New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1921-07-06
Pioneer Inventor Was a Vermont
blacksmith.
SPURREDs OTHERS TO WORK
Success Finally Reached In: 1898 and
Richmond, Va Was First City to
Operate Cars After Edison Had
Done His Share During the Years
Since That Time the Electric Rail-
way Industry Has Made Enormous
Strides. 3.

smith, completed q working model; OK
an electric railway. A, few years later
a car was ready fol. q trial trip. The
power was provided by an electro
magnetic engine. This device was
driven over a circular track In Spring
field. Then. Mr.. Davenport, apparent
ly satisfied that public conyeyancesss
could be propelled by electricity, rest
ed on the honors he had achieved.
News Of the device spread and
stirred into action q score OF, able.
men, who sought to make practical
use Of the idea. Among them were
Profs. Moses G. Farmer and q. e,
Page, and Thomas Hall. They la
bored for years to perfect an electric
railway, but their efforts were futile.
Professor Page came the nearest to
success. In the spring Of 1867 his
car ran between Washington, D. G,
and Bladensburg, Md, d distance OF
81 miles. The maximum speed was
at the rate of 10 miles an hour and It.
proved too much FOR, the professors
batteries, which were ruined.
Many Inventors Try It. ,,5
It was generally conceded that
progress had been made and there
after, for period of 30 years, many
inventors tinkered away at batteries
and made many trials, but there was
always something the matter which
convinced the majority that the use
of electricity for transportation pur-
poses was merely an interesting
thought, like perpetual motion. q
Then entered the field of the ex-
perimenters Thomas A.. Edison and
Stephan D. Field, who advanced so
far that, in 1879, Mr.. Field filed an
application for patent on third
rail system. Mr.. Edison built small
road ut his laboratory at Menlo Park,
and, after many trials. It became
known that the use of electricity as
power for transportation was prac-
ticabls. In 1883 Field and Edison
produced an electric locomotive that
moved around a small circular track
at the Chicago and Louisville exposi.
tons.
During the long period Of tests. and
failures Frank ]. Sprague, a student
at, the United States Naval academy,
had followed with deep interest the
various attempts to make q success Of
the idea, and in 1883 he resigned from
the navy and for five years made on
intensive study of electricity and how
it might be controlled for use In trans
portation. Some of his tests were
made in detail before distinguished
gatherings. Everything was going
nicely and financiers were becoming
interested in tie matter. when one
day a fuse blew out during a trial.
There was a startling fash, and the
car was out Of business. 4.
Then Mr.. Sprague interested Oscar
T. Crosby, afterward secretary Of the
treasury, and S. Dana Green in his
invention, and they all went to Rich
mond, Va, where on a very dark
night early in 1888 the first electric
car was tested. 1t ran well under cleo
trio propulsion until it, came 20 a hill.
when it bucked, and four mules were
Communicated to drag the cur to the
barn. Efforts to perfect the mechan-
ism were continued, until 6naily.a car
was placed in service. Passengers
were willing enough to ride in 1t, but
they soon grew doubtful Of ever being
able to reach their destination with
an electric horse
More or Less Trouble. i.
There was more or less trouble al
all times, and winter storms added te
the general uncertainty Of electric
travel. These first electric cars II
Richmond were run over mud road.
bed on rails one-third the. weight oi
those used today. The road was bal
lasted, the wooden stringers being
laid In dirt. But despite these disad
vantages the first round trip OF lit
tie more than three miles was made
in about an hour. More cars were
added, and finally they became ar
everyday sight, and experts employed
by other local. railroad companies
were sent to Richmond to study tile
new CONTINUANCE. The news truvelet
abroad, and Mi. sSprague went to ItaI,
to install an electric road there. Il L
According to electric experts, TIL
precise date when the electric cax wal
proved practicable was May q, 1883
and the thirty-third anniversary wa:
celebrated with ceremonies in man,
Of the smaller cities. !,
During these 49, years the electri,
railway industry has made .enorY ou.
strides. A statement issued BY tn.
American Electric Railway assacia
ton says that today there are 5000
electrically propelled passenger car,
In the United States. and that theS
carry annually $4,000 100000 passcn
gers, or ten times as many as ride of
steam railways. The receipts OF It'd
various companies this year Will. Il ii
estimated, amount to several HUNDRED
million dollars. There is invested ii
the lines approximat ely S.. OOO, OOO, OO0
the trackage is 44,40O miles and 500.
600 men are employed In the service
Miss Az Miriam schrader spen1
r~r,14f II