Evening journal., 1921-05-04
Trolley Cars Just 80
Years old on This Date

until they we're hoarse. Newly ap-
pointed policemen debated arrest
ing it, but went no further. The
car horses which were met on the
other track kicked without excep-
ton, as was natural. over an inven-
ton which threatened to relegate
them to a sausage factory"
Eventually Mr.. Sprague interested
two of his friends. oscar T. Crosby,
latterly Assistant Secretary OF the
United States Treasury. and S. Dana
Green. sufficiently in his project so
that they went to Richmond and
aided him in the construction Of the
line there.
A test OF the first car finally was
made in Richmond after dark one
night early in 1SSS. and It success
fully negotiated a hill. AT the top
Of the hill. however. the car began
TO buck. Sprague Immediately or
dered il stopped and in a loud voice
told one OF his assistants to go back
to the car barn and obtain some
instruments" with which to put the
car in condition. When sightseers.
tired Of waiting. dispersed. the assis-
| tant returned with the 'instru uments'
-four long-eared mules-and the
car was dragged back to its start
ing point.
Much grief attached to the initial
attempt to maintain a regular SER
vice on the line. Plenty OF people
were willing tc ride, but the car
would not always run. When snow
and sleet fell. particular difficulty
vas experienced in keeping the over
| head trolley clear. one method
used by Pat O'Shaughnessy, a me-
chanic. was to climb on top Of the
car and sweep the icicles of the
trolley wire with a broom.
Ties Laid i'm Mud.
The first cars in Richmond were run
over a mud roadbed on rails one
third the weight OF present day
rails. The road was not ballasted.
wooden stringers simply being laid
in dirt. Despite all OF these draw
backs. the first round trip OF lit
tie over three miles was made in
about an hour. much to the amaze
rlent of the Richmond residents
When the thirty cars were put in
operation it was a sensation.
News Of the successful operation
OF the electric car in Richmond
spread rapidly. and Immediately de-
mands went up all over the coun-
try for abandonment OF horse cars
b in favor Of electrically-propelled
cars. one OF the interesting eX-
: hibits in possession Of Mr.. Spragu'
5 is a headline from a New ORLEANS
- PAPER printed in 1858. which says
Lincoln set the Negroes free
Sprague has set the mule freel Th'
% long-eared mule no more shall
D adorn our streets"
a The great progress made in th'
o United States in the next year il
i connection with electric railways at
70 tracted widespread attention, AM
e in 1889 Mr.. Sprague was called q
T Italy to install a road. Later he bull
p a line in Germany.
:, Within the next year or so hors
q and cable cars disappeared rapidly
n and the overhead trolley system wa
4 almost universally adopted.
indicative of the great change tina
Il has come in the electric railwa
world in recent years is the differ
C ence in wage scales between the tim
e that Sprague started MS klcnmon
e line and the present day. At the be
y ginning Of operation of electric car
e In Richmond the day crews worke
8 from ten to twelve hours for froI
s1.25 to S1.75. Night shifts worke
from eight to ten hours for from Z
s cents TO $1.25. The average wag
j. paid by sixty companies. havin
y more than 100 miles Of track eacf
l. in the United States now is slight
- more than 5S cents an hour, or a
:. increase Of from 800 per cent. to 20
n per cent. over the wages OF thirt
y years ago. The fare on the first Rich
r. mond line was 5 cents. The frs
3; nickle paid for a ride is on exhibitio
D, today at a public institution in Ne'
-t York.
D. Big Industry Now.
10 In the thirty-three years sine
N