The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1901-11-12

"a NEW i3CtOr mat must soon
~ be taken into consideration In
~ connection with the good
e roads problcIu is the rapid OK.
tension OF the electric traction syS.
TENS into the rural districts. Not
content with the immense volume and
earnings OF the intramural systems.
the street railway interests have in
vaded the country with long interur.
ban lines that are already projected
all the way across large States.
These street railways or electric
traction roads are not to be ignored
by the good roads workers. They
must be studied for the purpose OF
determining the effect they will have
upon highway travel, whether toward
increasing or decreasing it's volume.
or as reducing the length of haul by
horse and wagon, and changing its
direction.
Practically all of these railways par
allel important public highways be.
tween the principal cities and towns.
Many or them have franchises from
the State, granting the right of con.
Struction and operation directly on the
public highways, while others own
part OF them in the shape of purchased
rights OF way. The cars on these
lines transport passengers from town
TO town, or between the points on the
roads as comfortably more cheaply.
and almost as quickly as the steam
cars between stations. and far more
quickly and agreeable than the trip.
long or short, can be made by horse
and buggy or wagon. IL seems obvi-
Gus, therefore, that the electric roads
VIII tend to reduce the light passenger
travel along the wagon roads which
they parallel.
But the traction companies are not.
by any means, content with passen-
ger business alone. They have al
ready embarked in the express and
light freighting traffic, despite the le-
gal obstacles which are being thrown
IN their way by the steam railroad
companies, whose contentious have
been defeated In the Supreme Cour;
or Ohio. This freighting or express
business promises in the near future
TO become more profitable to the roads
than the transporting Of passengers.
and to grow more rapidly in volume.
II cannot be doubted that this draws
wagon traffic from the parallel high
ways.
AS yet few, if any, of the electric
roads have attempted to embark in
the heavy freighting business in this
country, though it has been done in
Europe
We may safely predict, however
that in time the traction companies
Will attempt to secure much of This
business also, unless legal restrictions
debar them, for they can operate as
cheaply as the steam roads. and i'm
many cases they have advantages oyc;.
the latter in facilities for handlipr
such freight.
However, if the intcrurban roads TO-
duce the travel between towns ON the
highways which they parallel. they
Will surely increase the travel on the
cross roads leading from the farms
10 the railways, and which act MS
feeders TO the steel ways. This will
also undoubtedly increase the volume
or travel on the roads reaching from
the villages off the lines of the electric
ana steam roads to those through
which these lines extend.
Good road advocates have no reason
Tor becoming apprehensivc that the
extension OF the interurban electric
railways Will cause any OF the wagon
roads to be abandoned and TO fall into
decay. While they seem likely to
reduce traffic on some OF the main
thoroughfares connecting towns, their
effect Will be to increase the number
of short hauls in the aggregate on
others. II is, at any rate, factor in
the highway Improvement movement
that may be studied TO advantage.
The progress being made here and
abroad in the manufacture OF practi-
cal and economical steam and caso.
| line trucks and Tories" rs well MS
passenger coaches, for the Transports
ton Of freight and passengers on the
! public highways offers the good roads
/ enthusiast sufficient guarantee for q
I counteracung influence tending TO
| give the interurban wagon way q now
/ importance. II Will probably then
| come to a struggle between the opera.
/ tor OF the motor stage and the elcc.
| trio traction companies TO decide
/ which Of them can reduce the cost
I Of operation TO the lowest point.-u
I w. Perry in the Good Roads Maya
/ zinc.