The morning call., 1893-01-24
TO THE BIG SHOW.
San Francisco to Send
Cabie=CarS.
A CHAPTER ON EVOLUTION.
A. S. HalIidie, the Inventor of Cable
Cars, Will Show How
They Grew.
CHAPTER ON EVOLUTION.

Among the many exhibits from California
to the Worlds Fair at Chicago will be a
complete display of the cable railway sys-
tenn of the city.
A. S. Hallidie, the inventor of the cable
railway. is at work arranging for the exhibit
and at Chicago will be seen every stage of
the progress OF the cable method of street
transportation.
The car which made the first trial-trlp,
down to the modern cars, with every process
of evolution, Will be shown in the minutest
detail.
In the power-houses of the city the exh hit
is being gathered together. until now it is
about ready to be shipped to the Worlds
Fair and placed in position.
Mr.. Halidie, when asked what prompted
the invention of the cable-road. said he was
walking up Jackson street, from KearDyr In
1869 and was watching the efforts Of five
horses struggling up the hill with one OF the
Omnibus Railroad Company's oyercrowded
cars. One OF the horses slipped on the wet
cObblestOnes aud fell, throwing down the
horse behind him. The brakes were put on
and the horses urged to regain their loot
ing The brakes were insufficient TO hold
the car On the steep incline and it slid back
ward, dragging tile horses down the hill TO
the street below.
This incident prompted me-" said he.
"to devise some better method of street
transportation up the hills, and within TWO
years ! had matured plans for caDle-road.
Like all new inventions, II took long
time to convince the skeptical. but in Sep
TENDER a track was completed on Clay
street, from kearDy to Leayenworth, with
the power-hOuse ct the western end OF the
line. II soon wen the confluence OF the
public, and a revolution IN passenger trans
portstion was commenced
Hills have fallen down before It, and
where goats used TO frolic on California
street hill RAILROAD kings have built their
palaces, and the SUBMITS which were few
years ago bold, inaccessible places are now
covered with magnificent residences.
'San francisco would be lost without its
cable-rOads. and the same can now be said
of great many other cities in the world"
Tie first car run over the Clay-street line
and the first in the world was constructed
TO seat fourteen passengers, but Oh the trial
trip so eager was the public to be on the
first car that Dinety persons crowded inside,
on tue top and mug on the outside till the
summit of the hill was reached.
The gripman who WAS TO take the car on
the trip became so nervous when he saw the
crowd pile on that he refused 10 take the car.
and Mr.. Hallidie was obliged 10 act IN the
capacity Of Gripman.
The grips used in the early stages OF
cable railroadng differed very much from
those now in vogue. Instead Of being
operated by r lever as al present, screw
turned with a wheel worked the gripping
attachment. This system acted very well
as far as clutching the cable was concerned,
but it worked too slowly for the present
demands OF the public, and new devices
were applied until The system almost reached
perfection.
A section of the original roadbed will
accompany the exhibit, and it will be safe
10 say that the display will be one of the
most interesting in the transportation de-
paFtment