Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-03
ELECTRIC LINES IN SPAIN.
tonsul General Lay Reports Adoption
of New MntiNe HnNNer.

Julius g. Lay, consul general at Barcelo-
IA, Spain. has written to the State De-
partment at length regarding electric rail-
ways in Spain. Until a year ago such a
hing as an electric car was unknown in
Spain. The cars in a few principal towns
hat could boast Of having tramways Of
any kind were drawn through the streets
At a jog-trot pace by horses or, more fire.
Iuently, mules
Within the last few months, however for
aign enterprise has been the means of in
augurating electric traction in the streets
# Madrid Barcelona Valencia. Bilbao and
San Sebastian, End the lead thus taken by
he principal tramWaE companies IN the
-hief cities of Spain * likely to he quickly
followed by others. 1t appears, therefore,
hat the present moment is particularly OPP
Fortune for American makers of electrical
plant, steam engines, boilers, rails. wire
tic, to come forward with tenders for the
-upply of such materials
The Compania Anonima de TranVias de
Barcelona was the pioneer of tramway en-
erprise in Spain, having first started run
ming its horse ears through the principal
streets of Barcelona about twenty-five
Years ago with q niaety -Bine years con-
,ession from the municipality. The system
vas changed to electric power in May last,
md the overhead trolley Is used This
,ompany owns eighty-iiVe motor cars be-
sides its old horse cars. but the latter VIII
be superseded 10y other motor cars when
he lines are all in working order. All the
new plant required was supplied by firm
# English contractors. The cars were
built in Barcelona; the engines and boilers
for generating the motive power, dynamosy
and fittings for the cars were purchased IN
the United States and the rails in Belgium.
The fares charged are low. 10 centimos ula
cents) being the fare for a run Of five or
six miles The cars are well patronZed,
and the company is I'm a hourlshinS condi-
lion with a capital given At 13.o3o .ts59 PEE
s1ls A hg1 a. "
.usively in England. This road has u
mileage Of about twelve miles through the
most frequented streets Of the city.
The Compania de Tranvias de Barcelona
San Andres about five months since
hanged hands. and now, under the able
management of a Belgian engineer-Mr Os-
car Schmidt-Corr-is about to effect several
important improvements. The traction Is
10 be altered from steam to electricity,
and the line prolonged from its present ter:
minus at the outlying township Of San An.'
lres five miles distant, to the manufac%
turing town of Saboden which lies fiflcen
miles north Of Barcelona. Another branch
line is 10 be built from Barcelona TO Horta,
about five miles. The present subscribed
capital of this company is given a. 3,25o,- ,
900 pesetas (S52o,o00).
The Compania de Tranvias de Barcelona
a Sans has a line running from the center
of barcelona to the suburb OF Sans. a dis 4
drawn by mules but the company has
asked permission from the town authorities
to use electricity as moVtlVe power. The
capital of this company is 3,o0O,UpO pesetaS
Cs41G,O 900.
The Compania General de Tranvias has
a mileage of about four miles between Bar1j
celona and the suburb of Sarria. Trains of
four cars are drawn by powerful steam
locomotives, which are rendered necessary f;
owing to the sharp curves and steep graz .
dents in the narrow streets Of Sarria, I
Electric power on this road is soon to SUI
nersede steam.
A small railroad company called the Fer-
rocarril de Barcelona Sarria the only
double-track railroad in Spain, about three
miles IN length, with capital of 5000 600
pesetas $40 600 has also recently applied
for permission to adopt electricity as Its
motive power in the place Of steam.
The Compania del Tranvia Electrico de
San Sebastian of San Sebastian runs for
a distance of about five miles through the
town of Passages, which is the commercial
port for San Sebastian, as far the small
manufacturing town of Rentiri. All the
electrical plant was supplied by La Com,
Geneva Switzerland. The cars were made
in Saragossa, Spain.
There is only one tramWay company IN
Bilbao, which runs two lines with an ag-
gregate mileage of about nineteen miles.
The motive power is electricity. During
last year 2.700.Oo passengers were carried: ,
but, the service Is being improved and |
increased, a better result is looked for this !
year. The capital of this company ia
1900 900 pesetas (sT25, 000).
All the city and suburban tramways In
Valencia have been bought up by a French
company. The plant is now being erected 1
to run the cars by electricity. but the con-
tracts have all been placed with French /,
firms.