The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-07
AUTOS ARE
READY.
Shriners Will Be
First To
Ride.
REDUCED FARES
ARE ANNOUNCED
Boundaries are Extended in all
Directions and Better
Speed Assured.
UroMoB1LE hacks are now spin

lu to the wonderment of the old
hack horses and the decrepit mules of
the tramways system. which seem to re-
alze that the horseless age has struck
Honolulu in earnest. Manager l.. L.
Grant of the Hawaiian Automobile Com
pany, Limited, wore a happy smile yes
terday afternoon as he watched his hacks
whizzing along King street In front OF
the automobile station "autoed' by criv-
ers who have become quite expert after
a weeks training under Expert Instruct
or r. c.. Searles of Chicago.
The public, however, will not have an
the Shriners arrive in Honolulu next
week. Manager Grant is Shriner him.
self and believes in having his twenty
auto hacks christened by the Shriner
pilgrims Then they will become public
property, cheaper rates of fare Will go
| into effect and distances Will be covered
! in much shorter space of time than
! by the present system of horse hacks.
The first hack to be put to public use
was one which carried a theater party
on Tuesday consisting of Manager Grant
and trends. The hack took its place in
the long line of hacks while waiting
for the outpourng of the crowds in the
Opera House, and attracted much at
tention from passeIsby and the drivers
of the horse hacks.
The feature which will attract the most
attention from the average HonCluian
who patronizes public conVeyances Will
be the great reduction in the rates OF
fare. The Automobile Company extends
its mits far beyond those made by the
old hackmen. The old 25-cent limit from
the center of the business section was
as far as Thomas Square. The Automo-
bile Company proposes to take it's pas
sengers to Piilloi, or a quarter of block
further, way, and as far as the tte-
form School in the opposite direction.
For so cents one can ride out on KING
street and the Waikiki road as far as
John Ena's place, and almost to the end
of King and Beretania streets, while the
same rateaof fare will carry one far be-
lyond the kamehameha Schools. The 10
cent schedule carries one to Napiolani
lark. and beyond that it is 81. The Pc
. cert rate also holds good as far as Judd
TLflI, on Nuuanu street around the base
of Punchbowl and almost to the Makik
cemetery.
/ All was hustle and work yesterday at
the automobile station on King street.
The twenty public hacks were being
prepared for actual service, and the
charging apparatus was being tested.
The building is constructed of concrete
and iron The main portion of the build
ing is devoted to space for the various
vehicles. On the Waikiki side of this
room is a row of battery devices at
tached to the wall. The smaller We
hicles can be run close up to these, wires
attached to a battery already carried by
the vehicle and charged without remov-
ing it, For the heavier vehicles there
is another station in the rear of the main
building, which is partitioned off. Here
the batteries, each containing forty stor-
age cells, charged and made ready
for use in vehicles whenever necessary.
A travelling crane runs the full length
of the room Waikiki and wa-wards op-
Grated by compressed air. From this
dangle four chains with iron hooks. The
latter are attached to slots in the bat
terry and the whole affair is carried for
ward until it is deposited upon two L.
shaped rails. These work on hinges.
When a hack is run up to the charging
platform at right angles, the L-bars are
lowered, graphing with two slots on
each side of the carriage steps and di-
rectly in line with the space beneath the
carriage bed where the battery is car
ried. The battery when placed upon the
L-bars, is pushed into position by COM
pressed air piston. the panels of the
carriage are readjusted, the wires at
tached, and within five minutes the dr1v-
er is ready to whiz away on another
call. There is always sufficient room in
the building for the autos to be maneu-
Vcred forward or backwards, and exits
can be made either by the front or the
I rear doors.
There are twenty public hacks, each
properly numbered, i've runahouts, one
tallyho and one surrey. Fourteen nlen
have already been trained to drive these
vehicles, and more will be initial ted into
the mysteries of the lever immed ately,
in order that day and night shifts may
be apportioned. The men will be uni
fFNrr nod IN, Izz,,IN l.
trousers of the same material and
brown cloth caps, to which will he at
tached the metal numbers of the drivers.
There is small army of applicants, and
Manager Grant is choosing his men with
care.
The hacks are roomy, easy Of ingress
and eSress, and there is sufficient room
for three persons in each seat II neces-
sary. Riding in them is q pleasure which
is not derived in the olo-style hacks.
They can be closed in in stormy weather,
preventing the passengers from being
orenchea. Ihey are mounted on springs
OF the finest temper and there is little
or no jar even when the hacks are be-
, ing driven at high rate of speed. In
the downtown district, or that boun led
by Maunakea, Beretania ami Punchbowl
streets and the waterfront two passen-
gers VIII be carried for 25 cents and
each additional passenger, 10 cents.
The following boundaries and rates
will be observed by the Automobile
Company:
18th. To or from any point in or te-
tween Beretania street and the harbor
and between Maunakea and Punchbow
streets; for either one or two passen.
!, gers, % cents. For each additional pas.
\ senger, 10 cents
18th. To and from any point between
the second bridge, Nuuanu avenue aid
kunawai lane on Lliha street, and the
harbor, and between the Reformatory
School on the Eva road and the line Of
Victoria street on the Waikiki side moi
exceeding one miles from the starting
point, for each passenger, Is cents.
18th. Outside these limits, not exceed
irg two miles from the starting point
for each person. so cents; beyond twi
J. miles, Is cents per mile, or fraction
: thereof, for each passenger. Where ne
al Il f-c min