The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-06-25
automobiles i'm Salt Lake
Within One Year These Modern Vehicles Are to be Oper-
ated In This City-Company Now Organizing
System Very Popular and Profitable In
New Y0rk-LOcal Men Interested
fsneclaI corresnondenceo

course of six months to one year, tbs
streets of Salt Lake City will be filled
With the strange-appearin rapidly
moving, ingeniously-c We
hicles, which completely fulfill ole
Mother Symptoms prophecy of car
riages without horses shall CO." II
other words. the automobile, with al
its comfort, simplicity, cheapness and
speed, Will soon be as familiar a sight
to the residents of Salt Lake as they
now are to the citizens of New York
London and Paris.
For the purpose of introducing these
end of the century equipages in Salt
Lake and certain other Of the larger
cities of America three companies have
been Incorporated at Trenton, y. T.,
with many million dollars of capital.
They are the New York Gas & Electric
Light Heat q Power company, the
American Electric Vehicle company
and the Electric Storage Battery CON-
pSny. The first of these concerns has
a capital of s25. 600 900, which may be
increased soon to $100, 100000; the sec
Ond a capital of $4,000, 600, and the last
$16.000,000. having been increased only
a short time ago from $1,000, 600. Be
hind all three of the companies, which
are so closely allied as to be practically
under the control Of the same men, is
the vast wealth of Whitney, Widener,
Elkins and other well-known traction
capitalists who now control nearly all
of the big street railway systems Of the
east and have bought up and own the
patents and privileges of various
STYLES of automobiles and improve
ments thereon.
II is the purpose of the gentlemen
mentioned TO form a sub-company in
Salt Lake and other cities in which
they are to introduce their cheap horse
less carriage service. allowing the local
capitalists now interested in the differ
ent means of intramural lOcomotion
employed there. a chance TO become
interested in the automobile service.
The direct management of the affairs
of the sub-companies will be to a large
extent in the hands of the local CAPT
talists. but upon lines laid down by
the parent company, which will retain
a controlling interest in each of the
companies
Company Organize.
The organization of the company is
under way at this moment, and as
soon as the necessary number of auto
vehicles of the various styles most pop
ular and need can be manufactured,
the service will be introduced. These
STYLES will include the popular hanson
of which so many are seen in New
York; the coupe, the victoria and the
Landau, as well as various kinds of
freight wagons.
The point, however, which is most
important to the patron of public
equipages, as well as those who would
be patrons, but are now prohibited by
reason of the cost, is that the auto
mobile service contemplates a cheap
ening of cab and carriage fare in Salt
Lake and each city where the service
is established.
The intention is to reduce fares just
enough to attract patronage from both
street cars and horse cabs. 1t is ar
gued that a cheap cab service will get
not only an enormous percentage of
the patronage now going to livery
stables and other owners of public con-
veyances, but that there are hundreds
of people who would regularly patron
ize cabs instead of street cars if the
fare were made low enough to come
within their means.
In London, Paris and other CONT
mental cities the cab fare is much lower
than in American cities, and it is said
that it is the intention to fix rates ap-
at about the same as
those of the European cities.
That the promoters of the plan to
introduce the automobiles can well af-
ford to give their Salt Lake patrons a
cheaper service than they now enjoy
is manifest by reason of the excessive
w cheap cost of maintaining electric
vehicles as compared with maintaining
the horses and cabs of &, horse cab
service. Fewer men will have to be
employed by the automobile companies
than the horse companies. as stable
men. etc Also the barn area needed
will not be so large, as the automobile
stable does not have 20 provide for
horses.
Besides the automobile cab service,
Ii is the intention of the vehicle COM
pany TO eventually establish in the
cities where sub-companies are organ
led an automobile delivery wagon
and truck service for the benefit of re-
tail merchants.
This delivery wagon and truck SER
vice is to be somewhat on the lines of
the service to be given by the Auto
Truck company of New York in which
Richard Croker the Tammany chief. is
largely interested, the difference being
that the vehicles used for the delivery
wagon service will be light wagons
propelled by electric motors as well as
heavy trucks and the business catered
to Will be delivering for retail mer-
chants as well as heavy trucking for |
and iobbers, which lat |
-er the Auto-Truck company now pro- |
poses to do here exclusively.
Plans For Future.
Indeed the huge interests behind this /
movement for cheapening passenger
and freight transportation in Salt !
Lake will go even further than out |
ined above. They will invade the field |
# the local and general express COM |
1anies and establish terminal trans
er systems and auto-wagons ''On CALI
o compete with the individual express
wagon owners and the big companies |
If Salt Lake in the collection and de- |
livery of baggage, freight and mer-
,handise. In fact, it is the intention
o cut into the business of the express
and to deliver goods as ex- |
as the express companies |
10. but charging the public freight !
ates for the service. The new company
viii go Il step further and undertake to
elieve merchants and shippers from
he trouble of applying to the railroads
It all. I will collect freight, see to
billing OF ii to its destination and fin
lily deliver it so that shippers Will not
iced to bother with it from the moment
t leaves their doors.
Express companies get special rates
or the use of cars on passenger trains.
tut the expense is much higher than
reight service. The new company will
lot expect TO get any concessions from
he railroads that the general public
oes not at present enjoy. but will make
Use of the regular schedules. It will.
Iowever, by adding moderate amount
s terminal expense, make a through |
ate. for collection, transportation and
elivery that the hackers of the pro-
ect think Will prove attractive TO the
ublic.
1t is the intention to have special
OufpS fhrOuPhOl1f Salt alxa and otbar