Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-11-16
FIRST CAR.
Ravenna Received It With Great
Enthusiasm.
A New Condition Thrust Upon the Town---How
Merchant Viewed It.

Cannons doomed and flags futtereu
at Ravenna Friday afternoon as If it
were the Fourth of July. And the en-
thusiasm was not of n roistering kind,
either. 1t was the honest expression
of a feeling nourished many years by
hope and expanded by realization into
robustness that made the old town
ring with joy. A new zeal was infused
into the 1901 people of Ravenna to
redouble their efforts to annex the
1850 people Of Kent, and delegates
from that village were on hand to
state that the next census would bring
out fact long ago predicted.
And, incidentally, the N. o. T. Go.
was made the lion of the hour. 1t was
invited to lay off its wraps and make
itself perfectly at home in Ravenna
For had 1t not given the town street
car line connected IL with Akron-and
was Il not planning to connect Ravenna
with Youngstown via Garrettsville,
Warren and other towns? A big, long
car. filed with officials of the N. o. ~.
Co. and guests from Akron, Cuyahogn
Falls and Ravenna, glided into the lat
ter town Friday afternoon, at $3.50, like
,rnnI tiIinUa tn
nounce officially that Ravenna had q
street car line, and that the service
would begin Saturday morning. Wher
the cannon had ceased to roar, every
body went to the Court House, where
the Mayor aud other citizens of Raven
na welcomed the n. o. II. Co. into the
town, and expressed their appreciation
of what It had done.
The results of the new condition
which the street car introduces int,
Ravenna, however Is being AWAITED
with great deal of interest and spec
ulation. 1t Is a serious matter wit
the merchants of the town, but the
. are yet In the dark as to what the out
come will be. Some have Predicts
!, that their trade will be reduced by tn
> opportunity street cars give Ravenn
people to do much of their shoppln
in Akron. This condition could nc
have been handled with better shoN
q of patriotism for his town than In tn
, words of Mr.. ID. Nj, Clewell, who col
ducts one Of the largest dry good
stores in Ravenna, lie said Friday
Il do not believe our merchants wi
be affected dlsastrously by the stree
ear line We have been connecte
with other towns by steam roads, an
l have never noticed very strong II
cllnatlon on the part of our people
so to other towns to do their shol
ping. Yet had believed this cond
ton would follow the advent of II
electric line, could not have foun
II possible TO object to an
i, thing which insured our town Ion
step forward In modern convenience
| am heartily glad the street cars hay
20 come, and predict tnat We Will nev,
regret having granted the franchi
for the roads construction"
- Mayor ID. l.. Rockwell, OF Kent, WI
~ disposed TO mix some humor into n
remarks, yet he predicted good resul
40 from the new line ms means of brln
o. ing the two rival towns closer, In mo
as ways than one. For some time"
said to the citizens OF Ravenna "y,
will be annoyed by the conduct
o., your horses when they meet cars, a,
no you will often ind yourselves Stc
nj ping to watch the ears ms they
swiftly by, but you VIII soon outgrC
this. We passed through the exp,
re. fence at Kent several years ago CA
mic plause) The boys used to say In Ke
IRE when they saw horse trying to clir
o.