The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-08-20
HISTORY OF THE STREET CAR
Wonderful Development Of the
Electric Car in 10 Yea. 49,

moving horse car lines carried the
people of the larger cities who, for
manifold reasons, did not care to
walk. For those who wished to ride
where the horse cars did not run
large carry-alls, drawn by listless
horses served as a means of convey
ance for a very nominal fare.
Only twenty years have passed
since the first electric car was pro-
nounced a commercial success at
Richmond, Va, but in this brief pc
Rod the electric street car systems
have been improved and developed
until they practically reach the ends
OF the earth. The carry-all has been
relegated to the scrap heap and the
horse car is curiosity in one or two
cities of the world.
The credit for building and oper
ating the first street railway system
in the world belongs to Frank ].
Sprague, whose patents are now held
by the General Electric company, al
though number of unsuccessful ex-
periments in this line had been con-
Quoted by other men before the year
1888.
The electric railway motor was in
vented by Thomas Davenport, a YER
mont blacksmith, in 1884. and four
years later Robert Davidson, of
Scotland, produced small electric
locomotive which moved at the asto..-
, fishing speed of four miles per hour.
Nine years later Prof. Moses G. Far
mer, of Salem, Mass, produced To-
connective capable Of carrying two
passengers. In 1879 another machine
was exhibited as novelty, and the
next year Thomas A. Edison con-
structed an electric locomotive pull
ing two cars and carrying several
passengers. Edison's locomotive,
however, was not practical for COM
mercial use and he was too busy ex-
perimenting with the electric light to
give the locomotive careful study.
The summer of 1887 a party of ex-
perimenters tried out an electric car
in the streets of New York amid the
boots and jeers of the people. This
machine was also more or less of
failure.
Dr. Siemens in 1879 exhibited in
Enr1ip II a1notrin To-
connective. For some time he conduct
ed experiments on an electric rail-
way with indifferent success. Thru
all these years the electric car was
little more than the cherished dream
of the numerous electrical inventors.
II remained for Sprague to give to
which was commercially possible.
Since that early morning twenty
years ago when the first electric car
glided over the rails in the streets
of Richmond, motors have been
brought to such point of perfection
that electric cars are rapidly en-
threaten to take its place entirely in
few years.
The principles which Sprague used
in the construction of the first car
and power line are about the same
as in actual use today. He invented
the overhead trolley; his motors
To
his system of control was nearly the
same as in the modern cars.
Miraculous, indeed, has been the
growth of the street railway systems
since 1888. Today there are nearly
IS 900 miles of street and electric
railways in the United States, carry
ing more than five billions of people
annually. From the tiny cars con-
structed according to Sprague's plans
twenty years ago the cars have grown
to be models Of comfort and conven-
fence. Some of the best interurban
lines boast of electric cars rivaling
the beauties and comforts of the
Pullmans. In the middle west some
of the longest electric lines maintain
sleeping, dining and even cold stor-
age, freight, express, milk and mail
cars.
The trolley has extended the boun-
dairy lines of cities and stretched the
residential sections of the larger
cities miles out into the country
With the electric cars to whisk them
to and from their work in the cities
the men and women can now live out
where the air is good and where
they can enjoy all the comforts of
the country. AS If in payment for re-
moving the residential sections the
trolley brings into the city daily
thousands of country people who
are only too eager to do their shop
ping and sightseeing in town. THE
trolley has been of material benefit
to the farmer in marketing his crops
and bringing his supplies and mail.
II pa6a nncoiblo tho 1oroo c,rpypar