Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-06-29
ELECTRICITY VERSUS HORSES
4 Plan to Substitute the Former For the
Latter In Transporting Farm Products.

Latter In Transporting Farm Products
Mr.. Martin Dodge, in letter to the
Chicago Inter Ocean, suggests radical
changes in road improvement methods,
no less than the substitution of electric
ity for animals as n motive power. He
says:
advocate an important and farreach-
ing change in the manner of building
country roads-a change which, when
adopted, will lead to the substitution OF
inanimate power for animal power for
the purpose Of transportation on our
common roads all over the country. My
plan il TO extend the street car tracks
from our cities ont into the circumja-
cent territory n distance of 80 or 40
miles, SO that all the territory between
ccnters of populations 60 or so miles
apart would be so reached. Let these
tracks be SO made and laid that wagons
and carriages propelled by horses may
go upon them as well as cars propelled
by electricity OF other inanimate power
1t is already demonstrated that only
one-eighteenth of the power is required
TO move vehicle over smooth steel
track that would be required to move ii
over gravel road or one-eighth that
which would be required to move il
over the best pavement. When this inn
portant fact becomes generally known
to the farmers, they will realize that it
is poor policy to promote the building
of macadaln roads when an equal out
lay would provide a good steel track
\Nla,, tho t,ooly &c ,N,ax,i1o1 tbat
cars and carriages propelled by horses
can also 90 upon the same track with
cars propelled by electricity or other in
animate power, the superiority of the
inanimate power will be so apparent
that horsepower will be quickly aban-
doned.
Heretofore the use Of electric cars has
been confined to carrying passengers,
and the extension of the system has de-
pended wholly upon private enterprise.
This must be changed by charging the
use TO which the electric cars are put
and by supplementing private enter
prises by more liberal and enlightened
public policy. There is no reason why
the electric roads should not be carriers
Of freight as well as passengers, and es-
pecially the food products from the field
to the market. 1t is easy to see that az
the steam cars superseded the horsepow-
or for long hauls so the electric cars will
supplement it for short hauls.
1t Is generally supposed that the cost
of building electric roads is greatly in
excess Of the cost of building macadam-
lied roads. This is all fiction and pro
ceeds mainly from the fact that to the
cost Of building the electric road they
add the cost Of equipping with cars,
power and operating force. Take thu
cost of building a macadam road and
add 10 that the cost of the horses, wag
ons, carriages and drivers required TO
operate it, and you will find that the
macadam road IS the more costly. Com
pairing tho two as shown in the cost OF
transportation per ton per mile, we find
that with horses and wagons the cost
per ton per mile Is 20 cents, while with
the electric car il Is only cents per
ton per mile. TIE cost of the iron road
bed is no more than the cost Of the stone
roadbed, but when it is once laid it con-
tributes much more 70 cheaper transpor-
tation. / have estimated the increased
value Of agricultural land resulting
from the decreased cost Of transportation
over steel rails by inanimate power at
$50 per acre. Observation to confirm
this only waits upon experiment..