The Washington herald., 1908-03-01
CHICAGO BY TROLLEY
Boston Nan Makes ,500-mile
Trip on Electric Cars.
ONLY SHORT WAY BY STEAM
Finds Interurban Travel More Ger
tain Than by Automobile, Also
Much Less ENPeasiye-Makes Whole
Journey for S6S.54-LcSS Beautiful
Stretches of Country Travelled.

To those who like to travel. and while
travelling want TO enjoy ali the beauties
OF the lands through which they jour
ney. the trolley offers the most attrae-
tons. As a rule the steam roads whisk
from point 70 point. giving the passeu-
ger little more than passing glimpse Of
The country; they enter the cities by the
backyard route, and seem TO pick out
the most foTsakeH and desClate stretches
OF country for the location OF the tracks.
With the trolley il is different The cleo
trio cars traverse the best streets of the
city. and catering TO the summer holiday
seeker must perforce follow the most
beautiful places through the country.
A Boston man. who could not afford an
automobile, early last fall took a trolley
ride from Boston TO Chicago. says the
New York Tribune. A trolley ride Of 100
miles would seem like a venture forbod-
Ing untold discomfort and inconvenience;
but the charm OF riding through the
green woods and fields on a summers
day with the privilege of getting off
whenever you want 70, far more than
Offsets the trouble Of changing cars and
paying fares every little while After
this trip the man from Boston has
hne conception Of our country and the
people living between these two cities
lie is able % speak intelligently Of the
places lie has visited and knows the
mighty resources Of the land.
Takes Little Baggage.
With suit case packed. he boarded
trolley car one morning in Boston, and
was soon on his way 10 the Middle West
The total weight OF his imperlmenta was
about forty pounds. for he had long ago
learned the lesson Of the experienced
traveller and expected 20 purchase every
thing possible en- route
Be found the scenery far beyond his
expectations. The trolley line from BOS-
ton 10 TarrytOWn- y Y is unbroken
save Tor a few feet AZ Stamford Bridge.
Mass. After two days visiting friends
and seeing the sights in New York. he
started on the journey across the Empire
State. Here he met with his greatest
difficulties. At TsrrytoVn he had 40
leave the trolley for the steam road as
far as Hudson After short visit -
the Albany capitol he continued his trip.
by way of Schenectady. 10 Fonda. and
again found he would have 10 take a
steam train as far as Little Falls. a dis
tance OF thirty miles. Between Auburn
and Seneca Fails. and from Rochester
20 Batavia he had 10 resort 10 the steam
roads. but az last he reached Niagara
Falls by trolley.
One Line tn Kalamazoo.
From Buffalo 10 Kalamazoo. Mich. Is
one unbroken line OF trolley roads. From
Erie the electric road runs through the
old Dutch country Of Pennsylvania The
IL
farms and their keepers appealed 10 the
Boston man and he spent considerable
time in studying The people and their odd
ways IN Ohio he found ideal country
for the electric road. In this State cleo
trio traction has been developed TO its
highest point, and there Is a web Of troll
ley rails its entire length and breadth
The cars are Of luxurious types and
travel at wonderful speeds between the
various towns and cities.
BY far the best part Of the Journey
was between Cleveland and Toledo. =
stretch Of 70 miles, where the cars made
an average speed Of thirty-five miles an
hour and were unsurpassed by the finest
day coaches in the country. From To-
ledo to Detroit the country WAS almost
like New England with its large farms
and pretty villages. From Detroit 10
Kalamazoo the trolley took him through
beautiful meadows OF high grass. through
cool forests, and by white farmhouses
and quiet hamlets. AT Ann Arbor he
visited the University OF Michigan.
Sees Lake Michigan.
AZ Battle Creek ne saw the woodwork
ing plants and the cereal factories. and
at South Haven he saw for the first time
the great lake of Michigan. From Water
vliet 20 st. Joseph, Mich. he had 70 ride
on the steam cars for twenty miles. and
from there he took Il trolley 10 Laporte.
Ind. and finally on 70 Hammond, a dis
tance of forty miles. by steam. From
Hammond, Ind. il was easy going 10 the
great city OF Chicago
From Boston 10 Chicago he covered
l.4sT miles-1.2s3 miles by electric trac-
ton, go miles by steam car miles by
stage coach. and miles on foot. Count
ing the stops on the way he made the
trip in just ten days To cover this dis
tance required sixty-eight changes OF
cars, for which he had to go down in his
pocket for fare just eighty times.
The cost statistics are as follows:
Trolley fare. SlS59. railway fare, $3.50:
stage coach. > cents; lodging. S17; food:
50; amusements. theaters. fairs. &c. s.;
souvenirs. postcards. &C. $50: guides.
maps, books. and magazines. s.; kodak
films. SEQ. total. S6S54