The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-05-27
IE MORNING Historian, ASTORIA, OREG'

| hardly fifteen years since the princi-
pies Of scientific equipment Of cleo
trio systems in growing cities were
developed. Hundreds Of millions Of
the savings Of thrifty eastern people
have been expended on transporta.
tion systems Of the United States,
Canada and the island dependencies.
| The glaciers OF Mount Rainier have
been harnessed, the resources Of the
nations white coal brought into
usefulness. 1t was not long since
that an official trained in the Boston
Elevated Railway Company was call
ed TO Manila to install thoroughly
modern street car system in the Phil.
ippine capital Although the cleo
trio car service Is only twenty years
old, American enterprise has had it
running for about third Of that time
in Americanizcd Porto Rico. The
business depression Of the past few
months has in some respects stimu-
lated further trolley building partic-
ularly in communities which have not
already been provided with the facil-
tiles.
The vehicles themselves on which
everyday Americans this spring and
summer travel to their Dreamland or
Wonderland or whatever the local
pleasure park is illustrate the quick
ness with which modern inventions
are improved. For the first electric
lines in Richmond and Boston horse
cars were slightly remodeled. These
were practically the little abbreviated
boxes with shabby upholsterings that
logged through the streets OF all Am
erican cities. For summer use the
managers OF the new electric lines
took the ordinary open cars, invented
in Boston, the cradle seat being a
device Of J E. Rugg, now an official
Of the Boston Elevated Company.
Many Of the Improvements on ele-
waited railroad cars, first adopted in
Boston, such as the easy access"
doors worked by power, have been
applied to the more expensive type
OF trolley cars. This means more par
ticularly the "semi-convertibles." ."
This is the type of car that seems de-
/ stined to be universally used in the
larger centres Of population. AS late
as the St. Louis Exposition OF 1904
the great commodious and comfort
able semi convertible" which trans
ported the crowds to and from the
Fair were more or less Of novelty
10 the public, although street car
arrangements had for years been ad
vocating something of the kind as a
means OF avoiding investment in a
double set OF cars.
Just what the popular attitude
would be toward them was unknown,
but hundreds OF thousands Of meri-
cans who visited the Louisiana Pur-
chase Exposition liked the semi-con-
vertibles. They have since then
gained in popularity so that the sum
mer of 1908 finds them in use on many
of the best equipped transportation
lines OF the country. Particularly in
such climate as that of New Eng
land where warmth and cold, sun
shine and rain, succeed each other
almost without warning, such cor
poration as the Boston Elevated Com
pany has found that they have solved
many of the difficulties of operation.
The various safety devices and con
veniences with which they are pro-
vided, as compared with the crude
vehicles that were being installed 20
years ago, demonstrate how rapid
progress has been.
In intensive railroading, with bet
tier cooperation OF railroads and troll
ley systems, is believed to lie the
future of electric transportation in
the big centres of population. Ex-
periments in the way of electrihca-
ton on the New Haven and other
railroad systems are in that direction.
The next ten years of the trolley will
probably also see a continuation of
the present policy of financial leaders
and engineering experts in developing
the transportation facilities of smaller
but progressive communities.