Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-14
Last Years Of the Horse Cars

in il 1883 and Capt w. w. Marsh relieved of the individual
responsibility which he had carried for five years. Omaha
had started to grow in earnest and Captain Marsh saw the
necessity of adding strength and capital to the street railway
in order to meet the rapid demands for extensions and inn
provements.
From 1878 to 1883 the road had paid operating ex-
penseS but had paid no profits nor created a surplus either
for improvements or renewals. A good sized floating debt
had been piled up in financing extensions and betterments.
By 1888 there were some IS cars in service calling tor
the efforts OF about 80 employees Daily receipts ran IN the
neighborhood of $500. The new equipment consisted OF
cars IA feet long, the best of their kind at that date and the
largest that could be operated without a conductor.
The original name OF the company was retained IN the
reorganization. The principal stockholders were Frank
Murphy, president of the Merchants National Bank; Guy
c. Barton, head of the smelling works; S. H. H. Clark, then
president of the Union Pacific; Captain Marsh and w. A.
Smith. Stock was issued in the amount Of $500, 900 and
bonds in the amount of $500, 600. The bonds we're taken
largely by the new stockholders and a portion was assigned
to Captain Marsh to reimburse him for construction &C
counts and debts against the property. What bonds were
sold to outsiders were marketed at heavy discount, although
they had to be redeemed at their full face value at maturity.
The career of the new Omaha Horse Railway Company
lasted until April l, 1889, and was full of excitement, varying
fortune, expansion, perplexites, doubts and final transforma-
ton before the march of progress. The city grew like a
young giant, spreading out, to its deriment, over a vast area
through real estate speculation. Outside capital poured
into Omaha and its population jumped from Is, 900 in 1882
to $4,000 in 1889. Its official area increased in the same
time from twelve square miles to twenty-five square miles,
Street railway lines we're wanted everywhere. The real
estate boomers recognized the value of transportation service
and every effort was brought to bear on the company to
build new lines. The following principal horse car lines
we're built, equipped and put in service:
Original Line Extension on Cunning sret west from Twentyfourh to Thrtyse
street
Thirteenth Street Line Starting at Sixteenth and Vntm Streets east to Thirteenth,
north to Webster we" to- Sixteenth Orh to Cunning vest to Twentieth street. and to the juno
Twenty sixth Street Lime North on Twmtyfo fourth from Hamilton to Seward west
Twentraxth AND north on Twenyixh to Lake street
LAX Street Connection On Iakes Tet from Eighteenth Tw@yixh
Fair Grounds ne[ Abandoned after fey ears wing to removal of state fair to Lin
@nl-Norh on Twentieth street, Lake to Fair Grounds dsancea about three fouths mile
Fanam Street xtenGon-On Famams street from Fifteenth ITO hntye eighth south ON
ThryeIht to Lavenwort where onneconw sm made with Hmscom Park line
Three modern and completely equipped car barns we're
built at the following locations;
Sixteenth and Vinton Streets, capacity 100 horses. I
Twenty-STXth and Lake Streets, capacity 25 horses.
Union Station, capacity 80 horses.
During this period Omaha began to reerade and pave
its streets. Among the first streets paved we're those which
the street railway had helped to make the main arteries of
traffic. The Improvements compelled the company to
reconstruct its tracks and roadway at what was then heavy
expense. The old iron 1T rail had to be abandoned and
the strap rail substituted. This type of construction con-
sisted OF cypress Stringers 4x6 inches in size over which was