Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-07-11
STREET CAR SERVICE.

The Quincy Papers stand by Their
System and Make Comparisons With
Other cities or the state - They
should See Rock island.
The Quincy Herald is coming to the
defense of the street car system of that
city which has been attacked because it
could not accommodate the rush of the
Fourth to the convenience and comfort of
everybody who wanted to ride. 1t says:
"Of course. the street car company
couldn't handle all the people July 4,
said one of the gentlemen interested in
the road. We could not be expected to
accommodate such throng without
crowding or confusion. It's very easy
thing to kick, but no street car line in a
city of this size should be expected to
keep up an equipment all the time which
would take care of 10000 people. The
road would 90 into bankruptcy in no
time. The Quincy electric road can
handle and look after all ordinary travel
day in and day out as well, if not better,
than any similar road in this or any other
state. On emergency occasions, like the
crush of Monday, why we have TO do the
best we can. Look at Chicago cable
lines even during jam like the conven>
tions for example. They can't, with all
their resources, accommodate all the
waiting passengers. have waited or
State street for an hour, while car after
car passed by loaded to the guards, and
where there was not an inch of
room for foothold, and finally
had to take car dozen blocks
farther and ride in the wrong
direction and around the loop in
order to go where wanted. These people
who are so ready to roast US do not real
ize that, to have the power and cars to
accommodate such a mass of Iassen~
gers, the city should be four times as
large so that the regular patronage would
warrant the enormous expense that would
be involved. II we could count on any
reasonably frequent recurrence of such
crowds we might stand it. but the probs-
bilities are that there will not be such a
throng again in town for year, and per-
haps not then. Give the railroad f air
show, that's all we as"
1t is fact that any citizen can learn if
he wants to. that Quincy's electric road is
far in advance of most other similar roads
in the state. both in equipment. frequency
and regularity OF trips and freedom from
annoying delays or accidents. OF course.
when man gets packed in holiday
crowd and can't get on the car, he keeps
getting madden every minute he has to
wait, and very naturally feels like riding
on the neck of the management even IL
he can't ride on the overloaded cars. But
all ordinary rules need not be expected To
work on holidays and special occasions,
and one must accept the inevitable
philosophically and patiently. If the
kicker wo2ld only visit Rockford. not-
withdrawing it is the most progressive
and metropolitan city In the state out
side of Chicago, and see the abomin able
electric car tracks, equipments and
running he would come home, thanking
heaven that Quincy was not cursed by
such road as that. In Rockford there's
absolutely no dependence TO be placed
on the cars. They may come in from 30
minutes to an hour and they may not.
There's no pretense of making regular
t me- and if they did the cars are at the
fastest Is or 90 minutes apart. In Quincy
the cars run every eight minutes on the
main line, and with remarkable regularity.
improved in various ways. for it is by no
means perfect, but give the devil his due.
That the road could not satisfactorily
take care of the great mass of people on
such a day as Monday is not to be won-
dered at. No one with good sense could
expect it to.
The Quincy Herald should have inves-
tigated the tri-city system. and Rock
Islands in particular. if it would see a
model street car service. one that excels
that Of any other city in the country,
outside of the great cities. and which
comparatively speaking, is second to
none anywhere. And this, too, taking
into consideration everything, power
station, machinery, roadbed and equip
ment, both motor and trail cars. The
Herald is right in sticking up for its street
car system, if it is worthy of it. A news
paper that will fail to sustain the public
enterprises Of city. Of which a good
street car system is always among the
foremost, does not properly represent the
interests that are of NEST vital import