Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-11-30
ELECTRIC CAR IS
CREATE FACTOR IN
CROWTHOF TOWN
From First Motor Driven Cars Here
in 1892 Lines We're Built Into
Outlying Districts.
HOMES SPRUNG UP AS BY MAGIC
First Horse Car Line Between Rock
Island and Moline Vas Built III
1865 History Notable One,

In keeping with the spirit Of "EleG-
trical Prosperity Week it may be in
teresting to know that Davenport had
one Of the first electrical driven street
cars in the county, when the horse
cars on Brady strSet were equipped
with Sprague motors and operated
Aug II. 1888. The first electrical line
operated in the world was at Topeka
Kan, and shortly alterward . big
system was opened in Richmond, Va.
DR.. ". L. Allen and George French
of Davenport and Z. H. Guyer Of this
city made a trip to Topeka to investi-
gate the new cars, with the result
that the Brady street line, known then
as the Davenport Central Railway
company, was equipped with motors,
A few months later the Moline Cen
trail Railway company of which E. II.
Guyer Of this city was the managing
director, associated with him being
( the late l., S. McCabe and W Il.
Moore, opened a line up Fifteenth
street hill in Moline with electric cars.
! The street car lines in Rock Island
we're first equipped electrically in 1891
by the Holmes syndicate OF Chicago.
Prior to this time the cars between
Rock Island and Moline were mostly
horse drawn, The transportation of
passengers from one city to the other
was first made possible by pass
ling ordinances il Rock Island and the
then village Of Moline IN 1868. when
the Moline and Rock Island Horse
Railway company was organized and
the first street car line between Rock
Island and Moline was built that year,
. Horse Cars Crude.
! The construction Of this first line,
when compared with the construction
of today was Of very fiimsy charac-
! ter. the rails being of iron, crescent
shaped and about three-eignths of an
inch in thickness The rails were
/ spiked to pine stringers, which were
/ held in place by cross ties Of the same
material The cars we're small and
the motive power was furnished by ii
single horse or mule. driven By 4 man
who acted both as driver and CON
ducteT, IN winter the passengers bur
led his feet IN foot Of straw, which
was placed on the floor Of the car to
keep it warm and very little pleas
lure riding was INDUCED in in The
winter.
/ The length of The first line between
/ the cities was about four miles Fair
returns were made from the Invest
ment from the start and the public
seemed well satisfied with the service.
poor as it was. However. ia 1855
ordinances were passed by Moline and
Rock Island cutting the fare between
the two cities TO five cents and grant
/ ing 4 franchise TO new company, the
Union Railway company, which top-
struCted a line over the College Hill.
now Seventh avenue, which was oper-
ated in part by steam motor as was
the Rock Island and Moline line be-
yond the city limits Both lines were
operated as a loss until 1883, when
the Holmes Syndicate Of Chicago or
ganized the Davenport aud Rock Is
land Railway company. which pur-
chased the two Rock Island and Mo
line lines together with all lines in
Davenport and built the bridge lire
/ between Rock Island aud Davenport.
three years Eaters absorbing the Milan
/ street railway,
The Beginning Of Biz Things.
The Holmes syndicate probably did
more for the development of the three
cities than any other institution that
has ever been interested here, for il
/ had the capital for great undertakings.
1t reconstructed all the lines and
equipped them with electric power,
Simultaneously with its advent came
inauguration Of permanent street i'm
provements, and the greater share
came upon the company, which, how
| ever was submitted to without muir
muir. Shortly the syndicate decided to
equip its cars with electricity as a
motive power. =. H. Lauderback
came TO the tri-cities as managing di-
rector, Fifty cars were bought. a pow
er station established at Third avenue
and Twenty-thlrd street, and in the
course of year the lines were all run