The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1901-09-03
ELECTRIC
CARS RUN
Rapid Transit Is
Under Full
Swing.

Honolulu have taken ride upon the
electric cars. All Saturday afternoon
and Sunday the new vehicles have traV-
ersed the lines of the road and have
carried their full limit of passengers.
The cars of the most finished construc-
ton, were carrying all day yesterday
from 100 to $50 people on each trip. Ana
to the credit of the new conductors they
got fair share of the nickels to which
the company is entitled. These are
great days for the people of the city,
and without respect to race or color
there has been a trolley party for each
person who was possessed of sufficient
curiosity and nickel to take the ride.
The opening of the Rapid Transit
Company's line of electric cars marks
an era in the new Honolulu. 1t was
accomplished with ceremonies which
drew to the power house Of the cor
poration the leading people of the city
and when these were completed, there
was an excursion over the route of the
road. from the power house to l.liiha
and Judd streets, back to College Hills
and return to the barns. 1t was a
day OF congratulation for the stock
holders and officials OF the company
and of jollifcation for the people, In
fact the day might well have been called
a trollification.
The inauguration OF the service was
accomplished with music and oratory
The band was in attendance and was
given the place of honor in the power
house where the ceremonies took place
and then when the cars were started
over the road the first OF the line bore
the music makers At the central sta
ton there was a large gathering and
the people heard the originator of the
idea tell of the success of the endeaNors
of those who made the trolley car a
possibility for Honolulu, and then saw
the Governor of the Territory turn the
throttle which sent the steam on its
way to accomplish the generation of
the electric power which sent it's Vibra- e
tions along the copper conductors, and
finally moved tue vehicles which climb
ed grades and sped along the levels
bearing their hundreds OF passengers.
And there were many of these hun
dreds They began to gather ut the
power house shortly after luncheon and
kept coming until after the ceremonies
in the main had been concluded. These
were only a small part of the multi
tude which was Interested in the inau'
guration of the new rapid service. Al
along the streets were other thousands
who shouted their welcome to the
-----,'-- and bouNa 49, -.s''
power which propelled them. As so0r
as the first parade of the cars with in
vited guests had been finished, and the
regular traffic of the road was begun
there were as many people who strOve
for the seats as there were when the
inaugural parade started So II was all
Saturday evening and when the cars
were housed the people had to be put
off the carriers.
But there was another day. and u
holiday too and bright and early yes
terday morning, when the cars began
their regular trips there was seen to be
a ready crowd. which wanted to test the
smoothness of the line and the capac-
ity of the cars All day long there was
the same story to tell. cars on the
line ran with their full limit OF capac-
ity, even the running boards being lin
ed with men and boys Some cars ran
with a counted crowd of l52. while 9th
ers carried 147. 135 and few as low as 100
people. There was "A happy class OF
folk out too. for they laughed and
shouted their greetings to the friends
along the streets, and generally made
themselves as merry as possible
OF course there We're accidents, but
the days record was unusually clean,
for not a person was hurt badly. This
was due in great part to the fact that
there had been issued orders which
compelled the mOtormen to stop and
wait for the quieting of any fractions
horses which might want To give trou-
BILE. Twice were Oriental hacks knock
ed out OF commission, but i'm no case
was the car directly responsible for the
accident At Hotel and Smith streets
early in the afternoon Japanese tried
to cross in front of a car, after he had
stopped once and then the car ran him
down and demolished the vehicle Lat
er in the day a Chinese could not con-
troll his horse when car came up with
him, and the result was the wrecking
of the carriage at Hotel ana Richards
streets. a private carriage was over
turned at Wilder avenue and Makik
streets, but though several persons were
thrown out none We're badly injured
The new men did their work with pre-,
cision, the only thing which could have
been bettered being the keeping the
boys off the car. but this would have
been "A task worthy of older men in the
service, and so it. was that not all the
fares which should have gone into the
Golfers of the corporation We're collect
ed. But this was to be expected upon
the first day and the men showed such
Willingness and accuracy in their gem
eral work that it viii be but short
time until the system is in the finest
shape.
And this should be the result. FOR
without doubt there is not in the whole
or the country such a road. The first
train run over the new bed developed
the fact that II was a solid as any OLD
road In the world, in fact. The rails ar,
as heavy as are used on some of tn,
best railroads, and the track. laid upor