Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-06
RLEcrRIc STREET RAILROADS.


The receiver OF the Pacific Cable COM
pany has confirmed the belief that is
generally gaining ground in this coun-
try as to the superiority OF the street
railway system operated by electric
power. This corroboration is deducible
from the fact that he says he will sub
stitute electric cars for those now being
operated in this city by horse power.
The change will certainly be very ac-
ceptable one to the patrons of the COM
pany, and it will doubtless be found far
more economical to operate the roads
with electric power than with horses.
The electric road seems to have come
to this coast to stay. Within the past
two years Oakland, Sacramento, San
Jose and Los Angeles have been supplied
with more or less extensive systems.
Stockton and other cities are about to
have them, and although there are none
inside of San Francisco yet perhaps the
longest one in the state is now being
built from a suburb of that city to the
town of Redwood.
The progress made in introducing
these roads in other cities in the United
States is no less marked than in Califor-
MIA, A year ago electric street railways
were operating in 127 eastern cities, and
it is probable that this number has been
doubled since that time.
There are, of course, economic and
other reasons for the rapidity with
which these roads have been multiplied,
and for the fact that they are supplant-
ing horse-car roads everywhere. In the
first place they can be operated for
from twenty to twenty-five per cent
less than the horse-car railroad; in the
second place, the heavy cars they are
compelled to use require substantial
and well-built roadbed, which insures
smoother running; and in the third
place, they can be run up to the maxi
mum rate of speed allowed by law, and
thus economic the time OF the people
in going to and coming from their homes
and their places OF business. 1t will be
admitted that these reasons are con-
elusive, and establish the electric road
as the one that will inevitably take the
place of horse-car roads in all cities of
any Importance.
The only road that will be able to hold
its own with the.electric street railway,
is the cable road. We are not supplied
with data to show whether the former
can be operated more cheaply than the
latter; but we should Judge that in
cities where fuel is dear the cost of op-
Grating the cable road would be some
what greater than that of operating the
electric system. True, it requires fuel
to run the great dynamos of an electric
road; but the percentage of power gen.
Grated at given cost for fuel is
greater for electric than for cable
roads. That the cable road is
the only one that can hold it's own with
the electric system is pretty well shown
by the fact that the rich and powerful
companies of San Francisco refuse to
adopt the latter in place of the cable
system. If money were to be saved by
making the change. we may rest assured
that the San Francisco companies would
not be slow to do so. Therefore we are
justified in supposing thatthe difference
in the cost of operating the two systems
is very slight, even if there be any. The
cable is very superior road. AS it is
built of solid masonry, the roadway is
necessarily substantial, and that means
that the cars glide along smoothly. In
this city the short, sharp curves around
corners cause a disagreeable shaking
up; but this is a defect that can be
remedied to great extent by improving
the running gear of the cars. On a
straight line the cable cars move as
smoothly as the electric cars.
it is therefore probable that the cable
road, where it is established, will stay,
in spite OF the electric road. Had not
the cable system in this city been so
shamefully handled by those who were
entrusted with it at the beginning, it
would now be in position to make many
improvements which Mr.. Crank is un-
able to do at present. But if it can be
brought out of its difficulties, as the
economical way in which the receiver is
managing it gives every promise that it
can, it will continue to be a popular
mode of street conveyance, and become
very valuable piece of property in a
few years.
(lJTR friend RQnrQaQntQtiuQ RoWorc ia