Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1904-12-15
FIRST TROLLEY CAR
ON MILL STEEET
4" Mill street =

Mill stIeet!''
The exclamation was made in ring
ing tones by conductor on the Dan
vile and Bloombsurg trolley line, last
night.
His car was the first to run through
to the intersection of Bloom and Mil
streets. Hence his jubilant shout.
The long expected had really occur.
red
1t was exactly 8: :25 O'Clock.
The car was packed from end to end
with passengers. There was stand
ing room only, and hardly that. Both
platforms and all the steps were crowd
ed. number of boys clung to iron
rods at the rear of the car. The only
space not occupied was the roof. The
trip around the Bloom street curve,
down A" street, through the sub
way, along Walnut street to Mill was
made with ease. Not the slightest
trouble was encountered enroute.
When the car stopped the motorman
pulled the string and permitted the
whistle to get in several minutes solid
work. It's thrilling tones on the crisp
air, was the first notice that many had
of the arrival of the first trolley car
to Mill street
Tuesday nights extreme cold wealth
er caused another delay in getting the
Bloom street switch in position and
the work of making the feed wire con-
nection at that point. Orders were
given during the afternoon for every
man employed in laying the switch to
report for duty that night, in order
that the work might be pushed to a
finish with the utmost speed
1t wasn't pleasant order to re-
ceive. The workmen were already |
tired and chilled through. The thought |
of homes and warm stoves were more |
to their liking, than that of having to |
resume work again at night and when
mercury was lowering around the zero |
mark. American members of the crew !
readily consented to turn out and work /
all night if necessary, but the Italian
portion of the gang revolted and en-
phatically refused to subject them
selves to the bitter elements. "We no
workee, " too much colde; by and by
a boxe - they said. Interpreted the
expression is this 1--WE will not work
at night when the weather is so cold.
If we do we will get sick, die and be
put in bcx." The few men who went
to work continued at it until 10
o'clock, Notwithstanding the stinging,
frosty air. But the work was not com
pleted, and it took the full crew until
4 o'clock yesterday afternoon to finish
laying the switch. AT about the same
portion of track requiring straighten-
ing and strengthening to be attended
to. A portion of the rails on a.
street and extending along Walnut to
Bloom, thence to Mill were covered !
with ice and snow to a depth that
made them invisible. They had TO be
dug for, and it was necessary to clean
them before cars could be run over the
line A crew of men commenced clean
ing the rails shortly after dinner and
it took them until 4 80 o'clock to
reach Mill street, and an hour later
to reach the crossing of the D. l.. &
W. 1t was impossible for the men
with picks and scrapers to remove the
ice sufficiently for the current to have
any effect OH the wheels of the cars,
so to expedite matters a heavy layer
of salt was scattered along both rails
the entire length of the frozen track.
Then it was up to the salt as to the
length of time that must of necessity
intervene before the cars could run to
Mill street.