Birmingham state herald., 1896-05-02
TIE ACE OF STEAM POWER.
Has Passed on the East Lake
 Dummy Line, yaf
ELECTRICITY HAS THE SWAY
The First Electric Car Goes Over the Line With ? Party of Representative Ctizen3 : on Board.

As Birmingham progresses, so does the Birmingham Railway and Electric com pany, one of her largest and most enter prising corporations.
 Something over year ago it was pre- dieted in the Birmingham Age-Herald that by the middle of the year 1896 the steam power on the East Lake dummy line would be relegated to the rear and electric motors supplant them. The prophecy has virtually been full filled, and yesterday the large car fitted up expressly for trolley parties was run out of the barn and on to the East Lake track. At 4:15 o'clock in the afternoon large number of invited guests boarded | the car at First avenue and Nineteenth street for the first electric car ride over | the line.
 l It was large and representative par | ty, comprising men in all the walks of life | and industry. The huge car started off well and passed Twentieth street without | accident, but as the run up the hill to Twenty-frst street was attempted the l front trucks left the track and the car whirled to the left, making a half turn, halting against the curbing on the south | side of the avenue. Soon, however, the ear was gotten on the track. and, amid the cheers of hun
 
 to witness the event, the car climbed the hill, and was soon beyond the suburbs and speeding smoothly along toward the | eastern terminus of the line. The news of the coming of the electric | car had gone before, and all along the route people had gathered, and as the merry party hove in sight cheer would go up from the spectators, which was | answered with good will by those on board the car.
 Al. A.ie ks.t,~ | was borrowed from the Twentieth street l feed wires, and the trip to the terminus was not 8 criterion of what will be when l the feed wires along the line will be con- I nected. With the limited power at hand. nevertheless, the trip was made in thirty l four minutes from the time of leaving l Twenty-first street.
 | The fact that a more rapid transit than l that now in use would soon be given the l people along the East Lake line seemed 1 to be duly appreciated, as every house along the line had it's occupants visible | to greet the first car.
 MT. Robert Jemison, vice-president and general manager, and Superintendent J. l B. McClary were in charge of the car 1 and they seemed proud of the success of | the first or initial trip, and strove hard to make their guests as comfortable as l possible. Despite the rain, which fell un- ceasingly, the crowd was lively and en- | joyed the ride as much as if the weather clerk had lent his prettiest afternoon for | the oecasion.,
 MT. George H. Harris, electrical engi- | neer of the company, was at the helm and guided the car of state to and from Lake | Como with a steady hand, and landed
 everyone safe at Twentieth street and
 Second avenue without shaking up or
 Jar. ="
 On arriving at the lake the party re- paired to the pavilion, where Manager Morton of the East Lake property greet ed them cordially. Cigars and mild drinks were served, and the speech making was inaugurated with three cheers for Vice President R. S. Jemison and Superintendent J. B. McClary. 1 Gen. R. M. Nelson was introduced, and made few timely and we'll chosen re- l marks. t@t. '""
 Hon. Frank P O'Brien was next called
 for, and he responded in few compl- l mentary words for the Birmingham Rail-
 way and Electric company and its able 1 vice president and superintendent | MT. John Bowron was next in order, and he dwelt particularly on Birmingham
 and her future, and paid the hosts and
 compliments
 MT. R. 5, Jemison was called for, and
 thanked the guests for their kindly pres-
 ence on the suspicious occasion.
 MT. B. Steiner closed the speech -mak- ing with three cheers for the Birmingham
 Railway and Electric company
 The return to the city was without spe- l cial incident save that the car was greet ed as 1t turned into Second avenue at Twenty-second street by cheers from the people in that vicinity.
 Those who participated in the first trip of the electric car were as follows: Gen.
 R. M. Nelson, president of the Alabama I National bank; Col. A. H. Stevens, agent of the Central of Georgia; Solon Jacobs, commercial agent of the same road; Train Master B. E. McGurk of the Kan- sas City, Memphis and Birmingham; J. F. Flournoy, Jr., superintendent of the Columbus, Ga., Street Railway company; T. T. Hillman, B. Jordan, track foreman or the Birmingham Railway and Electric l company; Motorman O. H. Lackmond, | Charles T. Lehman, J. J. Hunter, line man; Ben Hood, assistant lineman; J. S. | Haynes, foreman of the East Lake round house; w. H. Woods, the pioneer of East l Lake; John s. Jemison of the Florence Hotel, Hon. Frank P. O'Brien, B. and s. Steiner, proprietors of Steiner Bros. l banking house; J. B, Rosenstihl jeweler; E. F. Ensen, cashier Jefferson County Savings bank; G. W. Bowen of Avondale, J. B. Gibson, alderman of Woodlawn and l proprietor of the Gibson Manufacturing company of Avondale; Col J. F. B. Jack | son. w. A. Halstead, J. F. Sulzby, mer- | chant; A. q. Edmondson, T. Y. Cain of l Avondale, George L. Morris, director Bir- l mingham Railway and Electric com
 
 | chine company, Robert H. Smith of the | Consolidated Electric Light company; J. l B. Cobbs president Berney National bank; Hon. John R. Ellard, mayor of Avondale Dr. H. L. Martin, P. G. Shook, Erskine Ramsey, chief engineer and asl sistant general manager of the Tennes- see Coal, Iron and Railroad company; John Bowron, treasurer of the same com pany; G. B. Mccormack, general man. ager of the same company; John S. Jemi- son. Jr., George Wells, Sam Mccullough, Nathaniel Barker. Col. l.. V. Clark Maj, D. l.. Higdon, l.. W. Friedman of the Evening News, c. E. Meglemery, station master of the union depot; Frank V. Evans, business manager State Herald; Il. M. Wilson. managing editor State Herald; Charles H. Greer. city editor State Herald; P. Cosminsky, railroad and sporting reporter State Herald; J. A. AL len, A. B. Gresham, conductor East Lake line; J. M. Bradley, superintendent Con- solidated Electric Light company; c. B.