The evening times., 1899-09-01
HAmBuEes TROLLEY SYSTEM.
Each Passenger Must Have a Seat.
and the Fare Ii Low.

Each Passenger Must Have a Seat.
and the Fare Is Low.
The street car system of Hamburg Ger
the State Department by Hugh Pitcairn,
United States Consul at that city.
Consul Pitcairn says that the electric
street car system of Hamburg is elaine
to be in every respect the best and mos
complete on the Continent, exhibiting pc
culiar features both in its construction
and its management. 1t is an especially
interesting fact that the whole plant is
the result of American invention, having
been built after the Thomson Houston
system By the Union Electric Company fo-
the joint stock company called the Ham
burger Strasseneisenbahn Gesellschatt."
The company was established with cap
ital stock of q, ,000,0 900 marks ($4.904. 900;
its rolling material consists of 800 trolley
cars and smoking ears. The system is one
of aerial current, the so-called trolley
car system"
The Hamburg Electricity Works pays to
the state Of Hamburg 20 per cent OF It's
gross income, as a return 1or the mo
nopoy; the street car company pays Tor
the electric current II IL pfennlgS sequal
to 297 1-2 cents per kilowatt hour Il XII
lowatt hour equals 1000 volt amperes, or
! 1.36 horse -power). The state OF Hamburg
refunds to the electric street car company
| 20 per cent Of this price, leaving net cost
price for the electric current OF 1O prem
nigs (2.3S cents) per 1000 volt amperes.
| AS a compensation for the use OF public
roads, the street car company pays TO tne
| state of Hamburg l pfennig (O.23S cent? for
| each passenger. The average fare for each
person carried being 11.5 pfennigs t2.74
cents), the state receives 81 per cent OF
the gross income Of the company. In ad-
| dtion to this, the street car company must
| keep the paving inside of the tracks, and
80 centimetres outside OF each track, In
proper condition.
! The fares on the Hamburg trolley cars
are exceedingly low. After long expert
| menting, the tariff OF distances was
! found to be the better plan, and was ap-
proved by the senate. 1t might be men
| toned here that the street car company
| is not at liberty TO fix the price OF the
| fare on its lines, but must forward passen-
| gers at the rate fixed by the board OF pub
! lie traffic. to be approved by the senate
| All lines are divided into zones of 1000
| metres and the fare is as follows: For the
4; first two zones t4,000 metres), 10 pfennigs;
| for each two zones or part thereof, there
| after, 3 pfennigs. Each passenger. upon
conductor ticket, which is cut off from
| a long roll of tickets, each ticket being
provided with number. The tickets have
| different colors-yellow for the 10 pfennig,
| or two-zone distance; green for the 10
pfennig, or four zone distance; blue for the
| 20 pfepnig, or six-Zone distance, etc.
The Communication ticket system is a Pc
culiar feature. The street car company,
acknowledging the fact that hundreds of
people are bound to use the cars dozen
or more times day, has issued 'commu-
| tation tickets" divided in two sections.
The first section entities the holder OF a
commutation ticket 10 the use OF one line
in both directions. and as many times as
he chooses, including Sundays. The sec
ond section issues commutaton tickets for
the use of all lines in all directions, and
allows the holder to avail himself of the
accommodations as many times as he
chooses. These tickets are valid from
three to twelve months. and the prices are
so low that il person uses the cars over
three times a day. communication means
a saving-in some cases the fare for each
trip amounting 90 less than l cent
The car stops only ar fixed hating
places TO take on and let off passengers
These halting places are generally at
street crossings, marked by a white sign
affixed to lantern poles, on which is print
ed the word ''Haltestele' The trolley
cars offer seats for twenty 10 twenty-ei light
persons, ten TO fourteen on each side. Be
sides, four persons are allowed on the
front and five persons on the back plat
form. The full number OF passengers be-
ing on the car, the conductor lowers q
sign. "Besotzt,' which means occupied
and a car cannot take more passenger;
than the above number. The regu alton
in this respect are very strictly observed
Say, for instance, a lady steps on the car
al halting place while the conductor is
front. collecting fares, the car being al
ready occupied" when the lady steppe.
in; but there being no conductor to pre-
vent, she goes inside, and a gentleman
offers her his seat, the gent'em the
taking a stand on the platform. The con-
ductor returns to his post, when the gen
tleman is requested to step OF the car a
the next halting place, having forfeited
his seat and the car being fully occupied
Should he refuse 10 leave the car. he i:
put off. The policemen on the street.
have instructions to watch the cars sharp
| iy when passing their post; and IL the,
detect q car carrying one person NOR,
than The fixed number, the policemen not
the number of the car, and the coInpan,
receives word that the said conductor ha
been fined marks az eents), 70 be de
Quoted from his wages and TO be paid t
the police board. If comptroller OF tn
company steps on the car and detects
! surplus of passenSe he notes the nun
Der of the conductor, who is fined marks
: which is paid to charity fund and di
vided once year to employees of tn
company requiring support.