Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1916-05-14

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were closely allied to the City Pas
senger Railway. and, while they ex-
plored territory into which the par
ent company made no effort to go,
they operated over the City Passen-
ger Railway lines wherever their re-
spcctive lines paralleled one another.
In this way the Catonsyille and Eli
colt Mills Railway extended street
railway service out Frederick road to
Catonsville and the TowsontownRail-
road Company constructed line
which eventually furnished the other
section to the present Towson-Ca-
tonsWllc route But an active com
petitor to the City Passenger Rail-
way came into the field about ten
years after the pioneer company be-
gan operation. This was the Citi-
zens' Passenger Railway Company.
It's first line was operated between
Druid Hill Park and Patterson Park,
following in part which is now the
route Of the Druid Hill Avenue line.
In 1872 the Park Railway Company
projected a line which is now partly
the Linden Avenue route and partly
the John Street route And about
the same time the Baltimore and
Hall Springs Passenger Railway Com
pany laid the foundation for the Har-
ford Avenue line. In 1876 a some
what larger competitor came into the
railway field and the Peoples Pas
senger Railway Company began oDer-
alton by constructing the Carey
Street line 1t is not necessary here
to follow the history of every line
that was created prior to the forma-
tion of the United Railways & Elec-
trio Company. The aim is rather to
show that while the predecessor Of
the street railway contented itself to
follow just those few avenues or
which travel might be heaviest, the
street railway Immediately under
took to weave network of routes
that would place service within
easy reach Of the people OF every
neighborhood
The first years of the city railway
operation In Baltimore were spent in
weaving the network Of pioneer lines.
The several companies were not slow
TO learn that the more lines they
operated and the larger number OF
cars run, the better would the service
become, and better service meant in
creased earnings. In order, then,
that efficiency might be attained by
enlarged operation. there came a
period of consolidation The pioneer
company, the City Passenger Rail-
way. had been able to route its lines
so as to cover the city pretty thor
oughly and so it had no need to ac-
mira a od1ttfnnaI IttV
panies which competed with IL, found
themselves handicapped because of
their inferiority in size and so they
started in to acquire new routes and
to combine with other lines. By
gradual stages the Citizens Passen-
ger Company, the Peoples Line, the
North Baltimore Passenger Railway
Operating then the Linden Avenue,
the Edmondson Avenue, the Mary
land Ave, and several other lines) +,
the Baltimore, Pimlico ana Pikesville
Railway, the Curtis Bay Railroad
and the Shore Line We're merged in
to the Baltimore Traction Company.
In 1897 there was a further step to-
ward unihcation. and the Baltimore
Traction Company was merged with
the City and Suburban, operating the
tonsville-Towson service which
had become divorced from the City
Passenger Railway interests and
also with the Lake Roland Elevated
Railway into what was known as the
Baltimore Consolidated Company.
BY this move the railway lines in
Baltimore were practically controlled
by two companies, the City Passen-
ger operating 110 miles Of track and
tho Baltimore Consolidated Railway
200 miles OF track In addition there
were S miles operated by the Balti-
more, Middle River and SparroWs
Point Railway and 1857 miles by
the Baltimore and Northern Railway
This was the situation in 1899 when
the United Railways and Electric
Company was formed.
as compared with earlier periods,
the past twenty-five years have been
the most remarkable as regards the
amount OF money invested, the inn
provemcnts attained and the deyel-
opment OF the service side OF city
passenger transportation in Balti-
more. The cabling or the Druid Hill
Avenue line was but the forerunner
or costly construction Of other cable
lines The enormous sums invested
in cabling the horse car lines were
wiped out in large part later when it
was found that electricity could be
made to serve as practical means of
propelling cars In Baltimore, The
remaining horse car lines We're. there
fore, electrified, and In course or
time the cable roads were recon
structed into trolley lines also When
the local street railway had reached
a high standard as regards tracks
and equipment power plants and
general financial condition, the great
fire, OF 1904, caused heavy loss In
the revenue Of the Company, and