The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-01
MONEY IN UNDER TROLLEY
IT COSTS LESS AND EARNS MORE
THAN HORSES OR CABLE.

IT COSTS LESS AND FlRN6 MORE
THAN HORSES OR CABLE.
Significant Facts Presented by n Compare.
son of the Results Attained by the Three
Motive Powers In Use on tho Metropolis.
tan street Railway Compnny's Lines
II costs less to run cable railroad than IL does
to run horse railroad and II costs less to run an
electric road than II does a cable road, yet the
cable 10 ahead OF horses. and electricity easily
outranks tho cable when capacity for carrying
passengers 10 considered. The Street Rdil,cdv
Journal for September prints table giving
the receipts and expenses Of the Metropolitan
Street Railway for 1898 and 1890 and the rela-
tive costs and profits OF the three systems. and
II shows the tremendous advantages OF the
modern underground trolley system over the
other two.
Most people have como to look on the Metro
politan Street Railway system as a cable or
electric system exclusively. The facts az
shown by the figures are that on June 30.
1890. tho Metropolitan company had more
miles OF horse railroad In operation than II had
OF cable and electric road combined. Here are
he figures: Cable system. 253 miles OF track;
electric system. 80 miles OF track horse rail-
way. 1874 miles OF track. OF course the horse
and cable roads are fast being supplantod BY
tho more modern and more economical electric
system. The table shows that the total receipts
per car mile on the cable lines in 1903
were S34.42. In 1899 they were 1888. The
operating expenses per car milo were $1642
In 1898 and $lS In 1890. On tho electric roads
in 1898 the receipts per car mile were $2890.
and in 1890 they were $31.23. The operating
expenses were only $40 % In 1893 and S11.05
in 1890. On the horse roads the receipts in
1893 were 7.35 and $25. ~ in 1890. while the
operating expenses were $17S7 In 1893 and
$1796 in 1890.
The total OF receipts for all systems in 1893
was $10.424.8a5 which was 500 10 per car
mile. Tho total for 1899 was $12.S19.712, or
S30.70 per car mile. an Increase OF full dollar.
tho total operating expenses In 1893 were ST.
556.127. or 1888 a car mile, while the
total in 1899 was $6.342.073 or $15.1S per
car milo. a decrease OF .65 per car mile.
As tho improvements and economies in
the Metropolitan Street Railway system
have all been in the way OF the increase
in tho use OF electricity. this gives tho
electric system an advantage Of $1.65 per car
mile. Whom 1t comes to the details OF opera.
ton the table shows that 1t cost AZ cents per
car mile for track labor on the cable road. 40
cents per car mile on the horse roads and only
10 cents per car milo on the electric roads. OF
course. this great advantage In the care Of
the electric roads Is largely accounted for by
tho fact that the roads are new. 1t cost to main-
tain the equipm ent OF the cable roads rs cents
per car milo; OF the electric roads 80 cents per
car mile and OF the horse roads only AZ cents
per car mile. The small cost In the case OF the
horse roads is attributed in part to the fact that
horse roads are going out and as little is being
spent on the horse lines as 1t is possible to
spend and continue them in use.
The most interesting item OF course Is the
motive power. The total cost OF operating tho
cable roads per car mile. including everything
connected with the motive power. was 81. 80.
Tho total for the electric roads was SLIT per
car mile. and the total for the lhorse roads was
$500. Electricity. therefore. had an advantage
OF $4.92 per car mile over the old horse car
system. and an advantage Of 1872 cents per car
mile over the cable. The fuel for power-houses
cost on the cable plant 81 0s and In the electric
plant 90 cents. The feed for horses cost So. Is
per car milo and the renewal OF horses 20 cents
per car mile Engineers. hremen and power
service mon cost In tho cable service 90 cents.
In the electric service 1t cost only 80 cents.
while in the horse car service hostlers. kitchen
and stable help cost 1920.
| The electric cars are lighted far better than
either the cable cars or the horse cars. yet it
| costs on the electric roads only one cent per car
mile to lightthe cars against 33 cents on the
cable road and eight cents on the horse roads.
the horse cars being all lighted by oil lamps.
The Journal. commenting on the table of fig.
ures says:
THE first lesson to be derived from these
figures is tho way in which the public re-
spends TO increased facilities In the last year
the company ran its cars over the same
| trackage nearly 100000 miles. as against
but 35.000.000 miles in the previous year. the
new cars being. moreover. nearly double the
capacity OF the old. The passenger receipts
jumped nearly % per cent. as consequence.
while the receipts per car mile were actually
increased from 20.7 cents to 3O7 cents. or
about per cent. The traffic Of the cable lines
fell of about 10 per cent. and OF the horse lines
about 80 per cent. while the electric lines
carried three times as many passengers in
1899 as in 1898. and their receipts per car
mile increased from 5000 cents to 81 % cents.
Taken as q whole the Metropolitan system
operated last year at 10 IL cents per car mile.
as against S3 cents In tho previous year. and
the earnings from operation have become 1850
cents. as against 1887 cents for 1898. The
electric lines have made all Of this increased
net earning power. and have. In addition. over
come a com bned diminution on the horse and
cable lines Of 10 cents per car milo"
STOLE TO BUY 4 BICYCLE