The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-11-08
OUR ELECTRIC CARS.
Jealous Neighbors Make Light Of
Our Enterprise.

Knoxville Express: Philosophers
have denounced the modern hurry to
get through life as a species OF mn
sanity and the most aggravatedscases
of It are grouped under the name of
Americanitis--a mania for hurry,
worry and furry. Our neighboring
city of OskaIoosa seems to have it in
an aggravated form. They are talk
ing of electric street cars. In the
days when life was leisurely and there
was time to live, somebody started
street car line in Oskaloosa. The
motive power at first was two horses.
One day 1t was reported Though the
matter was never exactly veriHed)
that the reckless speed of the street
car had almost caused tail.en col
lision with funeral proc ession. Aft
er thislthe management traded one
of the horses for balky and irritable
mule, and no collision has happened
since. That was many years ago
how many, history fails to state--but
the same old mule and horse still pull
the car. However, it is not the same
car. AT first it was simply a wagon
with hay rack, but as the town
grew more metropolitan the Rock
Island gave the street car company
an old, broken box car that had been
lying on its side on a vacant lot, the
lodging house of the town hogs dur
ing the winter months. 1t is still in
use, and when Oskaloosa people are
away from home they take great
pride in speaking of the street cars.
OF course they can't say that the
cars "pass the house every fifteen
because their one solitary
car doesn't pass street corner every
fifteen minutes. Speed is not the
strong point of Oskaloosa's one street
car, nevertheless it has it's good
points. Ladies can ride until they
come to "the store" make their
dress goods purchase and catch the
car in half a block or so. On Satur-
days it 10 much frequented by small
children whose mothers haven't the
time or inclination to take care of
them.
Provided with a lunch and a car
ticket, the child can ride all day and
not get out of sight of the house. In
Chicago they go on the trolley cars
and take IAN outing for a dime;" in
Oskaloosa people go out on pleasant
evenings, put up a nickel and ride
until ten O'Clock, get off and walk
home in five minutes. They never
nave to pay another fare in the same
evening, because they never reach |
he end of the line. In fact the car
doesn't make the trip in one day but
the horse, mule and driver outspan
and rest for the night wherever bed
lime happens to catch them. But
speed is of little consequence, as the
natives never use the car unless they
nave the time to burn; when on bust
less they walk. A stranger from
Colorado arrived in Oskaloosa some |
'ears ago to visit relatives, and |
brought with him a jack-rabbit to
children. He inquired for
/ streetEcar, and was directed to the |
gloomy old sarcophagus lying at
Inchor in the street just north of the
lepot. He boarded the craft, and |
he anchor was raised. The jack
abbit, fastened in its coop with a
tring around it's neck, he left on the
ear platform. Time passed. The
ce-wagons were replaced by cord
wood vans, the seasons changed, there
we're rumors of foreign wars and
Domestic discord. At last the western
nan reached his destination, no long
r in the hey-day of youth, but well
reserved man of middle age. But
10 looked in vain for his jack-rabbit.
d the lapse of time it had grown to
e big!gray mule, the string had
eveloped into rope halter, and the
lule wasicontentedly led along be-
ind the car. Strangers occupied the
ouse, and told him that his relatives
ad long since moved away. And
ow all this pleasant life is to be
hanged. Instead of the pleasant
ray of the street car mule, Oska-
rosa pines for the rancous clang of
ne trolley-car bell, and speed that
ill enable people to get home in
me for supperithe same day. That's
worry and furry. All the
,mance and sentiment will soon be
rushed out of Oskaloosa, and every
hing be on dead level of prosaic
tility.
Banker Routs Robber
J. r. Garrison, cashier of the bank of