Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-18
THE HORSE CAR MAoNATEs
Mittsn's Predecessors Were an Inter.
estlns Lot-They Were Originally
Butchers, oroesrs and ounkard
Preachers-And Mostly They
Wore Full Boards
BY GEORGE NOX Mccain
THOMAS II. MITTEN's program for cit;

DS uEOnuE NUN NlCSIhAN
THOMAS Il. M1TTEN's program for city
L ownership of all surface. subway and
elevated transit tracks marks great ad-
vance In street railway operation, whether or
not anything comes Of it,.
The fact serves to recall something about
the little handful Of men. Mr.. Mitten's
predecessors, who might properly be known
delphia. All Of them have passed away.
They were not the pioneers in the bust
ness. They were the fnnnctcrs. operators
and consolidntors of lines. who followed on
moters.
They constructed the foundation upon
which the present remarkable structure Of
intcrlocking steel tracks has been built.
THE Colkets, father and son, are still re-
L membered by the older residents of
Chestnut street In West Philadelphia.
street workman to the management and
principal ownership Of the Chestnut and
Walnut street line. That was sixty
years ago.
1t was known as the Philadelphia City
". ". Coikct, the son. succeeded to the
presidency Of the old horse car line, but lost
control Of the roaAwhen the line was leased
to the West Philadelphia Passenger Rail-
way Company.
would not have been consummated had the
Colket estate been able to vote its holdings
as unit.
A LEXANDER MACK FOX was the man
"A who ms president Of the Second and
Third Street Passenger Railway Company
brought it to its highest efficiency as horse
car road.
He was the son and grandson Of Dunk.
ard preacher, and came Of a long line of
Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry. He married
Mary Hall. who was an Episcopalinn, and
then adopted the faith Of his wife.
s, He started life as as grocer .,H,.. on North
a natural fnancier.
Approaching the possibilities Of horse car
traffic he began investing in street railway
stock out of his grocery store earnings.
and president Of the Second and Third
Street Railway Company. For years he was
also director of the Union Traction Com
pany and of the Frankford and Southwark.
He was n stockily built man. with, chin
wore little black bow as a nccktic
1t is peculiar coincidence that the earlier
street car magnatcs all wore boards, with
the exception Of =. 4. B. Widcner and
William l.. Elkins. They had mustaches,
uENRY GEIGER was another Of these
was straight chin whisker. W. w. Colket
had regular Aaronic full beard and mus
tache. So. too. had Charles j. Harrah,
while z. b. Edwards sported flowing burn.
sides.
Henry Gcigcr was at the head Of the Fifth
and Sixth Street lines for years. He was
n Pennsylvania Dutchman and as far seeing
as they max" them.
Like Alexander Fox he rnr grocery be-
fore he got into the street railway business
hat ho
totally lacking in the phlegmatic habits Of
easily ''rattled." or furried.
While still engaged in the grocery busi-
was elected a preacher by his congregation.
and tradition says he could preach good
sermon.
u b. EDWARDS. president Of the Ridge
IL. Avenue Line. was Thomas r. Mitten's
prototype in the matter of FIVE cent fares.
ohnr mGsrs AIR. Are Eery few vns vh, now who re-
fare. one cent below that charged on other
lines.
He was a peculiar man but of fine figure.
easy presence. and suave and courteous
manner. Mr.. Edwards was the first presi-
dent of the Ridge Avenue Line and in COM
bination with William S. Grant owned
nearly all of its stock
The antthesis of Henry Gciger, Mr.. Ed
wards took particular pride in his dress.
which was always Of fashionable cut and
fine texture. lie loved fast horses and was
what was known to the world of his day as
a good liver"
A man of cultivated tastes, he was peculiar
In TWO respects; he looked personally after
the horses on his line, and took his meals
at restaurant and lived in furnished
apartment over the dispatcher's quarters at
the street railway depot.
CHARLES J. HARRAH, who was the
~ most efficient president Of the PEOPLES
Railway Company, made a fortune building
street railways in Brazil and then returned
home to invest 1t in Philadelphia street
railways.
He was tall. genial man, with a sweep.
ing beard and heavy mustache He lived
for years in a marble mansion at Broad and
Poplar streets. He had one son and. as in
the case of Thomas T.. Mitten. made him
his personal assistant.
Fond of display, lie rode about town IN an
elegant brougham.
With his railway experience he was nble
to lift the Peoples Company out of
slough of debt into which it had been cast
by its earlier management.
He was the first official to prohibit any
passenger holding In his hand either lighted
Opposed TO five cent fares. he "fred" IN
short time over 80 conductors on his line
for dishonesty.
DETER A. p. WlDENER was the best
L known Of all the earlier street railway
magnatos in Philadelphia.
II" became nationally known when. with
William l.. Elkins, he offered Boss
Tweed, then the Car Of New York. 81 600
600 for the privilege of laying horse tracks
on Broadway.
Tweed's renly was fhot bc wos ,,-;,,..