New Britain herald., 1921-06-09
'OLD TIMER' TALKS
 OF CONNECTICUT C0.
Describes Development of Trans pOrtatiOn From the Horse Car

y d said the Old Timer. glancing at an Arch street bus as it rounded the corner Of the park while a yellow trolley ear passed up West Main street. But somehow they just sug- gested to me those days back in 'S6 when half dozen horse-cars sort or pera mbulated over the routes or some of the routes where the trolleyS and -somo of .dhe jitneys run now.
 '"Johnnic Igo." he went on. could probably tell q lot---of-- interesting things about the way those cars pen etrated the wilds along Main, West Main. South Main and Arch streets, if he wanted to. and how he. being sort Of in charge of. one of the cars most Of the time-and he's a con- ductor. yet, you know-and the rest used sometimes to get out and throw cobblc-stones into the track to make better footing for the horses.
 Dolan Brothers Buy Line.
 As I reme mbcr," half unused the Old Timer. anxious to make no mis- ake, Mister l.. F. Judd was inter- ested. Tho line had some hard sled ding-metaphorically speaking, you understand. for they didn't use sleds on the cars in winter. They mort gnged the system and sold about S1OO.O0O worth of stock. But the thing didn't seem to pay.
 Remember the Dolan Brothers livery stable? Well they were fur nfshing the horses, when -drummers didn't want them, and they were pretty well fixed to take over the line and run it. So I guess all hands HiaI +I,n 1h nln bought the property It didn't hurt Dulan's Tavern and stable on East Main street. either.
 Long in '92 or '93 seems as though remember the start of the rumor that the line had been sold" the old Timer went on. little hesi- tant about his facts. and taking his doubt out on his head by vehement ly scratching that slightly bald por- tion of his anatomy.
 RouI Electrified.
 Anyway he went on as if more sure of his facts. the charter rights through this city, Plainville and Berlin were got hold of. and the old horse-car company stock bought up. Mister r. q. Platt, Mis- ter Charles <. I-anders of New Brit ain and Mister 4. M. Young and Mister Plume of Waterbury. got into the business. and the trolley lihe was running full blast. Mir. Young got the l. q. T. company of Phila- delphia interested. They consoIi- dated things.
 Mister Orson Curtis, who's now our mayor. was working at a differ ent kind Of job then,'' the old Timer continued, twinkle in his eye. and he put up their plant for them. The Central Railway company it was called as l remember. And I got to say for the mayor that he did pretty good job of it..
 "A Boston Syndicate was attend ing to the finances then" and the old Timer stopped a minute as the twinkle intensified, and the business depression of '93 hit them, even if they were Boston financiers. But the line was extended to Plainville and Berlin. all right. and then-then came the trouble about getting the charter to run the line 10 Hartford, which they'd always wanted to do.
 Eight the Railroad.
 You sec" and the Old Timer set tied himself as though relishing the memory Of the struggle of which he was to tell. it was necessary to show some judge that public necessity. as they called it, demanded such trolley line to Hartford.
 Well. every judge seemed to be awfully disinclined to listen to the debate about it. They fussed and fussed, got petitions and did a lot of things but Nothing doing as you fellows say today.
 But talk about persistence, The cuss that asked the girl to marry him every day. and only stopped be- cause he got killed in q runaway. had nothing on the men then inter- ested, in the way of persistence the proposing chap. incidentally. would have got an acceptance from the girl through the mail if he had lived another day-it was on the way when he died. So finally old. Judge Fenn heard the matter. but nothing came of it until two or three yaars later the railroad threw up its hands.
 seems as though NJ. C. Webster and Charlie Parker helped bit through their positions in the Iegis- lature." added the old Timer as something of an afterthought and seems as though Charles r. Clark was president Of the New York. New Haven and Hartford railroad. He had heen president of the old New York and New England road.
 "I remember something about ten cent fare and q third rail ar raugement and little shuttle trains that helped the road against the troll ley line, and seems as though Mister Clark said something 10 the, trolley h1 |.