Evening journal., 1921-05-04

throughout the United States today
are celebrating the thirty-third
birthday of the overhead trolley
car.
IL was in Richmond. Va, on May
4, 1883, that the modern overhead
trolley really got it's start as a
commercial enterprise. on that day
the Richmond Union Passenger
Company accepted as completed,
double track line provided with
thirty electric cars. built by Frank
. J. Sprague. who is still resident Of
New York City.
Acceptance of the thirty car sys-
tom followed several months of ex-
periments in Richmond with a few
small cars. AS easily as February.
OF 1883, one small car was running
on the streets of Richmond, but
nany difficulties were encountered in
the course OF perfecting the line, so
it really did not get under way sue
ccssfully as a complete line until
May 4.
Invented by Blacksmith.
For fifty years prior to that date
scores of inventors, beginning with
: Thomas Davenport, a Brandon CVt)
blacksmith. had been working to-
ward the goal which Sprague finally
: achieved. In his little shop in Bran
don. Davenport devoted his spare
moments to making a working
: model of an electric railway. and
finally. in the autumn OF 1885 he
perfected a car with electric mag
: netic power as a governing principel.
Later he set up a small circular
railway in Springfield. Mass. and
/. over it drove an electromagnetic en-
sine. But history credits him with
accomplishing little more.
. Following Davenport up to the
time OF the Civil War, a number OF
inventors, including Professor Moses
q. g. Farmer. Thomas Hall and Pro
fcssor c. G.. Page. made numerous
futile attempts TO perfect an electric
railway OF these men, Professor
Page came nearest to success. or
April 20. 1857. his car made a tria
Of five and one-quarter miles from
v ashington. ID. c., to the historic
village OF Bladensburg. Nd. Th'
. "trip was accomplished in 80 min
utes. and a maximum speed of 1!
niles an hour was attained. Bu
this excessive speed was entirely toe
much for the professors batteries
Many OF them were ruined. He wa.
undaunted. however. and for man.
years afterward he continued to at
tempt to perfect his invention.
During the next 80 years Henr,
pincus George Green and variou
others continued attempting to per
feet an electric horse" but mad
: little progress. Stephen ID. Fiel
and Thomas a. Edison began ex
periments late in the 70's and Il
. 1879 Field filed an application for
patent on a third rail system. i
1880 Mr.. Edison built a small roa
az his laboratory in Menlo Parl
New Jersey, and demonstrated tn
practicability OF electricity as powe
for transportation. In 1888 at ez
positions in Chicago and Louisville
Afessrs. Field and Edison exhibite
an electric locomotive. which ra
around a circular track one-third {
q mile in length.
Meanwhile Mr.. Sprague, a studer
at the United States Naval Academ.
became interested in the electr
field. In 1883 he resigned from th
navy, and from that time until fN
years later, when he successful
operated the line in Richmond. b
devoted most of his time TO studyin
electric railway problems.
Plenty of Volunteers.
The period from 1880 10 1883 wi
productive OF many valuable contr
buttons to the future industry
Edward NJ Bentley and Walter
knight. who in 1854. built a tive
mile line in Cleveland; John
Henry. who built small roads
Kansas City and California; Pr
-fessor Sidney II. Short, Of Denve
aDr Wellington Adams OF st. Loui
Charles ]. Van Vepoele. Of Chicag
and Leo Daft, Of Greeneld. n. j. Da
perfected an electric engine, whic
in 1886, hauled total OF 10000
. rersons in old horse cars betwee
Baltimore and Hampden, Va.
Some OF Mr.. Sprague's earh
tests we're made in New York cit
and among the persons who can
10 witness them was Jay Gould. u
fortunately for the inventors, oi
dav a fuse suddenly blew out ne'
him with a startling flash, and
attempted to leap from the car.
once he lost all interest in the 4
T. ture Of electric railway developmer
The following clipping from Il
New York Sun. of August, 1Ss
: tells vividly OF the rough recepuo
which an electric car obtained du
ing one Of its tryouts in New Yor
7 Electricity on Wheels"
They tried an electric railw
car on Fourth avenue yesterday.
: created an amount of surprise al
CONSERVATION from Thirty-secoi
street to one Hundred and Seve
/ teenth street that was somethil
like that caused by the first stear
boat on the Hudson. Small bo
l. yelled Dynamite and Rats a
made similar appreciative remar