The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-04-16
OUR soUvEN1s EDITION.
Facts Concerning the Electric Railway
and Its Promoters.

With this issue Of the HERALD 10 oircu-
lated a baudsums uSenir edition com
n, moratlve Of the opening tor public
travel If he Muhanoy City, Shenandoah,
GirsrdviIle and Ashland Street Railway
The original intention WAS to issue the
souvenir on the dey set for the formal open
ing OF the road, hui this plan was trustrted
by the sudden change of the railway ccm-
pauy's plans, caused by he aggressive
action OF certain members Of the Shenan
doah Borough G unci. So the souvenir i
low les ed in co IN emorstion of the estab
! hshment and operation Of an electric rail
0ay line between shenandoah aDd GrArd-
vile wi the regret hat it does not also
mark the opening OF ether sections, as frs
intended.
The Nahanoy G ty, Shenandoah, Girard-
vile and Ashland Street Railway is a moo
ument comm en- oraiive of q campaign Of
enterprise, grit, perseverance and patien ce
unequalled in the history of the county
When the HERALD suggested three year
ago that al electric railway wouli be pay
ing investment in this valley the people
| laughed at the idea and declared that
line could not be surveyed through the
territory much less operated. The HER
AID hammered at the idea for -months
Then sll Mt once, the people of Mahanoy
| City issued a call for a public meeting to
raise funds and secure an electric railway
charter. This was an enterprsing step for
our neighbor to take, but it lacked speed
and confidence, and others took the more
business like step. Before The Mthanoy
City people could get together and act
Hon D. d. Phillips, OF Gordon, M, j.,
Whaen (deceased)C. E. Titman, j. F. Fin
ney, S. w. Yost, O. A. Keim, B. j. Yost
and H. Boyer of Shenandoah, and Hon.
Elias Davis, Of Broad Mountain, made APP
plication and secured charter for cor
poration to be known as the Mahsnoy City,
Shenandoab Girardville and Ashland
Street Railway Company, with powers to
operate an electric railway in this and the
Gilberton valleys.
The charter having been granted, tbe
projectors commenced to look around for
capital to act under it. The Shenandoah
people having money to invest were APP
pealed and, at first, were inclined to re-
spond, but they dickered so much ever the
matter that all negotiations we're dropped
and the charter was placed at the disposa
of a number of out of-town capitalists
headed by Judge w. f Sadler,of Carlisle
Up TO this time, and in fact up to the time
the first pick wss put into the ground fol
the construction of the prejent road, the
'croakers" kent yelling that the charter
was only means for speculation and the
right of ways were asked for simply TO give
it color of marketable value with view
to selling it to one of the railroad com
psnies.
The project laid dormant until last De
cember, when the work of grading was be
gun between the outskirts of this town snC
Girsrdville. In the early party of Jan
uary work on the power house at Kappa
hammock was CONNIE ced and shortly aftel
track work was begun at the west end o
Coal street. The latter work WAS stopped /
few days later on account of the grounC
being frozen too hard. Blasting was re
sorted to, but it wes finally concluded tina
better work could ba done after the break
ing up of winter. Attention was thei
given TO track laying in the western dis
trict On February Sd, four of the cars AT
rived in Shenandoah. They remaine4 un
der the care of watchmen at the p. & +
freight depot FIR about three weeks an
we're then transferred to the power house
which was then under roof. In due tim
the engines were delivered at the powe
house. The dynamos and other eleclrics
parts of the plant, together with the boilers
followed soon after and on March 22n
dres were built under the boilers for tn
t first time. AT 4;57 p. m. that day w. +
Sadler, Jr., turned on the steam and set i
motion one Of the splendid Oorliss engines
On April 4th work was resumed on tn
West Coal street section Of the road, an
on April 7th the Hrst car was run from tn
power house to the corner of Main an,
Lloyd streets, Shenandoah The next da
cars were run in the heart of the town,
the corner of Main and Centre streets.
On the night Of April 7th the Boroug