The evening times., 1900-03-27
GENBVA'S ELECTRIC ROAD
Evidences of American Enterprise
i'm a Foreign City.
THE Venture Of Henry Il. Butters. of
san FranciscO-FOrmS Traction
Company. which Now Possesses an
Apparently Valuable street Fran
chise-Miles of Excellent Track.


Benjamin H. Ridgely American Consul
10 Geneva. in a letter to the Department q
state, writes of an electric street railway
constructed under American auspices. a.
follows:
Within six months an electric street
railway. projected by citizen of San Fran.
cisco, and constructed by an American
electrical engineer. will be in operation il
Geneva.
Some two and half years ago Henry
E. Buffers. of San Francisco, Cal who has
been connected with the construction and
exploitation OF street railways in Cape
Town and the City Of Mexico. was in Gen
eva. He found a congested population,
badly serN ed by old fashioned steam tram
ways and horse cars. and the idea Of Sc
curing control Of the franchise of the prin-
cipal companies and organizing new COM
pany for the operation of a street railway
system on the American plan at once oc-
CURED to him.
The interest of local capitalists was en-
Mir. Buffers and his associates had secured
a controlling interest in the Narrow Gauge
Street Railway Company of Geneva which
owns and operates some 44.74 miles in the
city and suburbs. The projectors also Sc
cured an option on the franchise and prop
erty of the Compagnie Generate des Tram
ways Suisses which owns and operates
1856 miles in The heart of the city and its
envirOns. The price TO be paid. If the right
under this option is to be exercised. as il
doubtless will be, is 81 254. 500. The pro-
jectors have also secured a federal charter
under the title of Compagnie Genevoise des
Trsmways Electriques. and obtained con
cessions to lay their tracks on some OF the
finest streets and quays in the city. in
Guiding the famous Rue du Rhone and Quai
des BergueS.
They also secured the right to con-
stluct and operate line on the famous
lakeside drive from Geneva to Nersoix q
distance Of some 5.44 miles past the fine
villas and chsteaus Of the wealthy and
aristocratic classes.
The new company was organized with a
capital stock OF $g65 000. but none OF the
stock has YET been issued or sold al
though it has probably been largely appor-
for the construction is. being furnished
by the Paris Bank Of South Africa. Lon
don capitalists are also interested in the
venture. and il is likely that the new com
pany in a short time viii own and control
all the street car lines in the city and
canton OF Geneva
To put existing options into effect. to
construct and equip all these lines on the
American plan, and TO exploit the extra
entail a total expenditure of about 81
AH5. 000. The company would then have
about So miles of road traversing the city
in every direction and serving the entire
canton. The total population amounts TO
about $4,000. The canton is next to the
smallest Of the Swiss confederation, and
has only about twelve square miles OF ter
ritory. The lines would also cross the
frontier into France and would serve vari-
Gus small towns in the French depart
ments OF Haut Savoie and Ain.
The engineer under whose management
and direction the new lines are being con-
stTucted is stephen .. Field. OF New York
and Boston. The work is progressing and
nine miles of track have already been laid
One. at least of the new lines will be i'm
operation 10y June l. The American over
head trolley system is being used and the
American system of conduits for under
ground cables. for the first time in EurOpe.
The charter Of the new company re-
quires that the materials used in the con-
structiOn be bought either from Swiss
manufacturers or from Swiss houses rep
resenting foreign manufacturers. This for
the moment virtually bars United States
manufacturers. as no American concern
has a Swiss agency. Up to this time all
rails have been bought In Germany and
all contracts for the construction OF cars
have been placed with Swiss agencies of
German builders. The cars. however are
being built on the American plan and one
ear has. by special permission. been ship
ped here from the manufactory OF the Brill
Company in Philadelphia. France is large
ly furnishing the wire. The only American
material that has vet been used is the
Brown Edison plastic rail bond
Although Geneva has a large water pow
er force for generating electricity ii is
not believed that this plant Will be able 10
furnish sufficient electric power for the
new street railway. Mr. Field also thinks
that the price asked by the city-2 3-S
cents per kilowatt hour-is unreasonably
high. Electricity can probably be DrOduc
ed by steam in Geneva for from 1-6 to
] 6-S cents per kilowatt hour. and Mr..
Field is willing TO pay centimes. The
question is yet 10 be adjusted.
The tariff for street railway transpor-
tation in Geneva is fixed at 2 cents per pas
senger for the first five-eighths of a mile,
and ] cent for each succeeding kilOmeter.
Experts who have studied the situation do
not doubt the profitable result of the en-
terpTise.
The company has Office at 43 Thread
needle Street. in London. but its stock is
NOT vet issued and is not for sale -