The Detroit times., 1909-12-02
PAY-ENTER CARS
ARE SATISFACTORY
Not a Hitch Reported In Running
New Style on Woodward
Line.

Sharp at o'clock Thursday morn
ing. car No. 1884. the first OF the
pay enter variety 10 make its appear
ance on the streets OF Detroit IN
actual commission, lett the Woodward
ave. car barns and poked its nose
northward for the initial trip, carry
ing a comfortable load OF passengers.
The car wae in charge of Motorman
Herman Seidler and Conductor Nj. l..
Banta, and was followed from the
barn, at close intervals by Is other
! pay-enters, interspersed here anu
there with the regulation double truck
cars
The public took kindly To the limo
walton. In the trip out to the High
land Park loop, just beyond the city
! limits, and thence down town not a
hitch occurred. Although 1t was the
first appearance OF the new cars, pa
irons of the line seemed TO be pre-
pared for the occasion and the major
/ ity OF those who climbed aboard had
the right change ready and dropped
their nickels in the box without ask
ing any questions. Only an occasional
passenger asked for change, but no
large bills were flashed. The change
made. the conductor would hand over
to the waiting passenger the full
amount and the passenger himself
would drop a nickel in the box. II
all worked like clockwork The public
evidently has been reading the ad'
vance dope on the pay-enter cars
and has made all necessary prepare
tions. For the past two days the
company has noticed an unusual per.
centage OF nickels III the receipts
turned In by the conductors.
Il. X. Dundas, agent tor the racine
EXPRESS Co. at it's North WOODWARD
branch, No. 1852 Woodward'aVe' en-
Joys the novelty of being the hrst pas
serger To drop his nickel In me niue
glass fare box. He was waiting for
the opportunity, apparently, Tor ne
had only n couple OF blocks TO rae,
but he figured II was worth the
money. Right behind him came the
first wofn~n- passenger, MISS mimic
Little. No. Al Labrosse-st.
OF course the occasion would not
have been a success unless every type
of street car patron was represented
patrotman Mark Baker, OF the cen
trail station, was there. representing
the free riders, and claims the honor
|
in the pay-enters. The first fireman
was Capt. Creman, OF Engine 90. NO
81.
II SO happened that Jacob Brett
never. No. l64 WILLIAMSBURG, cousin
of the mayor, and his little daughter
Leona. aged 3. were among the first
passengers. so the city's cnlef eXecu-
tive was also represented.
g~I,c
at Northumberland, on the down
trip. They were NJ. F. Melvin. Of No.
81 Westminsterave.. and George
I!ley, of Ravcnswood. Mich, who
were smoking a cigar and a pipe re-
spectively. They offered no objection
when they learned that smoking was
not permitted and passed on into the
car with their respective smoking
materials. Liley simply let his pipe
die out while Mr.. Melvin threw his
half;smoked cigar away, with the re-
mark
81 can see this is no place for smok-
ers''
The new cars seat a. passengers
each. They are three feet longer than
the ordinary double-truck cars and
there is a great deal more room at the
front than formerly. When the first
car reached the center of the city. on
the initial trip. the register showed "a
passengers and the car was about
filled to capacity.
No difficulty was encountered over
bundles on the rear platform. Those
who had parcels carried them into the
car with them.
The passage OF the car through the
streets attracted much curiosity and
many waiting passengers were disap-
pointed when the car ran by them.
Not so with one man, however. He
was smoking a cigar at Parsons-st and
passed up the pay-enter for one OF the
old style cars, which followed just be-
hind