Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-02
OF WORLDWIDE INTEREST
ZNTERLRBAN TRANSPORTATION
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKlN

parlor, dining room nd kitchen. The
rental includes the service of motor
man, conductor, chef and porter. The
foodstuffs are furnished by the rail-
roads at actual cost. The Des Moines
Interurban has one of these cars and 1t
has been in great demand by trolley
parties. Many roads have specially
equipped funeral cars. The Aurora,
Elgin & Chicago Interurban runs past
five of the cemeteries adjacent to Chi
cago, and its funeral cars are in great
demand. On the Inland Empire line
from Spokane to Occur dAlene theater
tfains of all parlor cars are run and
are widely patronized. A small extra
charge is made on these trains.
Another important feature of inter-
urban lines is the arrangements they
have to carry freight. While few If any
of them compete with the railroads on
heavy freight, yet on small freight they
do, and the more expeditions move
ment, combined with lower rates.
makes the interurban service a strong
competitor in the high class freight
and express service. The Electric Bag
gage company, for instance, of Cleve-
land, Ohio, sends out twenty-five
freight and baggage cars every day to
deliver gods and receive products.
Farmers buy tickets for their milk
cans--25 cents for every ten-gallon can
being the rate--and the baggage COM
pany takes 1t to the city, delivers 1t to
the consignee and then returns the
empty can.
All sorts of expedients are resorted to
to get business. One road has a So
liciting agent. He calls UP the farmers
along his line once every week to find
out whether they are going to have
anything to ship the seven days follow
ing. If an affirmative answer Is re-
ceiveH the agent begins a campaign to
get that business. And he is usually
successful. Other roads create busi-
ness by exploiting the territory through
which they run. One road found that
the soil In its territory was particularly
adapted to the growing OF potatoes.
1t began to advertise that fact. and be-
fore long 1t had doubled it's business.
In New England fayorite way to get
traffic is to interest tourists In the
scenery along the trolley routes. Book
let's ars issued telling of the wonder
ful and beautiful things that may be
seen. ITO the Berkshire Hills by
Trolley" is an example of the alluring
titles these booklets ha.e. Some roads
sell power for running farm machinery
to the farmers along their lines. They
find that this Is a profitable invest
ment in that they make something out
of the power thus sold, and at the same
time get added good will from the
farmers.
The steam railroads are acknowledge
ing the superiority of the electric road
in the handling of short-haul passen-
ger traffic. President Tuttle of the
Boston g. Maine says that the electric
lines can haul this class of traffic more
De- 80 ID an a
ing also comedies that the suburban
traffic Is better handled by electricity
than by steam. To offset the disadvan-
tage at which the trolley lines place
them, the railroads are acquiring con-
troll of the trolley lines, so that they
can prevent injury to themselves. The
New Haven road, for instance has got
lines of Connecticut. The Delaware &
Hudson has bought the control of a
competing electric line, and a number
of other roads are following suit.
The enormous growth Of the inter-
urban car line is shown by the fact
that whereas there were only 5000 miles
of such lines in the United States fif-
teen years ago there are today more
than 10000 miles. There are enough
lines now projected and reasonably
sure to be constructed to insure the
doubling of this trackage within ten
years. And while the interurban cleo
trio lines are increasing many small
steam roads are being electrified.
Furthermore, the big terminals of the
United States are substituting electric
ity for steam, notably those of New
York. The progress of electricity as a
motive power has been unprecedented.
Yet electrical engineers say that the
past is as nothing when compared with
l. 60 1arsif
reign of the 2-cent fare is expected TO
come with the electrifcation of the
steam railroads of the United States.
ANY mention of interurban systems
would be incompletS without special
mention of the development IN ana
about Los Angeles. Southern Califor-
MIA Is being made a new work of trac-
ton lines, the focal point of which Is
Los Angeles. The system, including Its
rolling stock, trackage, service ana
operation, are of the bests IL not the
most superior in the country. The city
has five systems % urban and inter-
urban, with 175 miles OF track IN tnc
city lines and 676 miles in the inter-
urban system. Radiating from the city
like spokes in a wheel the surrounding
country for twenty-five miles Is brought
into close business and social access TO
the city. These systems give employ
ment to 5000 men, and their payrols
amount to $150,OO0 month. That they
are essential to the region is shown by
the fact that $4,000 people daily ride
on the lines Of the Pacific Electric, while
over 10000 ride on the cars of the Los
Angeles Pacific, the two inte-urban
companies. Each day 665 cars pass
through the Pacific Electric station
alone. And the volume of traffic is
ever increasing.