The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1904-03-31

lOosa would be greatly benefited.
The inter-urban line proposition is
nothing new. 1t has been tried and
experience shows that it is good
thing for all parties concerned. In
dianapolis is one Of the most import
ant inter-urban centers in the coun-
try and from its experience can be
gotten much OF benefit to the people
of Oskaloosa. Recently one of the
papers in that city contained an ar
ticle on this question which we would
commend to the careful consideration
of every citizen of Oskaloosa.
indianapolis is now city Of one
million inhabitants.
This is not to say that if a census
taIer were to go through the streets
of Indianapolis and carefully count
every man, woman and Child he would
find one million inhabitants.
"On the contrary it is to say more.
1T u, to say that Indianapolis is
the CT ter, the shopping headquarters
for one million buyers, and by buyers
one naturally means men and women
with money in their possession ana
full enough matured to be responsi-
BILE purchasers.
"Of course there are not one mil
lion souls housed in Indianapolis DOM
iciles-no one would intimate such a
thing. But the point is nevertheless
Of equal Importance.
ut means that this city draws up
on territory in which one million men
and women reside who naturally look
to indianapolis merchants to supply
them with all their needs and neces-
sities-their food, their clothing, their
hats, their shoes, their dresses, and,
incidentally, their amusement.
I'm connection with this latter man
ayers of local theaters admit that 20
per cent of their patronage at every
performance is made up of residents
Of the vast field penetrated by the
inter-urban roads that center in In
dianapolis.
"These figures are not in any sense
speculative. They are hard facts -
facts that can not be denied, facts
that must be admitted.
'"They were compiled by experts
for the use of vast financial interests
who contemplate risking their mil
lions on such facts as these.
Therefore they are facts.
They were gathered by agents OF
the Arnold Electric Power Station
company of Chicago, and, in turn, af-
ter additional investigation, were
printed as absolutely authentic in the
columns of the Engineering and Rail-
way Review, publication known far
and wide as the most dependable and
authoritative publication of the kind
in the country.
"This magazine says:
at will be noticed that the inter
urban lines are conferred thickest
about Indianapolis, there being eight
in operation at present, covering a
total length of 524 miles of road. The
number of daily passenger trains en-
tering the city over these lines is
1853, and there are the same number
of trains leaving the city. Some OF
these roads are operating cars sixty
feet in length. and sleeping and buff
fet cars have been introduced into the
service.
1.-THE freight business of Indian
apolis over the inter-urban electric
lines during the last year amounted
to $150,000. The transportation OF
coal on standard steam road cars
drawn by electric locomotives over
these electric lines is in contempla.
ton, and two roads which will han
die such business, principally, are
now under construction, and three
more are in contemplation.
"Tt is estimated that during the
year 1903 these eight electric lines
carried 100000 passengers into and
out of the city, or more than twice
as many as were carried by the steam
roads, and that they have added the
equivalent Of 100000 population to
Indianapolis for trading purposes.
The gross earnings reported for these
roads was $3.50, 000.'"