The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-01-26
THE FATHER or THE INTER
URBAN,

|
industry of the United States, totaling
today some $4,000 miles.
Partly in honor of Mr.. Henry, the
| annual Mid-Year meeting of the
American Electric Railway Associa-
| tion, embracing some eight hundred
electric railways, viii be held in In
dianapolis, Indiana, his home city, on
FEBRUARY 2Sth. The future OF the in
| terurban will be one of the main sub
iects discussed at the meeting.
Another reason for holding the
meeting in Indianapolis is that this
4 city is now one of the greatest inter-
urban centers in the United States,
| and also the home OF leaders in the
industry. Robert I. Todd. President
of the American Electric Railway AS
! ISOLATION, resides in Indianapolis and
! rs the head of the local lines. Other
/ widely known electric railway men In
! indianapolis and vicinity include Har-
/ nv Reid, President, Interstate Public
! Service Company. and Arthur w. Bra
| DIV President, Union Traction Com
! pany Of Indiana A feature of the
| meeting will he the running of half
/ O. dozen special interurban trains from
adjoining states 10 Indianapolis.
| Mr.. Henry is known as the father
| of the Interllrban," because he coined
the name OF '-interurban" and pioneer
ed its development. At the time he
built the line from Anderson to Alex
andria. there was already a line oper-
ating out Of Cleveland but it had at
tracted little attention.
81 got the idea for the name in
4 n
at the Chicago Worlds Fair. There
was a small electric line running WIN
in the Fair grounds there. known as
intramurar, meaning within walls
Therefore, when the thought OF run
ming an electric line between cleles
occurred to me. l simply switched the
name to the Latin interurban,' mean
ling between cities"
When Mr.. Henry started his hne
he already foresaw that the interurpaf
would he a distinct development OF
its own and would require much heaV-
Ter roadway and equipment than or
binary city lines and that it would
develop the handling Of freight put
he was not able TO foresee its fapao
land very extraordinary development
re laid sixty pound rails on the track
and while the first car operated was
Ian ordinary city cor 1t was replaced
as soon az they could be built, by the
heavier specially built interufoall
coYs. some of which are stlH IN use
on the lines Of the Union traction
romnanv Of indiana. With Il view to
the necessities CT tho future, ne Sc
cured a private right -of-way for the
lime in preference to building 1t along
the highway. .-,,.,
ono OF the most difficult problems
which Mr.. Henry faced in building ms
limo was that of distributing electric
rnr,er over the full eleven miles SO
hat Il would run cars. In those days
No electric plants had been built eN-
cnnt for use of direct current from
,oyyor houses. Alternating current
for distribution on electric railway
systems had not come into use. Inc
result was that when the ORDINARY
600 volt direct current was turned IN
10 the line at Anderson, it would pro-
d,ca onI1 200 volts at Alexandra.
This weakness was finally overcome
nv putting in 4 second generator
which he called Il booster IN lie
mower house at Anderson, pfodueiis
1000 volts there and making avaliaple
=
600 volts at Alexandra,
In some respects the operating OF
cars over the line was very cruoeI
hut in others the innovations started
~ Mr.. Henry were so progressive
that they still continue in use me
SIGNAL question was taken care OF from
switch 10 switch, but all orders were
oi,,op Inv the dispatcher to the motor :
nan direct i'm his car by means OF
dron limo from the telephone wire.
E,.a,. since that time on all interurpan
roads have been dispatched by tele-
phone and many steam ROADS no" use
this system. ....a
The zone fare system was put mo
use on the line at the outset. The me
was divided into three sections -
zones ard a five-cent fare was COL
Iected for each zone, At the start the
road carried no freight, but II oiu Of
once carry the mail from Anderson 10
Alexandria. The first car was crown
ed and the road from the start was
popular with the public. 80.
steam railroads. which later ielI
keenlv the competition of the inter-
rrban. paid little attention to the in
tar,,rhan when it began operations
Mr.. Henry found it somewhat ieui''
however. to obtain cooperation Wheh
no wanted il. the steam roads dec'ln-
Inc. IN set cars with rails or poles for
him and also refusing to permit him
70 cross it's tracks There was no right
Of eminent domain for him to take
advantage Of. Being q lawyer ne
Knew that it was entirely legal Tor
hin, 10 cross the tracks when he was
building upon public highway and
he. therefore. arranged the route TOT
his road so as to have it on puohc
highway at every point where ne
wanted to cross the railroad tracks
There was no law in Indiana at the
tip,e specifically giving anyone per-
mission to build rural line, but MI
Henry discovered that the state law
did permit city lines to extend tne'r
J service into the country upon gaming
the permission Of the county commiss-