The Oskaloosa herald., 1905-01-05
TAKIN ON CITY AIRS
Farming Communities Being Bene-
fitted by Interurban.

ing to an estimate lately MADE Wy
the Census Bureau, or the total popu-
lation of about eighty millions OF the
continental United States In N9OS,
nearly twentysix millions were in
cities of 10000 inhabitants and over.
OF these cities, 1873 in number, 163
enlarged their limits by the annexa-
ton of outlying territory between
1900 and 1903, the annexed area ag-
gregating toward four hundred thous-
and acres.
Meanwhile the practical suburban
areas have been increasing mucn
more greatly in extent and in popula-
ton. For example, the territory d.
rectly suburban to New York may
now be said to include the counties OF
Westchester, Duchess, Putnam and
Orange of this state, all Of the west
ern end OF Long Island ar Tar down as
Islip, the New Jersey counties OF Es-
sex, Hudson and Bergen and a large
part Of Fairfield and New maven
counties in Connecticut, containing a
population, all told, of more than five
millions. This practical extension Of
the urban or suburban area includes
all the territory brought into frequent
and rapid communication with the
central town. so that residence in it
and business association with the
town are compatible. Moreover, cleo
trio trolleys and, in the s Of New
York, the building Of subways and
tunnels and more and great bridges
IRE steadily extending this suburban
area and bringing into practical con-
nection with it large districts hereto
fore distinctly rural and remote.
That is, the electric railroad is
working radical social and, economical
changes. The facts of this develop
ment, an incident of the last ten or
fifteen years only, are related in the
Yale Review and are or lively interest.
1t was not until 1888 that the first
commercially successful electric rail-
roads were built. The application of
electricity as a motive power for
street cars had been triea before but
had not yet been successful. Begin
ming with three lines constructed in
that year, in Richmond, in Washing
ton and in Allegheny, our present
great system Of interurban electric
roads has grown up with marvellous
rapidity. Here are some Of the re-
suits as described:
"a passenger may now ride on
electric lines from Cleveland to De-
troit. He is required to make only
two transfers, one or which is at the
Toledo union %Interurban station. Co
lumbus and Indianapolis were recent,
ly connected. Chicago will soon be
linked with Cleveland by a trolley
line. Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo
and Cincinnati will all be connected
by the electric road in the near future,
A company has been formed to com
plete the line between New York City
and Philadelphia. Massachusetts is
covered by a network of trolley
lines"
These electric roads extend far out
into regions where life was formerly
distinctively rural. In one sense
they are competitors of the steam
railroads, in another they are potent
factors in increasing the business OF
those railroads by acting as feeders
for them. They tap rich farming
lands not readily accessible from
steam roads" Moreover, the electric
roads attain a high rate of speed anc
i hiring in pocy communicable r,itL 49,
central city an area of country O
wide extent. Between Cleveland anC
Toledo the speed. outside OF the city
limits, Is from thirty-fve miles to for
ty miles an hour, and in some cases
this speed is far increased. The rate
of fare, also, is low, averaging on the
chief lines from one SDS , P@2y5er &
one and a half cents a mile only.
The transformation IN social ant
economic conditions affected by tn,
new method and system Of transit fl
the most important of the results. Al
the territory within fifty miles Of al
urban centre may now be called sub
urban. The inhabitants of this arei
may all be patrons df the dealers /,
the central town. The whole countr,
is becoming urban in character. TIL,
simple and unsophistocated "hayseed
Is passing away. The influence of tn
town, social and political, is extend
ing. The daily paper of the metropo.
itan centre is as regular a visitor +
the country home as to the neares
resident of the town. The tone of tn
town is becoming the tone of the cour
try. Meantime the telephone and tn
rural mail delivery are working t
the same ends.
Rusticity is passing away and tn
whole people are becoming urban.