New-York tribune., 1902-12-06
TROLLEYS IN MAINE.
INCREASE IN EXTENT OF
ROAD CONSTRUCTED AND VOL
rAfE OF BUSINESS DONE.


r,neor Me Dec CspeciaD-It is expected that
-.hin the next year two hundred miles of electric
.nnavs will be built in Maine. making a total
raga for the State of five hundred The progress
y. .bs trolley in Maine has been remarkable in
% ,oe+ few years, and in sections il is
.ng competitor Of the steam roads for passenger
81 Al present the competition is for
-a+ivelv short distances. but by the building of
t-ec-fng links between various lines and the
+-7,ction of new lines there will soon be estab-
shed systems covering extensive territory, and the
.onoly of the steam roads in passenger traffic
will be broken
Co-,e Of the most influential in the State
= IN control of the largest and most profitable
g.s and are enthusiastic over the proposed ex-
,,-s Governor Hill is the largest holder of
,ctric railway stock in the State. being principal
rer in three OF the most important lines. and
se,nr now engaged in making arrangements for
=, building Of extensions OF those lines aggregat-
.- one hundred miles of track. J. Manchester
IJernes and George F. Macomber. of Augusta, and
TTrfiaun T Cobb, of Rockland, associated with
-overnor Hill in the ownership Of these properties
tbe Rockland. Thomaston and Camden; Augusta,
r-intbrop and Gardiner. and the Portsmouth. Kit
,srv and York systems, with sixty-hve miles now
IN operation
The Rocklaud. Thomaston and Camden and the
.,,rrusts Winthrop and Gardiner are in Knox and
,fanuebe. counties respectively. and it is the in
.sntion 10 connect the two next spring by thirty
-~slpn rh- y
- brouehr within forty-ive miles of each other.
tns+ one-half the present distance by the steam
road
THOMAS J Lynch. F. c. Kinsman, H G. Staples
and c r whitten. of Augusta, and Fred s.
-sorne OF Gardiner are to build two lines from
.s.s-s 70 WaterviIle a distance of twenty miles.
one on either side Of the Kennebec River A road
i 70 be built in Aroostook County. connecting
zsveral Important towns: one in Hancock County,
from Ellsworth to Castine; extension OF the
g-A i--rrn O-r n
Frankfort, and several other short lines AT pres
an+ there is continuous system OF electric roads
erora Brunswick TO Portland and thence to Bidde-
ford saco and York. In the near future, by the
building Of line between Gardiner and Brunswick
~. system will be made continuous from Augusta
- york trayersins the most thickly populated
s.c-on Of the State on route practically parallel
with the steam roads.
IN the early history Of electric street railroadng
IN Maine the growth was not phenomenal In the
isst five years however. the development has been
steady and rapid. In the year 1897 there were l43
miles % electric railroads in operation Since that
time there has been constructed 2o47 miles in ad-
sition making 3i7.12 miles now in operation
In the construction and equipment OF the street
rafIHays of the State more than s10e0.oo has been
sxnen6ed and yet the aggregate bonded indebted
ness Of the nineteen systems In existence is now
onlv g 5I7 g. The total amount of capital repre-
ssnte By the s0fk shst sss OefP W be ae seen
therefore that the capital necessary 70 bullo the
trolley lines are owned by savings banks tnus IN N.
institutions have confidence in the stability ana
future growth of the roads else IS & fneg "ouio not
The largest trolley system in Maine at present Is
Yarmouth. in Cumberland County. through Port
land. Old Orchard, Saco, and INTO Biddeforo, Ihe
running 70 Cape Elizabeth and to sebago Lake
snd besides thoT9ughy a oSEsrs shs f e1 Gt IS
fraction less than ninety miles but the CON-
ssnY ss oos oost of OF si ss system s 70
a2El54 ls and the bonded Indebtedness is g 100 600
fnctiveiy a Portland enterprise
The second largest system Of trolley lines in the
State is the Lewiston Brunswick and Bath road
II extends from the city of Auburn in Androscoggn
eR5 through m ss dfT msMSfof OF spGh aa It has
niles of track. There has been expended in IN the M
ss IBs senGsd Ss tls de5t Is sos 81
eonstIucted by amos r GeIa5o adi,e ana - ia Nafne
assisted by New-York capitalists, who are now
Of Augusta; is the president. and E Burton , Hart
aad dReGeoFs = s board I'd Of directors The line car
ried more than four million passengers the last
re PnbIic Works Company OF Bangor. which is
centroiled BY the General Electric Company; and
the promoter Of tie gigantic canal enterprise at
saut Ste Marie in Canada now controls three ;s OF
total mileage Of about thirty miles. Besides con-
the electric and gas lighting business Of Bangor
and surrounding towns The other Penobscot
troIed by F. O. Beal. ex-Maycr of Bangor. and
prominent IN the business circles of that city for
many years This road runs from Bangor for
twenty-six miles into the heart Of the farming
territory Of that part Of the State. The road is
intended more as q freight road than it is for the
carrying Of passengers. as many manufacturing
establishments along its route .
The most eastern electric railroad in the United
States is the Calais Street Railway. connecting
Calais. Ne. and St. Stephen. n. B. This road is
seven miles long. The other roads OF the State are
located in Somerset. Oxford and York counties
The annual reports of electric railroads of the
State for the last year have been received at the
nface OF the Railroad Commissioners in this city
and viii later be Incorporated in the annual report
OF the board. 10 be issued about the first OF the
year From these reports 1t is learned that all the
trolley lines OF Maine carried % 4s0654 Messengers
from July / 1901 to June So 1902 In 1897 the four
teen roads then in operation carried l3esisse pas
sengers. The gross earnings for the last year ag-
Eregated 81 ~ o4s g. and the operating expenses
amounted to S.o35194 g. Five years ago the gross
earnings amounted TO sT70s14 is and the operating
expenses s527eS4 A. The earnings In the last
wear were s413S49 TO- which is in the neighborhood
Of per cent the total cost of construction The
net earnings in 1897 s242 929 70 The trolley
hnes of the State are now earning a little more
than per cent their bonded Indebtedness. which
means that they more than self-s11staining,
though yet in the infancy OF their DEVELOPMENT.