Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-01-24
Electric Railway Men
VIII Honor Originator
Of MterurbGn System

car, by means OF q drop line from the
telephone wire. Ever since that time
On all interurbuu roads orders have
been dispatched by telephone and many
steam roads now use this system.
The zone fare system was put in uss
on the line at the outset The limo
was divided into three sections or zones
and a 5-cent fare was collected for each
zone At the start the road carried no
freight. but 1t did at once carry the
mail from Anderson to Alexandria. The
first car was crowded and the road
from the start was popular with the
public
/ Steam railroads, which later felt keen
! ~ the competition OF the interurban
/ paid little attention to the interurban
when it began operations. Mr.. Henry
! found it somewhat difficult, however,
TO obtain cooperation when he wanted
| It, the steam roads declining to set ears
with rails or poles for him and also
refusing to permit him to cross its
tracks. There was no right of eminent
domain for him to take advantage OF
Being a lawyer, he knew that it was
entirely legal for him to cross the tracks
when he was building upon a public
highway and he, therefore, arranged the
route for his road so as to nave il on
public higway at every point where
/ he wanted to cross the railroad tracks.
/ There was no law in Indiana at the
time specifically giving any one permits
sion to build a rural line, but Mr.. Henry
discovered that the State law did per
nit city lines to extend their service
into the country upon gaining the per-
mission Of the county commissioners, ana
it was on this legal ground that he
built this first line and afterward built
q hundred miles more Of interurbau road,
Phillip Matter Of Marion lent Mr..
Henry the first 100000 with which to
build this first interurban This was
all the money that was borrowed for
that purpose, but soon after George f.
Mccullough Of Muncie, II J. McGowan Of
indianapolis, and Randall Morgan Of
Philadelphia, were interested by Mr..
Henry in the organization Of the Union
Traction Company of Indiana aud this
group developed the present property OF
that name, including the line from Ander-
son to Alexandria. Gradually this line
was extended from Alexandria to Ell
wood and Marion and afterward the
line from MunCie, via Anderson, to Indt-
annapolis was constructed That COM
pany now controls 400 miles Of inter
urban lines in Indiana and in the entire
State of Indiana there are about 1000
miles of line.
Prior to building the line from Ander-
son to Alexandria, Mr. Henry was a
practicing attorney in Anderson, for
about twenty five years. He also was
active in real estate and business circles
in the old Gas Belt" of Northern Indl-
ana, and became interested in local trans
poration in 1891, when he bought the
old mule line of about five miles in
length in Anderson for the purpose Of
extending it for factory Developments.
Later he electrified this line and eventu-
ally it became a part of the first inter
urban road. The interurban develop
ment Of the country might have come
quicker had not Mr.. Henry become inter
ested in politics in 1892. He then ran
Tor Congress. but was defeated He ran
again in 1894 and served two terms
being an active member of what is now
the Foreign Affairs Committee Of the
House" This committee had much to
do with laying the plans for the Spanish
American War and during the pre-war
period Mr.. Henry frequently was in con-
ference with President Mckinley.
Mr.. Henry now is president ana gen
eral manager Of the indianapolis &
Cincinnati Traction Company This COM
pany is arranging to complete its road
to Cincinnati, the downtown district Of
which it will reach by way of the new
subway constructed in the old canal bed,
thus reaching its Cincinnati terminal at
what everybody knows as Fountain
Square This extension will complete the
project for the road and will add greatly
to its activities