The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-02-05
FIRST ELECTRIC ROAD.
SovT or rHE EXPERIENCE ON THE
ploNEER LINE or THE BORLD
In This City Though Many Discourage
ments Werc Experienced Experience
aud Humor Were Present Too

contained an article OF more than ordi-
nary interest from the pen OF Mr..
George Hell Guy.
After reciting tho many crude and i'm
practical attempts TO apply electricity TO
traction cars Mr.. Guy introduces tho
real inventor OF the system now IN gem
oral use lie says.
At this critical iuncturo young en-
sru i'm the navy. Mr.. Frank ]. Sprague.
wno with the help Of Mr.. T.. III. Johnson.
nab been making brilliant success OF
stationary motors for all classes Of power
service on tho circuits of the Edison
central stations scattered throughout the
country. turned his energies into the
electric railway field. and those only who
know Mr.. Spraguc can realize what this
meant While many OF the other work
crs along these lines had been content
f0 go slowly, and even where successful,
mad timidly limited themselves TO plans
f0r running two or three cars at time.
Mr. Spraeuc cast his eye around wlstful-
v FOR the biggest job he could tackle.
BE found ~ early IN 1857. in the condi-
uons at Richmond. where. in an incredi-
nv short space OF time. he equipped and
put IN operation a system which. even
as a street railway. was then considered
llrgc and which as an electric railway
was regarded as daring and marvellous
10 a degree
A THRILLING RECITAL.
'lt is no eXacgeration 10 say that the
story Of the Richmond road is one Of the
most thrilling rccitals of the triumph Of
pluck and brains over apparently insur-
m0untablo obstacles 10 be found I'm indus
frial history .
"The contract was made in May. 1857.
and In the following July. Mr.. Sprague
Was down with typhoid foyer When he
fully recovered. carly I'm October he has
tened 90 Richmond. 10 80 over the route
and note the conditions OF the work which
had been going on during his Illness. Up
20 that time ne had never seen the road.
Tho situation IS graphically con-
Vcyed in Mr Sprague's own words. lie
saws.
n shall never forget the feeling I had
when. returning from the improvised car
she'd. ] stopped 20 the foot Of Franklin
street hill. As ] looked up this incline
under IN, bridge connecting the Ballard
and Exchange Hotels. and saw "a grade
varying from 20 10 per cent rising
above the bridge. T was for moment
doubtful Of inc outcome. and / began 10
realize tho difficulties not only those In
cidert Go our own work but others forced
ON us by tho unusual and foresecn con-
ditlon- under which we had undertaken
49, Tho track WIS simply cxecrablc laid
for profit not for pcrmanencc. and with
no idea Of the necessities 10 was ddt
2-pound tram rail Of antquatcd shape
poorly iointed. uncvcnly laid i'm red clay,
and insecurity tied together a part OF
the twelve mil. of track was double the
rest single. Some of h was laid on
ravod streets. but the greater part was
ou macadom or unpaved streets. There
were tw.nty-ninc curves, five being OF
joss that thirty feet radius. ON these
-narp curves we're grades as high Al 3
r.r cent. and there were straight grades
1851 hieh as 10 per cent Th, outer rails
were often inches below the inner ones.
and the whole track al times would dis
appear into the red clay. which froze
over 10 and stuck with remarkable t3nac-
itv. our car-hOusc was an open lot, IN
which were two roughly covered sheds.
Tho follows "a technical story of some
mr. the obstacles encountered. Mr.. Guy
continues:
TRIAL TRIP.
.'rno trial trim was made al night about
H o'clock with Mr.. Sprague. :. Dana
Greene. General Manager Burt, aud other
employees on board the car. As Mt
Sprague describes 10:
"A snort distance from the end OF the
nnc We stopped Boa the middle OF very
tharp curve Burt thought We would
not get out OF 10. / said / would II l
wrecked the machines. and out OF II the
car came. Arriving at the foot OF the hill
we stopped. and ! said. Burt, we won't
make o.. He said. You wiz; II you
can get out Of a. curve such as that we
lctt YOU can go mp the side Of wall
Dc We succeeded in climbing the hill,
knew what would happen TO the ma
chimes but 10 was vital 90 know whether
a. scif-prOpcllcd car could be gotten up
that grade. We went steadily up until
We got at the top of that and another
niu. and had gone around several curves.
finally reaching the highest point OF the
line iu the heart of the city. We stopped
mere. Tor ] knew that everything under
the car must Doe pretty nearly red hot
and an enthusiastic crowd soon gathered
around us. OF course. ] was willing that
they should inspect the car. for all the
time / was m hopes IL would cool down
sufficiently for us 10 continue our jour
ncy
"But my hopes were doomed TO dlsap-
p0lntment. 40 sooner had We started
than ] felt that peculiar movement then
strange. but afterwards very familiar
due Co a crossed armature. and ! knew
That We were disabled. We ran along
block IN our crippled condition. and then
{ stopped while a bowling mob. number
ing two or three thousand. seemed bent
on taking possession. 10 would never do
10 confess serious trouble. and so ] told
Greene in a tone that could be overheard
hy those near me. but apparently show
ing no concern. that We probably haN
some slight trouble with the circuits.
and ] thought he had better go and get
the instruments. So that we could locate
10 and put things 10 rights. Then I
turned out the lights and laid down on a
seat 10 wait. hoping that the crowd
would disappear. After "a while Greene
returned with the Instruments four big
powerful mules. the most effective instru-
ments which We could md Ia Richmond
under the circumstances. and We began
our retrogradc Journey.
MARKED AN EPOCH.
But an epoch In electric railroading
mad been made. The next few months
was q time OF continuous and intense
strain, DAY and night work being the
rule. Every man felt tho enthusiasm OF
me crucial situation. AS Mr.. Sprague
gays.
The whole feeling was that this road
must be made 10 so. 70 railway develop
ment It's failure would prove q serious
blow. 20 my own reputation and future
career as wen as that OF my associates,
Failure IN Richmond meant blasted hopes
no wonder Greene. Crosby. and every
man Of US worked-we had TO-"
After the gear question had been set
Tied. difficulties OF all sorts cropped up
thickly.'
~The field magnets were wound In sec
tons the insulation was crude, ana
The work hastily done and grounds and
crosses were frequent
IA