New-York tribune., 1909-03-21
PILOTS CAR so YEARS
"BTLLY" SHORES BIG DAY.
Tfteran 3. r. T. MOtOrmdn Recalls
BEGINNINGS Of Brooklgn Transit.

Fifty years IS long time. matter how you
come 10 look at it. Fifty years ago yesterday
blue eyed Billy Shore began driving horsecar
through Fulton street. Brooklyn Yesterday he
was still al IT, plotting trolley car through tne
maze Of traffic that fills Brookyn's narrow chief
tborougbfare To-day BILLY" Shore will still be
at his controller handle. for this man through MS
fifty years Of service has measured every week ~
seven days 81 hard work.
II must that hard work in the open air chechs
the wears of lightly. for Shore to-day is as able
bodied and as clear headed, in as complete posses
sion Of all his faculties. as any man OF thiFIy'
when some one suggested that he might be reaoy
for the pension list yesterday he was angry at the
suggestion.
II amt going to miss day. not run was ms
answer. and I'll not be thanking any one to MAKE
that suggestion, either
For william Shore is seventy years young ana
+ba, means a whole lot He looks back upon his
tbirtv-seven years of service with the old BrooA4S
CITY Railroad and thirteen more years win the
Frooklvn Rapid Transit Company. lts successoi'
zvtthout regret; upon his clean record upon the ac
cident sheet with q deal OF pride His VIE brought
ten children into the world. six OF whom have lveo
to become successful men and women WIN d
salary Of 81 D q day for many years he rnanaseu
to save money and to buy nome LOT ms la-Li.'
and himself Shore feels that NJ iLdS '7" '
s,ies make 10 any man. - -
II. s+ood IN front OF the old carbarn. In East New
York Yesterday. his noonday shii'
rms switch iron in hand. and toIo solIl7'i.I''e -
the early days Of street ralroauis -
lyn that . ,,-o
.eT.~,,a ,rspt n work on the Fulton street line
., the old Brooklyn city Railroad March 70 lS2S
said he 1T had been running its cars JuSt u.
,,aa-e and II was lust reaching East New hork- Al
erst the cars reached only as far as NaShlhs'o'
-. -, ,ha,- y-are nut through 10 Glove Road
mar the nresent Bedford avenue-and the Wen
known old Bedford depot was built Just oeS o"u,
was long time after the cars TeacIle' r'T -
YORK before there was any barn there II va"
.bout as forIorn a place you might thiuH ".
Even after the line got running throush 10 20 70
>-.,- york the downtown cars ran only 10 he"
ford depot where YOU transferred 70 s'llaiIe' -.
that took you further out. mat va -
transfer pont I'm Brooklyn. then uIoL' -
.ba cars between Bedford depot and tasl 'eN
Z-r,, Won couldn't really call IT A car II was
,o,biDp more or less than one OF tie ''i =,
lvn stage coaches set up on pia' -ol o." "a o,1
four Aanged wheels. and the wheels W -.
u,t+bout smokes The coach was tastehe" ~ -,
,N.S =, +ne middle with kingpin and "neh
cot ~ the end of the line simply dI'Fe H
horse around and turned the car on thaC Ni.,sp-- -
without budging the frame or "Hee.s- -, tares
there was no conductor and haholeu - ~ -
from, nv seat the box; they mao"
box away from at that time 49,, So.
work II never killed any man f'I '"- "a.
twenty years after came to me H'ooNIyH O,.o, .
7 worked sixteen hours day ana neNe - ,.
dav In the whole fifty years nave nc" ~. 80
..io. two months with sciatica and TWO "'o"u'
-, ,.,,.- arm 7 have had, vacations nor
81
devs off and have needed none. For nine sV
nm haran at 4.01 o'clock In the moin'he' an"
navAr missed that run. summer or winter -
nine wears although had 70 Walk 10 u'r 49,
mile and a half to my was done d' -
f., tho evening If everything went all ue"' H
then after 7 had taken care Of my hoIseS -,
feed I went home again was NJ again a' -,
after . o'clock and we didn't have alarm .i'
either in those DAYS Sometimes. ""e"
very late in getting home and kind ot sleeiN '
wife would sit up with shawl around nT' -.
ders so that wouldn't be late the mex 'i''''
Shores long term Of honorable service was
n,embered hy the officers Of the Brooklyn h0pI'i
Transit Company last night. In private 'o'.i -
the restaurant that TIE traction company '"I'u
in ts mems clubhouse out at East Ne" io'h
dinner was given for the veteran motorHla"
II vere hidden FIVE his old associates on the F"i
ION street line. who still handling uoHeS
Others at the dinner were A \. Duttoh eupe'i'
tendent Of transportation; William Seioert geneL
superintendent OF surface lines. Frank - '0'
sunerintendent at East New YOrk-these ds' 'N'
both horsecar conductors at the beginning Ieorse
W Edwards in charge of the railroad "e"a'
work among It's men: Charles Drew. station
and Niotor7nen John Stoll and Henry ffel'ilhSS'
both representing the Brooklyn Rapid lIdi'Ni' H''
rlnves' Benefit Associate In the afternoon 04oi7
had his first trip In an automobile ne mas never
ridden on steam railroad train