The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-08-12

Robert Hagen Schauffler in Success
Magazine gives some interesting facts
about interurban trolley lines. Hei
has been making thorough investi-
cation of their effect on the country
villages ana cities and here are some of
his observations made in Ohio. He
says:
/ stopped off wherever fancy dicta-
ted. talking to farmers, storekeepers,
professional men, traction officials
and railway men-all sorts and con-
ditions of people; but keeping es-
pecially on the alert for an exper-
fenced, intelligent, and communicative
conductor.
He was not hard to find.
What's your line doing for this
part of the state?" l asked him.
"Doing?" he echoed The lines
simply making 1t! I've been running
these interurbans ever since Ohio first
saw them, and can tell you they've
brought in a new day for the city, and
for the village, and for the country.
Take this section of the road. When
the company was securing the right OF
way. four years ago, lots of the farm
ers were afraid of the idea and asked
so much for the lease that the com
pany found it cheaper to buy the
whole farms outright and be done
with it. Today many of those same
farmers are coming and wanting to
buy their farms back again because
they see what this thing is doing for
their old neighbors"
Removing Hayseed by Electricity.
We stopped at crossroads and a
well-dressed gentleman came aboard
who looked as though he were going
to his office in the city.
That's one of the old neighbors
now" murmured the conductor. II
happened to be on the first car that
ever came through here, and you
ought to have seen that very man lined
up along the track with the rest OF
the population. They were gaping and
gawking as though we'd just made a
record run from Mars. They we're the
most awful hayseedy. backwoodish
lot you ever set eyes on. Many had
never been on car of any kind be
fore. They didn't know what to make
of it. nor how to act.
"And now look at that farmer. No:
much hayseed about him now, Is
there? Why you couldn't hardly tel
these folks from those on the ten-year
/ old line south Of here
''You parallel a steam road for par
of the distance remarked. Gar
you compete successfully with thu
railroads."
"Can we? Why all over the STATE
we've simply knocked the steam roads
silly. on short hauls. You see, we rul
right into anywhere along the line
put them down about where they wan
to go, and do it cheaper than the rail
roads. No more driving to the station
leaving your horse at livery barn
and taking the trolley from the station
at the other end. We run much NOR
frequently than the steam roads, an
our limiteds are neck to neck wit
theirs for speed. Why the other da
man missed his train for Toledo
jumped on my car leaving five mir
utes later, and we beat the trai
out to a city upstate where he ha
plenty of time to make the change.
saw him afterwards and he told me
"But doesn't the greater comfort {
steam travel work against you"
asked. Yves, in way. OF cours
our cars aren't yet quite as long or &
wide as theirs. but the seats, in som
are as luxurious; there are toilet
/, baggage and smoking compartment
in each car, our road-bed Is as good.
not better. and we offset their adva
tages by freedom from cinders. du
: and smoke, and unnecessary nois
. and accident
g eve studied this thing up little
o he continued, "and l can give "
facts and figures. Take the thir
miles of the Lake Shore and Michig;
Southern Railroad from Cleveland
q gainesville. That division used
:. carry an average of 5000 passenge
;, a month. But when the electric 70;
;. was put through it cut them down
2.4oo a month. Same railroad fro
: Cleveland to Oberlin. in 1895, a
eraged $1,000 a month. But in 19(
against a rival traction line,
n. dropped to 1850"
r. storekeepers Afraid Of the Cars.
Q at was the same story with 7
:. small storekeepers." he continue
N "They thought Judgment day h
struck 'em along with the interurbs
= And at first their trade did fall