The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-10-10
In "a Years 1900 Miles of Elec-
trio Road Built Annually.
Electricity First Used as Motive
Power at That Time.
STEAM ROADS USING IT NOW
Divisions and Terminals Placed
Under New Power in q. S.
Other Items of Interest in the
Traffic World.

Chicago, oct. 1O.-The immense de-
velopment of the electric railway sys-
| TENS of this country attracted a good
deal of attention in Chicago this week
| as a consequence of the convention OF
| the American Electric Railway asso-
citation held here October I'll. Five
| thousand persons registered in attend
ance. 1t was shown that during the
last 24 years about 1880 miles of cleo
| trio railways have been built annually
in the United States.
Thirty years ago Gin 1882 there were
only 5000 miles of street railways in
the United States. These railways
were operated with horse or mule cars.
In 1883, electricity was first used as
motive power. This was in Richmond,
Va.
In 1912 the electric railways in the
street railways in the United States.
In 1922, the electric railways in the
United States comprise not only street
car lines, but interurban lines. eleva-
ted lines, underground lines under
water lines, and electrified sections of
such important steam railroads as the
Pennsylvania, the New York Central,
and the New York, New Haven &
Hartford.
Each of these steam railroads is
planning large extensions to its exist
ing electrical divisions. The steam
begin the work of electrifying their
Chicago divisions.
The vast development of the highway
trolley, and the recent construction of
many miles of electric railway, which
do not exclusively occupy the high
ways have been of immense social and
moral influence, not yet fully recog-
nized by the American people. What
formerly were rural districts or re-
mote suburbs of large towns. have
been brought into neighborly contact
with these towns.
Distance has been to a great ex-
tent eliminated. This, with the utili-
cation of the telephone, has caused
great productivity. Moreover, the
apparatus is bringing the American
people closer together, and within
few years will probably decentralize
the cOngested cities, since, when the
can safely easily and
tween rural or suburban districts and
the heart of the cities, it will be sure
to follow the eltcric railway line.
The mileage of the electric railway
lines in this country today is $4,000
miles, owned and operated by 1900
railways, which carry between 10 ana
II billions of passengers in a year.
They own over 10000 cars; employ
more than 100000 persons, represent a
capital investment of billion dollars,
and their gross annual earnings are
500 hundred million dollars.
The American Electric Railway as
ISOLATION, which has just been holding
its convention in Chicago, is the rep
resentative of this industry, not rep
resentative, however. in a corporate
or financial sense, but in regard to
technical and educational matters.
The association is a voluntary body. |
Its membership comprises not only the
railway companies themselves, but also
their individual officers, heads of de-
partments, and hundreds of employees. !
The function of the American Elec- |
tric Railway association and it's allied
bodies is to collect and distribute !
among its members information re |
earding the Standardization and OPP
Grafton of electric railway work and |
equipment in all its branches, to pro- |
mote the welfare of employees, the |
safety of the public, and to improve |
the public service. Four hundred ex-
pert railway men do the work al |
lotted to its so committees covering |
every part of the complex business of |
!
It is expected that the convention |
Of 1915 will be held in San Francisco, |
during the Panama-Pacific exposition |