Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1895-04-05
AGAIN THE TROLLEY.
Directors Take their Innings.

{ levers i'm the Trolley System.
To the People Of the To,cn of Brattleboro:
In the March 20 issue of The Vermont
Phoenix Hon. B. d. Harris has letter re-
ferring to the proposed line of electric
street railway in Brattleboro. He brings
out some points which it might be well for
the people to consider. One particular
point which the people will please bear in
mind is the spirit of persecution which
seems to be implied towards the road
While every man must be conceded the
right to his opinion, l would like to ask
Mr.. Harris if his opinion and wishes must
be consulted in preference to that of the
Vermont legislature, which has already
granted to the Bratteboro street railroad
company their charter and right to build
a street railway in the streets of Brattle-
boro?
But to boil the matter all down and get
at the exact point, the directors of the
railroad company claim the people in Brat
tleboro want the railroad built. Mr.. Har-
ris, together with few other men, do not
want it, and say it cannot be built if their
money and brains can find any way to pre-
vent it. Is this the right spirit to show
towards an enterprise which is bound to
help the town? The directors are all men
view, and fully believe the building of the
line will be of great advantage to the town
and the village. Other towns of like size
in different parts of the country have
electric roads and call them great benefits
and the directors cannot see why our town
is so unlike others that it should not also
be benefited if the road is built We are
a one-sided town, and whatever growth
there is to the village must be west and
southwest on the line of the proposed road.
If Mr.. Harris will remember back a few
years, as to his connection with the con-
struction of the Brattleboro Il Whitehall
railroad, and remember when he was inter
ested in that road how his friends helped
the matter along, supported the building
of the road with their votes and their mon
ey, and in many other ways, it would al
most appear to most people that he had for
gotten old friends and formed new ones,
who are now opposed to all progress. So
much in reply to Mr.. Harris.
Now in regard to some points raised by
Gov. Fuller, also in the March 20 issue of
The Phoenix. 1t appears to be a we'll
written letter, calculated to deceive those
not fully aware of the facts. He well
knows that in building electric railroads
nearly three-fourths of them have been
built over from old horse railroads, and the
first cost of these horse railroads had to be
absorbed in the cost of building new lines.
This accounts for the large cost per car mile
of the Burlington, Rutland, Northampton
and other railroad lines. If four miles of
road here with capital of $4,000 per mile
can be built, it would seem to be easier for
it to pay than the roads named above with
a capital of from S15, 900 to $40, 900 per
mile in the larger places.
10, al
with Brattleboro? is asked. Suppose we
take Waterloo, N. Y, with a population
of about 4S00 the Seneca Falls line, the
line at Middletown, Conn, the South
Braintree, Mass, line built in 1898, and
some other small places. The Waterloo,
n. Y, electric railroad, in report to
March l, showing receipts and eXpendi-
lures for the six months previous, with
four miles of road running three cars at
total expense of about $1,000 per day for
each car, which includes power, superin-
tendent, repairs and all expenses, made a
net profit of S2379.
The South Braintree, Mass, electric
road, built in 1898 at cost of about
$4,000 per mile, in town of not over 5000
population, has run three cars through the
winter months at an average income OF $50
per car per day, and expenses, including
repairs, GU, VI ~iN W vi
per car. The treasurer, Geo. A. Beatty,
writes as follows: eve have several bad
grades with curves on the hill" He also
writes, "When the road first started there
were grave doubts about the road paying
running expenses" but from their eXpe
rience he is satisfied that any electric road
will pay handsomely in town of from
1000 to 5000 people; and refers to commits
sioners' reports of the different states for
confirmation of the fact. He himself is
fully convinced that a road operated by
electricity in any kind of travelling com
munity having 1000 inhabitants will pay
good return on money invested, if con-
structed on present low valuation. 1t
would seem as though running two cars
here ought to pay considerably more than
running expenses.
Those who have kept posted as to the
improvements made in electrical equip
ments during the past few years know
that roads built three, four and five years
ago have been obliged to purchase much
new equipment to keep up with the i'm
provements which have been made. This
has been at a very large expense to many
ronds, which, taken with the watered stock
caused by taking in the capital of the horse
railroad companies, which have been built
over, has prevented many of the roads pay
ing any dividend, and this, as said by Gov.
Fuller, is a matter of record. The wonder
to most people has been that any of the
roads could pay a dividend which We're
built upon 80 or go per cent higher valu-
alton than present cost.
There is nothing new in Gov. Fuller's
letter when he says it costs more to run by
trolley system than by horse cars. No
doubt he is also aware that where horse
car ne will starve, a trolley line would live
and Lake money; for people will not
patrOnize horse cars unless obliged to do
So Gov. Fuller is perfectly well aware
that horse car lines at the present time are
considered out of date. And while one
case is cited where trolley lines have been
ordered out, that in Washington, d. g.,
the Street Railway Review for March gives
dozens of cases where horse railroads are
being succeeded by electric lines, and also
several cases where cable lines are being
taken up and electric trolley lines being
substituted.
One point which the governor makes is
to the loss of life in Brooklyn, Preferred to as
an awful example of the dangers to life
and limb, if this electric line were built.
If the difference of population were taken
into account, this would mean for Brattle-
boro, in the same ratio, one death in
twenty years from electric cars, making 1t
safer than horse power, for within the past
twenty years / can call to mind at least
three peaths caused by people being thrown
from % rria 0aS nv runaway horses: so this