Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-02-26
The MuIo on the Retail Street.

ne Niuio Va tub fsttch bbVtN
A mule Is cheerful II not picturesque
figure in corn-feld, when no is harnessed
70 pillow and Is not kicking up his heels.
Nor is he altogether out OF place in any
southern city when drawing heavily
loaded wagons containing tobacco, cotton,
lumber. &c. But used on street-car line
as motive power TO compete with the
electricity and cables he il obsolete. In
an industrial sense he ia "a relic OF the
dark ages" and the switching of his shaved
tail and the mysterious twitching OF his
FESTIVE ears have something uncanny
about them.
The mule must quit tho street-car busi-
ness. He has played his part fairly well
and now must yield TO newer favorites.
We do not suppose that be will kick "
but no matter how high his heels 60, 20 he
must. Time and appearances are against
him.
OF the half dozen street-car lines here
the mulo holds possession OF but one; all
the Others are operated by the trolley. and
very safely and successfully, too. Some
what singularly, this one line is the Broad
Street lIne-the line which runs in front of
the most fashionable retail stores in Rich
mond, the centre of attraction for shop
pers.
We respectfully petition the street-rail-
way company TO issue an order placing
the mule on the retired list, and TO put
the trolley in his stead. II we understand
Alright, they have delayed action because
some changes are necessary IN the arrange
.nent OF their Broad-street tracks, and
also because one of the present tracks
has been IN use by the city to move cars
laden with material for the City-Hall build
ing. All the heavy work on the City Hall
is now done. and the old and useless tracks
which so much dlsGgure Broad street
between Eighth and Eleventh should be
taken mp. Then. as soon IA possible,
electric-cars should be put in service.
Every other section of the city into
which electric-cars run has felt an invlgo-
rating influence from their presence, and
that they will benefit our Broadway there
cen be no doubt.
II is true, we believe, that the street.
railway managers are willing to bear part
of the cost of building viaduct along the
line of Broad street from ShockOe &c
Church hills for the privilege of running
their cars over it. but we cannot hold out
the promise that the city will be able tC
GO INTO that enterprise for several years to
come. We must first complete the CITY
Hall and solve the wate--works problem
but the time will come when the via
duct will be built. The Chestnut-Hill and
Barton-Heights viaducts have opened the
eyes of the community as to what can be
done by bridging great ravlnes.
The Broad-street viaduct was one Of the
pet projects OF the founder of this paper
and is one Of the few great public I'm
provements which be urged and which are
yet to he " materiaized." Such viaduct Il
one of the things needful to make the reo
pie Of Richmond o compact community
Shockoe creek, with It's unsavOry stream
its deep bottoms, and precipitous hilisides
now halves Richmond and to great ex
tent makes the residents of the two sec
tons strangers to each other. A Broad
street vIaduct would bring US together a.
one people. However. we do not expect
that Just now. But what we do expect
what we do ask our enterprising and pub
| lic-spirited street-car men IS to take the
mule of Broad street and supply his place
with electric-motor cars.