Omaha daily bee., 1918-12-15
Views and Reviews
Before the Day of Street Cor
Strikes, but Who Would
Go Back?

The discomforts and Inconvenience of a
strike nterrupting street car traffic. such as we
have Just undergone, grow out of disturbed
condition OF labor, but also reflect the advance
ment and growth of the community Only live
and progressive cities suffer from car strikes,
and the very fact that the stopping of the street
cars demonstrates how utterly dependent upon
them we are from the direct connection with
all the machinery of business and intercourse,
is reminder how far we have travelled from
the day of the old bob-tal horse car and in what
dreadful predicament we would be if we had
to put up again with what we had before we
enjoyed modern street car facilities and go
without jitneys accommodating auto drivers
to take us in.
Though perhaps repetition to many OF my
readers. to Others it may be of interest to recall
that when | was small boy in early-day
Omaha the street cars ran only from the Mason
street depot to Farnam street. At each end
was turntable. and when the terminal was
reached the driver clambered out of his car, I'M
blocked the swivel, reversed by swinging car
and horses in Semi-Circle, loitered about for
hve or ten minutes as time schedule required
and then drove back. 1t was all single -track
road with turnout to let two cars pass with
out stopping. providing. of course they reached
the point at the same time; otherwise one would
wait on the siding till the other came up. AS
the town grew the street railway system grew
too, by laying more track and moving the turn
table each time farther from the starting point
at the depot. In this way the uptown terminal
was relocated and multiplied. first at Fifteenth
and Farnam and then at Twenty fourth and
Cunning at Twenty eighth and Farnam, at the
head of St Marys avenue, at the Hanscom park
corner, etc. The opening up of new additions
to the city throwing building lots on the mar
ket and scattering the population had more or
less to do with the steady 1engthening of the
street Car ride from few blocks to as many
miles.
II anyone had told the early horse car driver
that he was to be the forerunner of an army of
nearly 1000 motormen and conductors, needed
to operate Omaha's street railway system,
within this short time he would have laughed
outright. The driver was the whole thing-he
ran the car, stopped it to let passengers on and
on, made change through slide apcrture in
the door and for this purpose was custodian of
tin box fitted with compartments holding
little envelopes of nickels or dimes in the right
amount. looked after the watering and feeding
OF his horses, and lot more. He was exposed
to wind and weather and often had to clear up
his own track with shovel and broom. He was
the frequent victim of the hold-up man (real or
taked). appearing suddenly at the lonely end of
the line to relieve him at the point of revolver
of his accumulated fares and change box 9th
erwise the collections were taken out OF the fare
receptacles by one of the Marsh boys. who had
their station at the Wabash corner and stopped
each passing car to scoop the nickels and dimes
into canvas bag much to the delight of us
boys as interested spectators. The cars were
little boxes on wheels. with hard wooden
benches running from end to end on each side
In wntertme they were unheated and freezing
cold. but had the floor covered with loose hay
for foot-warmer and dirt cover There were no
car stop" signs and no transfers, and no ex-
cuse to fuss about open windows or ventlators
Yes, and there were no car strikes, either But
who wants to go back to tie horse car:
Strangely co-incident is the appearance OF
former President Taft in connection with the
adjustment of street car strike in Omaha. 1t
just happened that preceding street Car
strike, then on in full blast almost upset the
program for the entertainment of Mr.. Taft
when he came here as the city's guest after he
very day of his arrival found traffic in the tur
MOL of strikers and strke-breakers. The air
was full of threats of what was going to be
done, and some outbreaks of violence had actu- |
ally occurred. The serious responsibility OF
caring for president kept lot OF people awake
nights. The schedule called for auto ride !
about the city for the presidential party, with
the route specially laid out to pass as many OF !!
the public and parochial schools possible, the |
children being drawn up in best bib and tucker
and waving American flags to greet the distln- !
guished visitor The youngsters were doomed
to disappointment. Under orders to keep NOV
ing fast to avoid possibility of trouble, the |
autos bearing the president came speeding along
without stop or showdown, and scarcely came
in sight before they had whizzed past in cloud
of dust. The course was traversed in about
one fourth of the time planned, and most of the
school children went home without even
glimpse of the president.
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