The Saint Paul globe., 1903-07-26

When, In the fall of 1874. group OF
citizens stood on Lafayette avenue,
near the bridge and watched Gerard
Hewitt wave with a fine flourish MS
whip over the back of a wiry little
horse, and saw the queer little box
like structure that it drew move down
the track with dignity, they assured
each other that st. Paul was really
coming on. For hadn't it now street
line like the big towns further East
And didn't the system boast new sta
bles and car barn, four cars and a
half dozen horses? Mr.. Hewitt's in
itial trip covered just one and a halt
miles. His horse sauntered leisurely
albeit with pride. UP Locust. Seventh,
Jackson, Fourth and Fort streets, to
Ann street. drawing the car over a
single track which could not have been
remarkably level, for tradition says
that passengers suffered many an un-
seemly jolt, and not unfrequently the
car was derailed and traffic thereby
suspended for an hour at a time.
Those early cars were ten feet long
and could seat about twelve people.
The driver was also conductor, and
since he could not collect fares and
drive too. small. padlocked box for
holding street car tickets and nickels
was nailed to the left of the door
which opened on the front platform.
Thieves in those days found this box
an irresistible temptation. so that the
street car drivers were permitted to
carry a revolver. One thief at least
came to grief through his efforts to
loot this box. for before he could get
away with it he was shot in the leg by
the driver.
Doubtless when the big, modern cars
swing down Fifth street today or glide
up the Selby avenue hill, men and
women who twenty-nine years ago
rode in the little one-horse cars con-
trast the two vehicles and marvel at
the street cars evolution. And they
have reason to marvel. Less than
thirty years ago one and one half
miles Of track sufficed for the city's
needs. Today the street car system,
like some giant insect. all legs,
stretches these limbs out in every df-
rection from the heart Of the city.
But the newest street cars today
have one convenience that was not
needed by the street cars Of those
earlier days. This convenience is the
little brass bound openings. just large
enough for a hand to grasp, on the
aisle corner of each seat. 1t enables a
passenger to stand with tolerable
firmness in the aisle when all the car
seats are occupied, st. Paul people
have asked for seat and been given a
brace. but the irony of little BRASS
bound openings seems not to have
struck the general public yet. The
old-fashioned cars were seldom crowd
ed, however. and, though they were
provided with straps. these straps
were seldom grasped.
The original street car corporation In
st. Paul was known as the st. Paul
Street Railway company. About 1876
the company built line from Fourth
and Wabasha streets UP Wabasha and
College avenue to the corner of Rice
street and College avenue. In 1879 the
line from Rice and Wabasha was ex-
nue.. Nelson avenue and Western ave-
nue., to the corner of Western and Ash
land avenues. For it's construction
property owners contributed bonus
of about $1,000 These contributions
did not exceed $50 from each individ-
ual. One man contributed $40, and it
is related that he visited the company s
office ten times to inquire about the
fate of his money, expressing each
time a fear that the members of the
company would leave the town with
the money and not build the car line.
Two years before this bonus was
raised the property of the company
had been placed in the hands Of a
trustee for the bondholders. The
mortgage was foreclosed. and the
company was reorganized by the
bondholders, who purchased the prop
erty at a sale, under the name of the
ST. Paul City Railway company. i
The entire stock of the company was
bought in the spring of 1882 by syn
dieate composed Of Thomas Lowry,
William r. Merriam, Herman Greene
Greeve, Ansel Oppenheim and Francis
B. Clark. AT this time twelve cars
We're in operation. All the other stock
holders were subsequently bought out
by Thomas Lowry and several addi-
tional lines were constructed. In 1880
the whole roadway had been rebuilt
with double track on what was sub