The Republican journal., 1906-05-17
ADVANCE OF THE TROLLEY.

Alexander H. Ford, in a recent num-
Der of the Independent, declares that
"to-day continuous trolley trip from
Maine to Missouri is practical but for a
gap in central New York that is being
rapidly closed, and tomorrow may see
promised plans carried to completion
that will connect by continuous trolley
Portland on the Atlantic with Portland
on the Pacific.
zip the central west, where the dead
level prairies lend themselves to cheap
trolley construction, the farmers have
demanded legislation more than favor
able to the electric railway, with the re-
suit that there are more miles OF ill.,
terurban trolley in the State of Ohio
than in all New England, while the ad-
Joining States of Indiana, Michigan
and Illinois are building many more
miles of electric than steam railway,
and even Nebraska demands the build
ing of a network of interurban trolley
lines that will benefit the farmer.
"To Cleveland, Ohio, belongs the
credit of popularizing the trolley in
America. and Cleveland capital is be-
hind almost every interurban electric
railway project of any magnitude in
America. From Cleveland the trolley
began to radiate in every direction un-
til there were nearly 5000 miles OF
electric railway in Ohio, and as much
more in the two adjoining States of
Indiana and Michigan. In fact, Ohio
trolleys now lap over into Canada.
''The pioneer long distance trolley ex
press-between Cleveland and Toledo
has been compelled to run two cars IN
stead of one on each of its three daily
trips and soon the number of runs will
be doubled Already the run has been
extended to Detroit, and soon through
cars will be put in commission between
Cleveland and Bay City, Mich, a dis
lance of 300 miles The average speed
of the trolley express at the Michigan
end of the run is perhaps tWentye eight
miles an hour.
The fastest interurban trolley ser
vice in the world, for long distance
run, is that between Lima and Dayton,
Ohio; for eighty miles the trolley ex-
press keeps pace with the locomotive
on the competing parallel steam road,
and arrives at its destination on time
lust twice as often as does the lOcOmO-
tive.
LAS it costs less to operate an ex-
press than local trolley car, and the
receipts are usually much higher, ex
cess fare is seldom charged on the cleo
trio railways; and where there is active
competition with steam railway the
trolley express has placed through tick
cts on sale at less than half cent
mile: throughout the middle west a
cent and a half by trolley AS against 3
cents per mile by steam road, is the
usual rate. The Interstate Limited
trolley service between Dayton, Ohio,
and Indianapolis, Ind, for instance,
provides accommodations superior to
those offered by the competing steam
railway and charges a much lower rate
of fare, which also includes transfers
on local trolley cars to any part OF
either terminal city, and makes about
as good time between terminals. The
cars of this service are each fitted with
buffet and kitchen, meals are served
la carte, and every luxury of the Pull
man service is provided. These express
buffet cars are capable Of maintaining
a continuous speed CT sixty-five miles
an hour, and when this direct service is
extended to Cleveland, as it will be in
the near future, through sleepers are to
be added to the equipment.
The trolley sleeper has in reality
made its appearance. On the Column
bus to GAINESVILLE electric railway,
where these cars were first introduced,
the rate of fare between the two ter
minals is greater by way of the electric
than the steam railway, yet the bulk OF
the passenger traffic is by way of the
trolley. Almost every lnterurban line
of trolley in the middle west is now
reaching out for through connections
and Interchangeable traffic.
"The sleeping cars that now go
through by trolley from Indianapolis,
Ind, to Lima, Ohio, a distance of 100
miles, will soon be running regularly
from points i'll Illinois to Cleveland and
Detroit, and as either distance may be
easily covered in night at the average
speed maintained by the trolley express,
it is more than likely that the electric
railway will begin to draw to itself con-
siderable passenger traffic over distances
up to 800 and 100 miles.
Grinding that the short freight haul
was its least lucrative business, many OF
the railways in the middle west grace
fully Welded this traffic to the compel
ing trolley lines. The farmer who pre-
viously drove his milk and produce to
some distant railway station now relns
up his horses anywhere along the line
of trolley careless as to whether or not
he reaches his destination at any given
hour for soon enough he knows a car
must come bowling down the streaks of
rust, and then all that Mr.. Farmer has
to do is to wave his hand, pull out one
through ticket for each ten-gallon can
of milk or sack of produce he wishes to
ship as passengers to town, and tell
the conductor where to put them off.
1t is needless to say that with such a
system in operation it was useless for
the railways to hope to compete for
small freight within thirty miles of a
large town served by competing troll
ley line.
''Latterly the trolley has gone into
the mail and express business also, and
here again the revenue of the railway
is made to suffer.
"The eastern States have not been
entirely remiss in their efforts to ex-
tend the domain of the interurban troll
ley. Already the night boat to Fall
River Providence and Hartford quotes
through rates by trolley to Boston, and
a Boston street-car company has alb
sorbed network of interurban trolley
lines extending from Providence, r. L.,
to Nashua, VT, while the direct New
York to Boston electric railway has
actually broken ground. Through ex-
press trolley cars, however, are as yet
,,,I,oo I'd of batuoap Now York and