The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-21
Possibilities of a Horseless City.


CNew York Evening Post.)
What kind of a city shall we have when
the horse is eliminated entirely from it?
This Is a question which interests greatly
all students OF electricity and civil en-
cheering. and anyone who talks much
to reach the conclusion that they are eX-
tremely visionary in their views.
Whether thew are visionary or not, their
descriptions of possible developments are
very interesting. No one who takes a
thoughtful survey of the changes of the
last quarter of a century. or even of the
last ten years, can say that there is any
thing absolutely improbable in their fore
casts of future conditions. II is not our
purpose at this time TO weigh probabili-
ties, but to set down for consideration
some of the many speculative ideas which
have come to our notice.
The first result of the final passing of
the morse will be the elimination of stone
paVementS. A horselesS vehicle causes
little or no wear TO the surface over which
il runs. 1t matters not whether the sur
face is slippery or not. or what the sub
stance is so long as it provides q level
and firm roadbed. Some engieners think
it not improbable that before many years
iron may, because of its cheaper qaulity
take the place of asphalt. With no iron
shoes or horses and no iron tires TO come
in contact with II. there are no obvious
objections to be made to its use. 1t could
be cleaned as easily as asphalt, and it
might be so constructed as TO make the
effects of heat and cold upon it compare
lively unimpOrtant. That it would prove
as healthful as asphalt-pace President
Murphy of the health board-seems doubt
full. according to our present lights. but
improved methods Of using il might make
Il as desirable in that respect as asphalt
Is now.
With smooth pavements everywhere
over which horseless vehicles can move
with ease and rapidity. an extraordinary
transformation Of street locomotiOn be-
comes possible. Some observers go so far
as TO question the wisdom of the Net
ropolitan Traction company in investing
so. much capital in the underground troll
ley. They point to the proposed intro
ductiOn of motor omnibuses upon Fifth
avenue as an indication of what may be-
come q general practice. So soon as you
have =! Coth roadways in all streets, what
IS the need. they ask, of rails for public
conveyance? Why not allow such con-
veyances all propelled by electricity. 10
have equal rights in the streets with other
vehicles? Why not let them run where
they please. over such routes as they
choose to lay out and follow? Would not
the public convenience be served more
adequately in that way than it is at pres
ent by the street railway lines2
Then, too, consider the changes which
msy come through the use of motor vehi-
cle5 for private purposes. We published
an account several weeks ago Of the use
of a trolley car on one of the Brooklyn
street lines by party of neighbors in one
of the outlying sections Of Brooklyn.
They chartered it for their private use.
riding To New York in it every morning
and returning in it 10 their homes at
night Trolley parties are well estab-
lished institutions in many OF the cities
of the country, and in many also the troll
ley cars are used to take theatre parties
TO and from places of amusement. If We
had motor Omnibuses running at Will
through all our streets. what would be
more natural than for the inhabitants of
q neighborhOOd to charter one To take
them to business in the morning and bring
them to their homes i'm the afternOOn2
Surely here is a field for business which
would be certain to be occupied.
Then there is the family use of the
motor vehicle. Most of the vehicles of
this sort which We have now are very
heavy, and are somewhat clumsy in ap-
ton of grace and liShtness are being
made constantly. Some of the delivery
wagons which are in use by our great
dry goods establishments are distinct
advances in these respects. Suppose that
invention shall give us within few years
light, graceful, compact vehicle which
can be housed IN small space, can be
easily handled. and will run swiftly, what
will be the effect? Would it not be an
extremely handy thing to have in the
house, 1t could be used to take the mas
ter of the house to and from his bust
ness, to carry the mistress on her house.
keeping and social errands, and for
theatre or dinner engagements in the
evening. 1t IS not impossible that the
dwelling of the future may be so con-
structed as to have a room for the stor-
ing of such a vehicle. 1t may be said that
II everybody Idu one l0e SlINtNS MOulu De
crowded uncomfortably with them but
there is slight danger of that. The good
paving of every street would of itself
make the crowding of any one extremely
unlikely; and while many households |
might afford the keep of a private vehicle,
the greater number would still rely upon
the public conveyanees for locomotion.
But the greatest gain of all from the |
departure of the horse viii be in cleanli-
less. When he goes the larger part of the |
work of the street cleaners will have
come to an end. The cleaning of the road |
beds Will be a very simple matter, and
can be done almost entirely by flushing |
ther-. from the water mains. The same |
electricity which gives us the motor We
hicles will give US in steadily increasing |
measure better lighting of our streets and |
houses and better heating as we'll Even |
the bicycle may return to its former favor |
and exceed il even. for with good pave !
ments everywhere thousands of men and |
youths could use 1t on all pleasant days |
as their most enjoyable and most health |
full method of transit TO and from their |
places of occupation. Verify. the horse |
cannot pass too quickly. if we are TO have |
a city in which the comforts and delights |
Of modern civilization are TO have their |