The Penn's Grove record., 1906-03-23
A TRACTION REVOLUTION
Mayor Weaver Forces Philadelphia
Company to Give Up Franchises.
Graft Tide Turning Back - Quaker City
Receivers Street Grants Worth MIL.
lions-Monopoly Begs For Terms

Pnliauelpnla.-Ine terms or cap1tula-
ton of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit
Company, which for more than ten
years has enjoyed a monopoly of all
street railway privileges in Philadels
phia. are now in the hands Of counsel
for the city and the company being
whipped into legal shape.
Caught in a trap which mendced its
very existence, with the Philadelphia
and Western Railway Company at the
city line as an active competitor and
with no complacent councils or politi-
cal leaders to fall back upon, the
Transit Company has given UP some
of its most valuable franchises and
has opened the doors, p~erforce, to its
competitor.
Besides that, it has given George
Gould his opportunity to reach tide
water, for no one doubts that he is
the real force behind the Philadelphia
and Western, and thus has thrown the
doors open to railroad competition in
Philadelphia.
This transit revolution, which is even
lOlC lillpOl thul ~ tAc city tAdb was
the political upheaval of May, has come
about through the franchises which
the Philadelphia Rapid Transit bought
from the independent street car com.
pany at the time of the merger in
1908. These franchises gave the right
to construct underground, surface and
elevated lines on almost every street
in Philadelphia.
There were time limits to them, and
forfeiture of franchises if these were
not complied with. but with councils
and the administration under control
these conditions need not be noticed
they could always be extended.
The Market street subway was to be
finished in three years. Extension
after extension was granted and work
went on leisurely. The last extension
of time expires this April. Unless an.
other extension is granted, this fran.
chise and others expire.
The political revolution swept away
the support the Rapid Transit Com.
pany had depended upon, and this
week it faced the veto of the subway
extension, saw the Philadelphia and
Western throw off its mask, and awoke
with a bump.
To save itself from ruin the Rapid
Transit Company gave an astonishing
example Of self-sacrifice. 1t agrees to
complete within three years a subway
under Market street. from Fifteenth
street to the Delaware River; a SUBJ
way under Broad street, from Walnut
north to the end of the opened street.;
a subway under Walnut street, from
Broad to Fifth, under Fifth street to
Arch. and under Arch street to Broad;
an elevated road from South street and
Delaware avenue to frankfort.
1t surrenders the following fran.
chises:
For a subway under Chestnut street
thus clearing the way for the Phila.
delphia and Westerns proposed line;
for surface lines on Broad street-thus
removing for all time the danger that
that thoroughfare will be disfgured
by tracks; for elevated roads in Ridge
avenue, PaSsyunk avenue and German.
town avenue-thus restoring to the city
rights which open the way for future
competition; for elevated roads on Ian
caster, Baltimore and Woodland ave-
nues, in West Philadelphia. all Of
which were to be connecting links
with the Market street elevated. but
which will now go to the Philadelphia
and Western and will give that COM
pany full hand in the western and
southwestern sections of the city.
The agreement covering all this was
formally executed at the meeting in
the Mayors Office between officials of
the city and the Rapid Transit Com
pany.
The Transit Company undertakes to
commence construction of the Broad
street subway at once. The least esti-
mate on this work places the cost at
$24, 100000.
The loop" subway from Broad
street, under Walnut to Fifth street,
thence to Arch street and then west
to Broad street will cost about $4,000
600.
Completion of the Market street SUBJ
way-elevated line will cost not less
than 100000 beyond what has been
already expended.
All the franchises vacated by the
Rapid Transit Company will be taken
up by the Philadelphia and Western,
whose tracks now run from Parkers-
burg, Pa, to Sixty-third and Market
streets. Fifty miles away from Par
kersburg at Hanover, Pa, runs the
Western Maryland, a Wabash connec-
ton.