacturer" SAID one gentleman.
"A factory, no matter how small II II, .oeated
upon one OF the street railwaT eompany's lines,
would be able to get ears cEeaply as its big
rival. snd it means that q little factory could
buy d piece OF ground on the suburbs of the city
and engage in business with just the same facil-
tiles as the more expensive factory located on
the lines OF the transcontinenial roads. This
seems to me TO De al argument in favor OF the
project"
Another gentleman held that it would de-
crease the price of -four. and his argument was
Cased on the cost OF dreyage.
said he: "The cost OF drayage 10 the mills of
this city today equals the sum of cents per
barrel Of -four made. This. charge is greater
tnan the charge for power and engineering
services to the mills of Tacoma aud Portland, SO
that today the mills here, although using water
power, are not able to produce -four as eheaply
as those in Seattle, Tacoma or Portland, and
solely because the cost of drayage from the track
10 the mill Is so expensive"
The company is to carry freight between the
hours OF ii p. IN. and a. As has been
earnestly maintained by the Street Rdiitrdy oe-
riee from the first, the commercial advantages
10 any city, and the revenue gain TO the COM
pany, make the street freight car problem an
interesting and inviting one and one that COM
nends itself TO every thoughtful manager.
The Street RGi!uGy Periea0 continues the dis
cussion in another article entitled: street
Freight Cars in California" The piece will De
read with interest here, not only on account OF
references 10 this city, but because the public
yet clearly remembers the agitation which re-
suited in a clause in the charter forbidding the
granting of new franchises containing permits
for street freight cars.
The Rerietc says:
An ordinance has been pending for some time
before the city council OF san Jose, Cal; the
bone OF contention TO all appearances being the
right asked by the petitioners carry freigh: on
the electric cars at night. The line in question
has secured rights 10 construct and operate
along the country roads for a considerable dis
lance from the city, passing through a thickly
settled frgit-rasing district. The plan il TO
carry passengers during the Gay and haul in the
product OF days fruit gathering during the
night for distribution and shipment TO San
Francisco and the East-ths now being the GUS
tom OF hauling at night the fruit gathered during
farm products are hauled ST night in that coun-
try, IN wagon trains frequently COMPOSED of as
many As three sixteen-toot wagons. drawn bv
from SIX 10 eight horses, and the entire outfit
occupying seyenty-tive feet more OF street.
he freight car would do away with the street
oloeSades which constantly occur when large
number OF these wagon trains enter town at the
same time. Oae OF the daily papers is greatly
exercised and thoughtfully refers TO those in
iayor oil the scheme as "a gang composed chiefly
OF frauds anu foois, bent on running their
property. The writer OF the remark quoted
undoubtedly has good intentions and feels
the great burden which comes 70 those who
carry upon their individual shoulders the prob
lens domestic and political of a whole city TO
MS minds one-eyed vision great hubble caIam-
ny threatens. But be need not thus distress
hltnseii. Other larger ana possibly better
cities have investigated the question OF freight
street cars and have found therein the possibIi-
ties OF great commercial value TO q lively town
he possibly imagiues d train OF thirty or f0rty
freight ears blocking the street and preventing
his subscribers getting across TO his side
WITH raisins and dried prunes or
other subscri ption exchsngable commodi-
ties. Electric freight service, however
does not operate in any such way. In ST Louis
i has been found most satisfactory enterprise.
seattle would not be without il; Ann Arh0r
Mich, hnds II a great boon. especially during
Dad weather. when the country roads are i'm
passanie, ana 80 "a through a long and daily in
creaSlngiy large list Ii Ii OF the greatest posi-
bic assistance to business men, rs il brings their
stores within thirty Minutes ride OF far;nseght
or ten miles away. ami enables their patron~ 10
come IN and trade and ship purchases
back by car just a often desired instead of
MAKING day rip in and out by wagon in good
weather only. To the unpreJ JUDGED eve there is
Inuch less uus ghtAiueSs IN a neatly painted lit
tie electric freight ear, which rolls quietly along
the street, than attaches 10 u farm WAGON kick
ing NJ dust a. il rum6les slowly along NJ four
or nve miles an hour. In either case the rner-
chandise or farm product il carried in q hoy m
wheels, and the TACT that the car has a roof bnt
no horses should not involve any such direfuI
effects as seem 10 have struck in Ike UIns
on cushion on the excited imagina-
uon OF the san Jose Herald man Wbat
are the streets for II not for use. ana
what better use Of them can there be than the
tran poFtA9lon III cars oil Passengers and other
hoine-raIsed products? We ind gnantly reject
the Idea that when the distribution wss Ynnda
81 around floor stock, the Head man was over
looked and hence his situation on the wrong side
No. perish tie thought and give the little cleo
tsic freight a chance: II will neither kick bite
or 'ose shoe, but will increase in a surcrIs!ng
degree the commercial activity OF the CITY n
the East less shan twenty cites are aar6 rsfS
inS bonus TO secure just such service.
Change in Weather Signals
Captain J. A. Hatfield, local signal officer for
the weather bureau, has received notice fro,n =
= Osocy. Observer AZ Olympia, OF a change II,
signals. The cautionary signal is 70 be diseoa.
t1nGed after January l, aud the storm signal
| used a. az present only as warning Of wind
velocity. ihe intermediate between present cs,,-
ionary and storm signals being used 70 Justify
Ve4oc4teS-tAat Is 10 ssy. the velocity viii
$<%AM21
81 X.