The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-12-06
Those Electric Cars.
oskaloosa, Iowa, Dec. 8d, 19oI

Oskaloosa, Iowa, Dec. Sd, 1900.
Editors Htrald:--1 was amused at
reading an article from the pen of
Col. Redmond few days ago 10
which he sees, in imagination, an
electric railway running from Oska-
loosa to Beacon, thence to an mag
mary park on the banks of the clas-
sic Des Moines river, thence to Bus
sey, and on to Buxton as a terminus,
returning via Eddyville, Muchaki.
mock, Givin and thence home 10 Os-
kaloosa.
am really at loss to understand
whether he was writing in a spirit of
commentator or ridicule If the
former, be forgot to use his favorite
phrase of "a flower bedecked train,
whizzing along at thirty miles an
hour, scattering perfume; a thing of
beauty, etc. - to say nothing of the
fact that the proposed route calls for
a matter Of between fifty and sixty
miles OF track, with the capital the
mileage represents. II written in a
spirit of ridicule, well, he has then
hardly done the subject justice. But
aside from whether they propose 10
gridiron Mabaska and adjoining
counties with their tracks, think
what concerns the city of Oskaloosa
most is the effect their line that
passes through our city will have on
the people generally 1t goes with
out saying that well equipped and
properly operated electric road
through our city, for the purpose
for which a street car line is intend
ed, namely, to transport passengers
with their hand baggage, would be
thing of joy, and thing for which
almost every one of our citizens
would be in favor, but a street car
line operated on the lines granted in
the ordinance now before the peo-
pie presents altogether different as
pect
Section 4 of the ordinance provides
as follows:
THE said street railway shall be
used for the purpose of transporting
passengers, freight, baggage, mail
and express, but in no case shall
railway freight cars be allowed on
the tracks of any of the streets be-
tween the hours of 6 a. m. and 10
p. m. etc."
There can be no question but that
this gives the street car company the
right to use any street that they oc-
cupy, between the hours of 10 o'clock
at night and o'clock in the morn
ing for the purpose of handlidg
railway freight cars" not what you
would naturally expect to find in or
binary electric railway work, but the
freight cars off our steam roads as
well. The tracks are to be of the
same gauge and there can be no
question but what this work is con-
templated.
These tracks are to be laid on High
avenue and from High avenue north
on @ street to Penn College.
Do you do any driving for pleasure
or recreation in the summer?
If SO, do you not almost invariably
drive from High avenue north to
Penn College avenue and back on G
street, or vice versa. If SO, how
many of you have horses that you
would feel like trusting your families
with to meet motor pulling one or
more of these railway freight cars,
Of from fifteen to thirty tons capac-
ity, at a speed of from six to twelve
miles per hour?" How many of you
would be willing to be deprived of
the use of this driveway because you
might not feel safe to meet such a
train?
DO you believe that it is for the
best interest of the city that our best
streets should be turned over to any
corporation for the purpose of con-
verting them into freight railway?
Haven't we plenty of men in town
who. make their living and the living
of their families by doing the haul
ing that this freight road would seek
to do?
If the street railway do this work
wont it deprive these men of making
a living at their present vocation?
We will take up other sections OF
this ordinance later and 1 would as
sure you that this is not the least de-
sirable one more ANON"