The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-05-04
CITIZENS OF WINDY
CITY RIDE BEHIND
HAYBURNERS NOW
OPERATORS OF ELECTRIC RAIL
WAYS DIG Up Old CARS AND
APPLY POWER GENERATED
BN THE MISSOURI MULE.
CBy The Associated Prsss)

Chicago. May 4.-The rcsounding
crash Of Missouri hoor fire against tin
tenders Of archaic street cars is heard
today in many clues throughout The
country.
For out Of the rubbish heaps of
street car barns and the tall woods Of
vacant lots. mule cars Of third of a
century ago have been rescued by
electric railway companies and again
put on rails, today, FOR few hours
under "hayburner" power
The reason for this demonstration is
that the modern overhead trolley car
Is thirty-thrcc years old today and cleo.
tric railways Tor the first time Ia his
tory are celebrating this event
II was IN Richmond, Virginia. on
May 4. iSsS that 20 electric cars. equip
ped with overhead troleys. were put
into operation and the contract FOR
the first complete. double tracked line
of this character in The world WAS ac-
cepted as completed.
For 90 years prior to that day iuyen-
tors ranging from Thomas Davenport,
Brandon, Vermont. blacksmith. TO
most OF the famous inventors of the
period had been working toward the
goal which Frank i. Sprasuc or Now
York City, finally achieved.
stephen II. Field and Thomas \.
Edison began experiments late in the
,O's and In 1879 Field filcd an applica-
ton Tor a patent on a third rail system.
In 1850 Mr.. Edison built small road
al his laboratory IN Menlo Park. New
Jersey, and demonstrated the pr1cti-
Cihilirv of cl,c,Hcity 1s pow,r foy
transportation. In 1883 ut cXpos.tious
in Chicago und Louisville, M-ssrs,
Field ANA Edison exhibited an electric
locomotive which ran around circu.
lar track one third of % mile IN length.
The period from 1850 to lNNS was
productive Uf many valuable contr.bU-
tons 90 tho future Industry. by Ed-
ward VI. Bentley and Walter H..
Knight. who in 1854 built u Two mile
line In Cleveland. John G.. Henry who
built small roads 90 kansas City aud
California. Professor sidney II. short
Of Denver. d. Wellington Adams. oi
S. Louis. Charles j. Van Ncpoele. OF
Chicago. aud leo p1f,. uf Greenfield.
Sow Jersey DAFT perfected an rlec.
uuc engine which IN 1856. hauled %
total ut 300 OV0 persons in old Nurse
cars between Baltimore and Hampton.
Virginia.
Some of AIr. Spflrup'g earlier t..ts
We're made 100 New York Clty and
among tbU~r Who came Co witness them
W.s Jay Uowd. Unfortunately. one
day. Mr Could ,ook position near
an oppu safety fuse vu ou" ol thr ear.
ami when fuse suddenly blew out
with starting flash. Mr. Could at
tempted to leap from the car and lt
once lost an inisrvs. in The future 81,
electric railway development
40 the beginning ot operation of cltc.
triot cars iu Richmond. wages were
from 90 c,lt. to Sl.1j day. Tho
Average wake paid by go companies
having more than 100 miles uf Track
each, In The United SAus. to-day .s
"a cents an hour
To-Day there are more than Soooo
electrically propelled passenger Wrs
in the United States which carry "a
total of approximately $4,000 OvVooo
persons co. tcn times az many as ride
on steam railways. yearly The in-
vegiment in lines b. approximately Sc
OO0 OOU 600 the tmUkage D. l4t0O m.les
and 100000 men are employed.