The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-06-06


More than eighty years ago Thomas
Davenport, Brandon (vt) black
smith. .compi fed q WORKING modA Of
an electric railway. K few ysars later
car was ready fox atrial trip. The
power was provided BY an electro.
magnetic engine. This device was
driven over q circular track In Spring
deld. Then Mr.. Davenport. apparent
" satisfied tttat public. conveyances
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. Noses @. Farmer and Q. q.
Page. and Thomas Hall. They Ia
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 bis
car ran between Washington, D. G.,
and Bladensburg, Nd, a. distance Of
5A 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 inventory Try Il
It was generally conceded that
progress had been made and there.
after, for period Of 80 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.
Then entered the field Of the ex-
perimenters Thomas A. Edison and
Stephen D. Field, who advanced so
far that, In 1879, Mr.. Field fled an
application for; patent on third.
rail system. Mr.. Edison built a small
road at his laboratory at Menlo Park,
and, after many trials, 1t became
known that the use of electricity as
power for transportation was prac-
ticable. In 1883 Field and Edison
produced an electric locomotive that
moved around small circular track
at the Chicago and Louisville exposi.
lions. ~ ,;ly
During the long period Of tests and
failures Frank ]. Sprague. student
at the United States Naval academy,
had followed with deep interest the
various attempts to make a success of
the idea. and In 1883 he resigned from
the navy and for five years made an
intensive study Of electricity and how
1t might be controlled for use in trans
portation. Some Of his tests were
made In detail before distinguished
Everything was going
nicely and fnanciers were becoming
interested In the matter, when one
day a fuse blew out during a trial.
There was a startling flash, and the
car was out Of business.
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 q very dark
night early in 1888 the first electric
car was tested. It ran well under cleo
trio propulsion until it came to a hill.
when 1t bucked, and four mules were
commandeered to drag the car to the
barn. Efforts to perfect the mechan-
ism were continued, until finally a car
was placed in service. Passengers
were willing enough to ride in it. but
they soon grew doubtful Of ever being
able to reach their destination with
an electric horse"
More or Less Trouble.
There was more or less trouble at
all times, and winter storms added to
the general uncertainty of electric |
travel. These first electric cars in
Richmond were run over a mud road
bed on rails one-third the weight of
hose used today. The road was bal
asted, the wooden stringers being |
aid In dirt. But despite these disad-
7antages the first round trip Of a lit
lie more than three miles was made
u about an hour. More cars were |
added, and finally they became an
everyday sight, and experts employed 1
" other local railroad companies
we're sent to Richmond to study the
lew Continuance. The news travelled
-. c.,,.n s~sa< IA fall