The Washington herald., 1915-12-07
HISTORY BUILDERS.
How Boston Came to Electnfy Her
Surface Lines. -.
Written Expressly for The Washington Herald
nv DR. E. ]. EDWARDS.

Written Expressly for The Washington Herald.
by DIR. e. }. EDWARDS.
Asa Potter, at one time a Boston bank
er. was associated with Henry NJ Whit
ney in some important public service un-
3ertakings in Boston, was describing To
me a year or two ago the points OF re-
semblance between Henry NJ. Whitney
and his more widely known brother Will
liam C. Whitney, and also the points Of
difference. when an incident Of which he
had personal knowledge and which oc-
curred In Richmond, Va. led him to re-
mark that It was Henry NJ. Whitney's
intuitive business Judgment which made
II possible for Boston to take the lead
among the cities OF the United States in
the development of electricity upon 1
great scale for the hauling Of street
cars.
1T happened in this way" said Mr..
Potter. Mr.. Whitney. with myself and
three others, were perfecting plan for
the unification of the street car lines in
Boston. In some way Mr. Whitney heard
that Frank L. SpIague had made a dem
onstration In Richmond Of the capacity
of the electric energy for hauling street
cars over a level road and up a hill as
weA Mr.. Whitney said that IL Sprague
was actually able to do this with elec-
tItcity bis apparatus was going to revolu-
tionize street-car travel and would prob
ably extend lines far into the suburbs
of cities He thought we ought to go to
Richmond and make a personal inspec-
tion. He was ready to spend any amount
OF money necessary to equip the Boston
street lines with electric apparatu. pro-
vtded he was satisfied that electricity
was In any way superior to horsepower.
we went TO Richmond and purposeiy
took rooms in a hotel which was built
upon a hillside In. the business portion
OF the city and was. as i recollect, near
the State capitol building. We made up
our minds that il electricity could haul
reckoned with.
We stationed ourselves at the window
OF one Of the rooms and by and by heard
Q most unearthly noise. 1t was a grind
ing. Groaning. squeaking noise, enough
to make a man distracted. We looked
out Of the window and saw that II was
caused by the trolley car coming up the
hill The car moved all right and We
noticed that there were a number OF
people in it. But all. with the exception
OF Mr.. Whitney, said that Boston would
never submit such noise as that We
thought that this was going to be an in
surmountable obstacle to our utilization
Of electricity in Boston.
Mr.. Whitney waited until the car had
passed on up the hill. then he turned to
US and said: If electricity can pull that
car up this hill then 1t Is surely going
70 suppiant horsepower. That noise that
you heard is only an incident. It GER
tainly will be overcome. It is from the
commercial point Of view q triiing de-
feet. II our further Investigations are
satisfactory. then the thing for us to do
II to 60 back to Boston. persuade the city
government to give US permits and in
stan our system with electricity. II We
DO that We shall be the, first large city
to equip street railway lines with electric
energy
The others in the party were persuad.
ed that Mr.. Whitney was right, and in
what seems now to be an incredibly
short time Boston was operating her
street car lines with electricity. and other
cittes In the United States rapidly fol-
lowed the example,. II Mr.. Whitney had
been as shocked as the rest of the party
were by the noise that car made when
going up Richmond hill. some other
city would have gained that prestige"
tCopnSht. Ms. b z. J. Eduardo An fights ~
served.l ~
Tomorrow DIR. Edwards viii ten Of
The Sociai 1tde Of Diplomacy"