Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-01

supposed they had reached the limit of en-
durance Were forced to new and hitherto
unimagined indignities.
**
The last year or two of the steam loco
motives life was horribly congested time
on the New York elevated railroad lines
Even the natives and longtime denizens
of the place, hardened by decades of
patient submission to the indecencies and
discomforts of unnecessary crowding be-
gan TO kick, and in vigorous a way.
finally, as to make an impression upon
the state railroad commission.
Soon after the complete identification of
the lines the commission laid the heavy
hand OF power upon the road, by this
time taken over by August Belmont, and at
last some degree Of relief was afforded.
Because an electric train can be started
much quicker than one hauled by steam
and stopped in shorter distance there have
been no repetitions of the disagreeable
crowdtng of l902-03 since the third rail
trains began to run, save during the Il
and subway strike of last spring. These
conditions were intolerabe for few DAYS
but they could not be helped. There is still
too much crowding on both the surface and
subway lines, but not nearly so much as
in the days of the locomotives and II is
generally accepted fact, that, despite
the relief which has been afforded by the
subway. it would be hard for the IL lines
to care for their present traffic with the
ease they do had not the change of motive
power been made.
x X
When the great trunk steam lines aban-
don the vaporous giant steam for the sub
tier, more mysterious electric current as
motive power, it is possible that they Will
turn their engines over to the scrap heap
at the sacrifice of untold millions for the
average cost Of each of the many thousand
locomotives now in commission was $1,000
at least. To the man up tree il looks as
II the old engines Of the Manhattan ele-
waited railroads still remaining on the tracks
VIII have to meet the same fate eventually.
But evidently this will not be done until
every effort to sell them has been exhaust
ed, and 1t is possible that in time the last
or the queer little old machines will be sold
When the third rail was finally ilsta led
there were rising of go Il" locomotives
Their sale was begun, subject 10 indefinite
future delivery, almost soon as the cleo
trification of the lines was decreed, and tS-
day surely less than half of them are left.
What has become of them? Those which
nave been sold are scattered widely almost
to the four quarters Of the earth. One of
them is doing yeoman service and has been :
Tor some two years on the estate of mill
Honaire who has been at work all that time
and more Transforming several thousand
acres of very ordinary flrm!ng land INTO a
great private park.
All this time. day after day. this engine,
numberless and with its cid number now
painted out, long since forgotten, has been
putting and wheeling, hauling laden dump
cars from dirt pits 10 holiows and ravlncs
which the landscape gardener says should
be filed, and from the beds of lakes to be-
to level the grades of driveways imagined,
but not yet in existence.
This humble work the little cid ice box
on four legs, as real railroad man" once
described the engines of the IL which he
said was a toy line" has done as faith
fully as 1t used to haul express trains down
the 9th avenue line al rafting pace in the
morning and back again at night. If We're
not afraid some reader would think | had
arranged TO get commission on IL" loco
motive sales, L might spin quite yarn in
praise of them for the light work all sorts
of contractors use little locomotive en-
gines for. But let that pass.
Today the old IL locomotives are doing
many sorts of work in many places and
under many conditions. Some are in South
America, some in the west, some in the
south. on light plantation roads. some may
be in China or South Africa, nothing is
more probable 1t would take time and
patience plenty to trace them all up.
And to go back to the beginning, the
view of the western man quoted at the be-
ginning of this writing. that the presence.
in the year 1865 of many of these old
locomotives on the Il" storage tracks In the
upper part OF Mania ttan Is pretty good
evidence that in some things New York Is
no more progressive than she ought to be.