Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-08-07
j. MOTOR ROAD SUGGESTION.

II MOTOR ROAD SUGGESTION.
The conference Of business men con-
ened to consider an interurban road
ON Charles City to Marshalltown lis
bt,ed 10 . very convincing argument
br q motor car line as the future in
krurbian ideal Mr.. c. w. Hart. of the
Tart Manufacturing Co., of Charles
ity, was the enthusiast and he spoke
som i'm experienced and professional
nowN,dge OF the motor business which
bmms.nded respect. Mr.. Hart is the
Ian who interested the Ellis boys OF
Mharles City In the manufacturing
hsiness. In very few years he has
hilt mp factory in Charles City
hich employs 30 men in the manu-
lctura OF oil burning gas engines Tor
action service on the bonanza farms
the western prairies. So successful
Is hes been that his factory has been
aiming night and day even since the
anic. his orders are now coming from
sreigl, countries and he is erecting
lore buildings so as to employ 500
zen.
aHart argued that it was only few
Ears ago that the trolley line dis
tacell the cable road, that within less
~ 4 a.. 80 +I,o ,,,otor car on the
highways had become practical ma
hine Of utility and he predicted the
rotor car would capture the interur-
In field in another five years. He
lated that he was building gas en-
Inc motors for traction engines with
hiS,l as 100 horse power which were
tsplacing the old time honored and
listed steam power. He believed that
fotors Of 800 horse power could be
hut FOR interurban service and called
Intention to Mr.. Harriman's action In
Hitting s1.0oo,ooO into motor car
hctory, after several years of careful
Sperimenting on such cars in the U.
y f
Ships.
Mr.. Hart explained that from an en-
Eneering standpoint it appeared to
I'm that the electric road was too ex-
knsiye for service in sparsely settled
hral districts. ME power house, cop
er wires, poles and transmission sta
sbns had to be installed with the same
bmrleteness and magnitude Of ex-
enss as tho the traffic were ten times
resent possibilities and the population
tual almost to suburban density.
his The thought prohibitive for line
b,nI Charles City to Marshalltown.
LIT was not stated in the meeting but
idi1ional evidence in favor of Mr..
arts ideas is furnished in the state
teni; made by Mr.. r. A. Ely, a rail-
Iad contractor of Marshalltown, who
Is built many railroads notably the
IVA Falls road now entering Mason
lily. Mr.. Ely has figured the costs of
Ss le road as far as Grundy Center from
stu;al surveys and says that with the
khta Of way furnished he would be
ad to grade this road, lay the ties
Lid rails, build the bridges, sidings,
Id stations for $4,000 per mile and
s thinks that the same price would
/ teyail from Grundy Center to Charles
It'll. Under these conditions 100000
build build half the road, $4,000
ptlld equip it with rolling stock and
leI other 100000 in first mortgage
bids would be as good as the wheat.
furthermore tax aids of s150,000 could
obtained which would furnish
or.ey enough to pay the interest on
ge bonds for six years. The New York
arl thought Hart was visionary be-
su.,e the New York Central and the
lb,way lines used electricity instead
motors in the dense traffic districts
that great metropolis but Hart has
q sell making motors to run in the tall
sa..s and he knows some things about
& estern conditions which have not
c,1rred to the eastern engineers.