The Hartford republican., 1913-12-12
Children Cry
FOR FlETCHER'S
Q a . TO RIA
First Electric Car Is Years Ago.

ty-ihIh DiIluudy III OctODtT. IL SethlS
hardly possible that the modern stree,
railway system. One of the Greatest
developments of this electrical age,
should be no older than % years. Yet
it was in OctOber, 1888, that the first
electrical streetrailway passenger car
ever operated in this country was
sent on it's initial trip at Lynn Mass.
taking the present course of the
Highland circuit route through sew
eral of the principal streets of the
city. Trips for the first few weeks
were made with horses and they con-
tinued to pull the cars until the poles
and wires we're erected for electric
power.
This was the first electrically equip
ped street passenger car ever run In
the United States. Why the Highland
section of the city was selected as an
Appropriate place for running this car
seems rather peculiar to the present
Generation, hut there vas a reason
for this. Inventors of those days
were working zealously to present a
self-propelled electric car. The High
land district, with its steep hills,
presented the best place for putting
the latest invention to a severe test.
Machinery for the car was con-
structed at the Lynn works Of the
General Electric company and, rather
than go to the expense of trying the
new invention out in some other mu-
nicipality, it was deemed wisee to put
| it to it's first test in the home city.
There was a sufficient number of
dwellings about the Highlands at this
time to guarantee paying expenses
providing the car was a success.
Work of erecting the support poles
and overhead wires was completed in
less than two months time, and about
the latter part of October, 1855, the
car was sent over the Highlands,f for
the first time under its own power. 1t
afforded the latest curiosity of the
time, and hundreds OF citizens, to-
gether with prominent electrical ex-
perts, turned out to witness the car
run up the hill under its ownpower.
Electricity for operating the car was
supplied by a small power plant 10
Gated in the basement Of the old Len
nor building, corner Of Market street
and Harrison court.
On Tuesday, September 4, 1883, an
article under the heading of "High-
land Street Cars appeared in the
Daily Evening Item, Lynn.as follows:
"A special car, with horses attached,
will be run over the tracks Of the
Highland Electric railway this after
noon, and Wednesday the car will be-
gin to run regular trips. with horses,
until electric wires and poles are
laid"
Sure enough. the first electric car
was run over the Highlands on that
date, with horses attached. This car
was boxed affair and was, only
few years ago. taken off the iHghlan
route and converted into a double
track car, and was run on the Euclid
avenue route up to year ago, when
1t was replaced by the present mod
ern conveniences on this line. The
first trip of the car was made with a
pair of gray horses. These hauled the
car as far as the foot Of Rockaway
street, where a pair of tow horses
were added and the car pulled up the
hill.
Wonderful improvements have been
made in the line OF eleotrlcal convey
ances for tourists and travellers since
the Highland circuit electric car was
first put into operation. Prominent
electrical experts from various parts
of the country and the world came to
Lynn shortly after the first electric
car was put into service to obsreve
its operation. From this invention OF
1888 vast improvements have come in
electric conveyances. Previous to the
operating of thee first electri car on
the Highlands that yeear. there was :: {
such thing as an electric passenger
car in operation in any part OF the
world.-Eleectrica News.