El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-12-31
ELPASO OF ODAY.
injection Demand An Electric Railway Light and
Power System.
By e. e. RUSSELL.


Angeles on the west and Denver on
the north.
The United States custom house in
Ell Paso and the Mexican custom house
in Juarez necessitate much travel back
and forth between the two cities. Ell
Paso ranks seventh among the porto OF
entry in the United States in amount
of business transacted.
Many people travelling by rail from
the United States into Mexico and
from Mexico into the United States
prefer to cross the river by street car
and thus avoid the long delay incident
to crossing by train.
Recent Rapid Expansion.
The rapid expansion of the city is
evidenced by the fact that since o.
tober Goth, 1897. over 400 building per-
mits have been issued, more than three
quarters of them for brick business
houses or brick residences. Never be-
fore in the history OF the city were
there so many business blocks and re-
sidences in course of erection in the
city, and there is scarcely desirable
business place or residence OF any
sort vacant.
just across the Rio Grande from Ell
Psso is the Mexican city of Juarez,
with an estim ated population of eight
or ten thousand people in the business
part of the city, and about 20, 600 with
in the limits of the CITY. 1t Is about one
mile from the business center OF Ell
Paso to the business center of Juarez
The two cities are now connected by a
street car line as we'll as by two high
way bridges and two railroad bridges.
The st. eet car travel between the
two cities even with the present slow
and unsatisfactory service, is very
large both by citizens of the two cities
and by tourists and visitors. Every
traveller who passes through here for
the first time, even if he stops over but
an hour between trains, is eager to
cross the Rio Grande into Mexico.
Owing to the length of time now con-
sumed in the trip by street car, how
ever, much of the travel that with ra-
pid transit would go by street car, now
goes by carriage or bicycle.
Each of the highway bridges is toll
bridge, the charges being as follows,
for the round trip: Foot man, cents
horse and rider, Is cents; one horse
vehicle, % cents; two horse vehicle, 35
cents. ;At these rates each bridge pays
large dividends. Reference to the fran
chise will show that it grants rights of
way across the river, as far as can be
done by the city council, at Oregon
street, the shortest and most direct
route between the business centers OF
Ell Paso and Juarez.
Present Unsatisfactory Service.
The people of the city of Juarez are
as DESTROYS as those of Ell PasO for
rapid street car service and electric
lightning. aud will do everything rea-
sonsble in their power to encourage
aud aid the bui ding Of the proposed
line.
The present street car service be-
tween the two cities consists of q belt
line system, with one horse cars hsv-
ing q seating capacity of about 20 per-
sons, each car drawn by one small
mule, with Mexican driver. The
service is slow and entirely inadequate
to the demand. Apparently no serious
effort Is made to run on schedule time,
the driver often stopping to deliver
packages or do errands. The present
company has about five mics Of line,
and it ia realizing handsome dividends
on its Investment.
1t would require about ten Q0) miles
of electric railway line to secure the
franchise now offered. This ten Q0)
miles would include the line between
the two cities and also lines over some
of the best streets in both cities. The
lines could be extended as the demand
warranted.
Outlying Points.
Besides the two cities there are sew
eral neighboring communities to
which lines should be extended at once.
Among them are Towne, the location
employing about 1900 men, situated
three (3) miles north west of Ell Paso.
Towne has an estimated population of
about 1000 or $500. There is much
travel by employees and residents be-
tween Ell Paso and Towne and regular
trips are made by a carryall, in addi-
ton to which many people travel by
rail, ali of which traveI~wOuld be Sc
cured by an electric street car line.
Five (5) miles northeast of Ell Paso
is Fort Bliss, military post, where
officers and their families. making a
total popul alton OF about 300. Ell Paso
has all the trade of the people at the
post, and school children come in from
there daily. The vicinity of the post
is one of the most desirable places OF
residence about the city, and with ra-
pid transit many of our citizens would
build homes there. The line to the
post would also run through the best
residence part of the city, part which
with rapid transit would be rapidly
built up. We think, however, that
some of the property owners along this
part of The route would donate lots to
the electric company as an inducement
for the building of the line.
Two miles from the city of Juarez
there are the new smelling works OF
the Juarez company, already employ
ing about 300 men, and supporting q
population of about 1,S0O
people. The works and force are be-
ing rapidly increased.
Particular Advantages.
The streets covered by this fran
chise are nearly all practically level,
and would require little if any grading
for the track The cost of cOnstruc.