The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-01-09
SECY. M'ADOO'S LIFE A BATTLE
 FROM START
First Railroad Venture Won Only After Fights In
 Streets and Courts.

the first railroad experience of Di- rector General of Railroads w. G. Me Aoo, who is now consolidating four ninth of the total railway mileage of the entire world for Uncle Sam. His first experience was in Knoxville, Tenn, and it was a battle from be- ginning to end.
 MT. McAdoo was educated in Knox vile, at the University of Tennessee, in which institution his lamented father was a professor for a number of years. He then located for a time in Chattanooga, in thep ractice of law.
 In 1889 he saw an opportunity of consolidating the several horse car lines then operating in the city of Knoxville, and converting this merged system into a modern electrically propelled railway. He succeeded in acquiring the horse lines, and then organized a company financed the augmented and improved plant, and operated the first electric cars in this | city.
 The enterprise encountered many | difficulties, notable among which was an injunction proceeding to stop Mir | McAdoo's company from aying a double track through Gay street. Many business men expressed the be- 1 lief that a double track through the business district would paralyze traf- | f1c and would be fatal to business in | terests of the city. They proposed that one or more turnouts, or switches be provided on Gay street where cars could pass at intervals. MT. McAdoo contested this injunction proceeding, thee ourt decided in his favor and the two tracks were built.
 He was then temporarily enjoined from erecting overhead trolley wires the argument being made that these live wires exposed without insulation would be hazardous to human life This issue also was the subject of a spirited litigation, which was deter mined in favor of McAdoo, and the wires went up.
 This was the sequel to a hard fight in which MT. McAdoo secured the passage of an ordnance in the ity Council giving him permission to eX- tend his line on Depot avenue. The ordnance was passed by vote of to 4. The work was started, but MT McAdoo and all his men were order ed arrested in the charge of a viola ton of an ordinance prohibiting streets being dug up during winter months.
 The men gave bond and immedi ately returned to work. City authori ties ordered out the fire departmen and water was turned on the men. This incident was the beginning O the end of MT. McAdoo's street rail way career in Knoxville. He gavt out a spirited interview in which h. defended his position and left hi case with the public. Soon thereafte the Citizens Street Railway Co.'S af fairs were closed up and the propert! was acquired by J. Simpson Africa trustee, and merged with the origina McAdoo street railway.
 MT. McAdoo then determined t, leave Knoxville and concentrate hi interests and activities in the East He looked around New York and dis covered the latent franchises ant possibilities of the now successful tubes under the Hudson River After strenuous effort he successful, promoted the plan to finance thi great undertaking and he then car ried through the practical creation of the tubes.
 McAdoo's company in Knoxville a length suffered financial reverses, an, was placed in a receivership, the lat
 J. c. Duncan being named as re
 ceiver. He and MT. McAdoo wer
 good friends. MT Duncan operate
 the property for three or four years
 when it was sold in 1895 at Fedora
 court sale and was bid in by c. (
 Howell, the personal representativ
 of J Simpson Africa of Philadelphia
 who was trustee for the bondholder. Africa, trustee. selected MT. Howe
 for the general management of tn
 properties.
 Soon after this disposition of tn Q original McAdoo system, MT. McAdo - returned to Knoxville in 1895 with a
 expressed determination to build . competing street railway system. H
 acquired the EImwood Dummy Lin ~ then operating on Park avenue, frol o Gay street to ElmWood park Withi - a short time he leased Lake Ottose ,, now Chilhowee Park, and aftt
 changing thed ummy line to an cleo
 tric railway extended the latter int y Lake Ottosee. His company was tf . itizens' Street Railway Co.,, and VIZ >' backed by Philadelphia and Ne
 York capitalists.
 II The Howell interests resisted tf s McAdoo plans for a competing stre, = railway system, and when McAdc ,a went before the City Council seekir @ to acquire rights of way over certai
 streets of thee ity, he met a rig e resistance.
 ,t Finally, McAdoo obtained certai ,+ franchises, including a right of wa ,s over Depot avenue between Gay an - Jacksboro streets. Early one mor1 . ing in 1897 he placed force of me , at work excavating Depot avenue pr, M paratory to laying street car tracks. o The then mayor, S. G. Haskell, WI ~ not in full sympathy with the M . Adoo plan. The fire department ar
 police were ordered to the scene, ar
 water was thrown on the laborers ar
 a near riot resulted, in which or
 negro laborer was killed and Lieut..
 Police Frank Hood was injured.