Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-07-12
Facts And Figures Show Hon
Interurbans Boost All Business

evening one may see hundreds Of PEG
pie returning to their homes in the
country after the theaters close. A
good concert is advertised After
supper the farmer and his wife, the
country merchant and their families,
get on an interurban at their door,
come to town, enjoy the evening, and
return home. instead of being obliged
to spend the long monotonous even.
ings about the family fire sides. You
can readily see the educational ad.
vantages of the interurban, not only
in these instances but also in the
facility for sending children from the
farm to their own country schools.
"The interurban has dealt blow to
the country newspapers. The farmer
now has his morning or evening pa
per dropped at his door as soon as his
city brother. He may keep as closely
in touch with the cattle, hog, grain
and produce markets as though he
lived in an urban center.
"And the interurban does not harm
the country merchant as one would
imagine He has the benefit of a larger
stock Of good than before although he
lis not required to keep the goods In
stock. How? Why, Mrs. Jones wants
some particular ingredient for cakes
which she wants to make the next day.
Or some part Of Mr.. Jones' farm ma
chinery has broken. A telephone mes
sage to the nearest country store
brings the information from the dealer
that he can have the commodity the
first thing in the morning. He tele.
phones to the jobber in the city. The
latter fills the order and sends 1t out
on the night freight and 1t is ready
for Mrs Jones or Mr.. Jones the first
thing in the morning.
Formerly they would have been
obliged to wait at least two days for
the consignment or to have gone to
I, town after it themselves.
Every interurban car carries pack
age and express consignments. Larger
freight consignments are sent out Oh
special cars during the night. The
jobber receives his orders in the
morning or afternoon mail, and these
are filled and delivered to the interur-
ban station any time before 6 o'clock
in the evening. They are delivered to
the merchant or directly to the con-
sumner the first thing the next morn
ing.
1.-THE country people may receive
their fresh supplies of staples daily.
They can order ice cream for even
ing parties and have it sent out on n
late train, as solid and palatable as
Mrs. Smith out on Fourteenth street,
can serve it to her friends. We do
a large business of this kind.
son the other hand the interurban
widens the milk, butter, egg and fresh
vegetable supply. Owing to the
cheaper rates on the interurban and
| the quick and constant service, the
territory which supplies these articles
/ is considerably extended
! Mr.. MCGOWAN told me many OtheSs
things about Indiana interurbans, par
ticuarly of those which run into In
Annapolis as nearly all the electric
lines of the state do. The others are
practically only feeders for the lines
centering in the capital.
To see for myself, what the attitude
merchants in smaller towns Is to-
wards the interurbans, I took run
out on one Of the lines. At random
jumped onto the first car on the track
at the interurban station. then asked
the conductor where he was going.
He asked me where wanted to go,
and | told him it didn't make any
particular difference. We compromis-
ed on Shelbyville This town is about
twenty-seven miles from Indianapolis.
It took us an hour and six minutes
to get there on a local train which
stopped wherever anyone wanted to
get On or Off We came back in about
fifty-five minutes on one of the faster
trains, which make stops only at more
important points.
Shelbyville, Indiana! Sounds Hoos
ierlike, dosen't it? Visions Of the
folks down on the farm, in the classics
of McCutcheon, George AIDE, and the
whole galaxy Of Indiana literary
lights! But this quaint people who
could never exactly understand wheth-
er Chicago and New York were states
or territories, who never saw the
atrical performance and only their
country newspaper, has passed away.
thanks largely to the interurban. All
| Shelbyville and the farmers from the
surrounding country in their automo-
I biles were gathered on the cement
sidewalk and asphalt pavement in
front of the Bell telephone Office, keep
ing track, round by round, of the
Jeffries-Johnson fight.
And when the extras came out from
indianapolis, on the interurban, you
should have seen them go after them.
| asked several local merchants
whether the interurban had hurt their
business. The invariable answer was
it had not Mr.. Morrison, who runs
drug, book, stationery and candy
store, told me that they all feared that
the road would do them plenty OF
harm, when it was completed. But
during the few years it has been in
operation, it has proved benefit to
i them.
"While it Is true many people from
here go to indianapolis to do a con-
i siderable part of their trading, this is
more than made up for by the increas-
ed business we have with farmers
along the line of the interurban. We
have no difficulty in competing with
the city people. The road seems 10
have made people loosen up moro