Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-31
An Electric Line That Will Carry.
Passengers to the West End in
That Time to Be Built.
1T WILL EXTEND TO MANSFIELD.
A Complete System of Electric Cars Reach
ing All Important Points I, in
CHARTERS Township.
AN ECHO OF THE KIgKERStMEETING
Plenty Of Money in That Part of'IOwn to Build q
Competing Line.

W est End has already Dorne 1rult IHF
D. PATCH is able this momingtto announce,
upon the authority Of the Pittsburg and
West End Passenger Railway Company,
that that company has formulated plans
no; only for supplanting the present horse
cars with the best motor cars that are now
provided, but also for complete system OF
electric street railway reaching to Mans
field, and covering all important points in
Charters township. These plans are now
about completed, and work will commence
ct the earliest possible date. The officials
cf the company insist that they are more
anxious for the change than their patrons
are. but that there have been insurmount-
able difficulties in the way requiring time
and patience.
w. J. Burns, who is,understood to own a
controlling interest in,the West End line,
as we'll rs a large interest in the Second
Avenue road, talked pleasantly about the
f'kickers' " meeting, to a DISPATCH re-
porter yesterday.
MATTERS BEING1ADUSTED.
81 am not at liberty to make public all of
our plans Just yet, he said. ''Mr. Reilly,
the president of the road, and Chief Bige-
Che CITY, but will return in fewsdays,, when
think can tell you all. l.about-our inten.
fions. There are certain matters which it
would not be prudent to discuss, which
have been holding us back, and these tmat-
tiers are quietly adjusting themselves.
''Then YOU have decided to build,an.elec-
trio road to take the place of thespresent
horse car line?"
f'Oh, most assuredly."
"And will the electric road be built'this,
season.
'sweIl,' he answered, with some hesita-,
tion, ''thc season is now far advanced, and;
it lakes time to build road"
E'Byt YOU will commence work soon, will
you not?''
"Tes: we are making preparations for
the change Just as fast as we can. We ap-
preciate the necessity of better equipments
and more rapid transit as much as our
patrons, and are fully as desirous of makings
the change, but, rs said before, we have
been compelled TO move slowly. The peo-s
rle of the West End have a perfect right to,
hold these meetings and protest, and I am
glad they are doing it. 1t shows they have
an interest in the future of that part of the
city.
THE PRESENT SCHEDULE TIME
srThe charge, however, that it takes an
hour to come from the West End on the
horse cars is not true. Our regular schedule
time from the stables to Fifth avenue and
Market street is 2S minutes, which is not so
bad. In fact, it was considered very good
until the introduction of rapid transit. The
road was good enough when built, but we
have outgrown il and horses must give way
to some better motive power The people
of CHARTERS have the greatest cause to COM
plain, and they will be the most benefited
by the change"
tFWill YOU extend the line to Mansfeld?''
''We have already about perfected our
plans for complete system of electric road
through the West End to Mansfield, and
covering CHARTERS, Ingram, Grafton and all
important points in that vicinity"
GLOW soon do you expect to have the
proposed system in operation?"
''It-is our intention to build the electric
road 10 CHARTERS and the West End first
and then proceed with the other branches as
rapidly as possible. Our experience with
the Second Avenue line will be of great
value to us in the construction of the West
End road Wonderful improvements have
recently been made in electric railroads and,
machinery and when the new road is COM
pleted there will be no cause for COM
plaint.
When asked if he thought the Point
bridge was strong enough for an electric
line Mr. Burns said that he would rather
not discuss that phase of the subject They
were moving quietly" he said, and every
thing would soon be arranged.
-, SYMPATHY For THE POOR HORSE
Since thAintroduction of electricity as a
motive power MIR. Burns said that he had
felt more sympathy than ever for the poor
street car horse, the average life of which
is about three years. "When 1 go out to
our power house on the Second Avenue
line said be, ',and see the engineer walk
ing about doing the work so much hand
soner and better 1 wonder why we retained
The horses 80 long, Then on long lines the
electricity is more economic, and the larger
the line the greater the saving by the adop-
tion Of electric power.
Mr. Burns had not met any of the men,
bers cf the committee appointed at the
West End meeting, and did not know what
Jhev were doing in the matter. When their
much discussed scheme to build an elevated
road over the Pittsburg and Lake Erie
right of way was suggested to him it pro-
voked smile. He did not think that such
a plan was practical from an engineering
standpoint, and even if these objections did
not exist, an elevated road would be too
expensive to be profitable with the patron
age it could control. He regarded the prop
osition to build bridge to Allegheny as
equally absurd.
This bridge project is an old one that
has been talked of for years, but bridge
st that point is out of the question. 1t
would have TO be too low. and the river
men would fight it SO hard that it would be
a long time before il could be commenced
even if the scheme was feasible one"
GREAT FAITH IN THE WEST END.
IL 4
itv Of the West End people to build new
road, but intimsted thas they would not be so
anxious to invest in such an enterprise after
they had fully investigated it. He has great
faith in the future of the West End, and
believes that with rapid transit it will
speedily develop.
Notwithstanding these preparations on
the part of the Pittsburg and West End
Railway Company, the West End people
and the committee appointed at the meeting
on Saturday night are going ahead with
their plans, and the meeting to be held on
"Wednesday evening at the Daub building
promises to be attended by even larger |
representation Of property owners than
turned out at the first announcement
"Who are the moneyed men of the West |
End who are able and willing 10 invest in a |
new road?'' was asked of Attorney John L. |
Ralph, who has taken some interest in the |
proceedings of the patrons Of the West End |
Toad.
"Tcll, Thomas Hershberger, Henry |
Daub, Charles Daub, J, Fl. Wise, William |
Z Gundia6npar Tooah L