Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-02-26
Electric street-Railroads.

the seuseless fight which has been made |
In some cities against the harmless trolley |
and despite the appeals made TO the voters
and the authorities Of those cities against
allowing the deadly wires" to obstruct
the streets. We have an abiding faith that
the electric system is to exemplify the evo-
lutionary theory of "the survival OF the
httestn In Richmond was constructed
the FIRST electric street-railroad OF much
length, and in Richmond the desIraoility
of tho system has been proved so clearly
and Enthusiastically that with scarcely dis
senting voice 1t is agreed that the electric
roads have changed all the conditions OF
life in the cities where they are laid down,
and promise TO make the SUBURBS OF all
the cities a part Of the cities themselves.
=. There are some significant facts stated
in the annual report OF the MASSACHUSETTS,
Board of Railway Commissioners recently
admitted to the Legislature of that State.
Perhaps the most striking 10 the TACT tnae
as compared with the previous year there
was an increase of 203 miles on which cleo
tric mower was used, and decrease OF %
miles on which horse power only was USED
The cable system does not appear In TINS
statement at all, from which We INFER that
that system has not found favor IN tne
ewes of the people Of Massachusetts,. Ihe
total mileage in Massachusetts, is set down
at s14. of which 492 miles are operated IN
whole or IN part by electric power. and 32z
miles wholly by horse power. 1t IS stated
that there were Clio accidents on the street.
railroads there last year, OF which the
roads operated by electricity constituted
about two thirds. This fact shows nothing
more than that the electrlc-cars make
mnch better time than do the horse-c cars;
and it is most creditable showing for the
former that thay had only 400 out OF the
COO accidents. We should have expected
nearly all to be upon tho swIft-moying,
time-saving electrc-cars, and nextto none
upon those drawn by the patient mule ana
the faithful horse. We are, therefore, not
surprlsed TO learn that there were twice
az many collisions on the electric as upon
the horse lines.
Richmond is soon to have much more
pervosive system OF street-ralroAds than
she has hitherto had. The changes soon
TO be made in the operation OF her roads
point TO day not far ahead of us when
she will be gridlroned with roads oil
friendly to one another and all working
together IN the interest of the people. ur-
ban and suburban. But we must not infer
from this statement that the electric sys-
TEN is less popular elsewhere than 1t IS in
! Richmond. The Springfield (Mass.) Re
| publican says that New England has de-
veloped an electric-railroad-b building and
/ consolidating fever which promises TO 90
much farther than to build over" Chat
ls To build new road wherever steam
road has been even talked about! This
would be progress. indeed. 1t is not
visionary nor an lmpracticable scheme.
| There is money III it. The new fever ex
tends not simply TO the cities, but to the
country. Tho rural districts are TO have
cheap transportation, and the New Eng
| land States are to become lone ia the
sea-" The Boston journal says:
| "a line is TO be built connecting Boston,
| Haverhill and the towns OF the lower Merrimac
Valley with Concord, " H.. and ultimately IL
| promises 10 extend 10 the White Mountains. In
this system arc 10 be embraced all the street
| lines Of the connected cities. Boston and
| Quincy are likewise 10 be connected. Tho
| Worcester lines are 10 be consolidated and eN-
| tensions made TO BoylstOn, TO Shrewsbury.
| Grafton, NorthborO', and Westboro, and south
| 20 Auburn, Leicester, Oxford, and Webster.
| Dartmouth and WestpOrt are to be connected by
| a new limo. The ROcklend and Abingdon road Is
to be extended through the Hanoyers, Athol
| and Orange are TO ioil hands over an electric
| line. Concord, y. H., is 10 have belt-line road
| Brattleboro', VT. an electric limo, ana Bellows
| Falls and saxtons River will be connected in the
same way. The Worcester and Shrewsbury mar
row-guage road is TO be converted into an electric
| line"
| What. asks the Journal, must be the
effect of all these schemes upon the steam
roads ? But what is the use of asking such
questions? Capital may DO and is tlmid
where 1t cannot see its way clear, but it Is
aggressive. totally conscienceless. and un-
changeably perseverng where it pre-
cognizes good dividends. We mean by
conscienceless" nothing more than that
it looks at all these matters IN business
| light and does not ask whether its new
schemes will destroy other capital or not.
The world moves. 1t took long step
forward when it originated electrical pro-
| pulslon. Let US not imagine, however,
that wisdom will die with u. for the in
ventions of the future are to be more won
derful than those OF tho present century.
|