The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-05-23
STATE TROLLEY
SYSTEM FIGHTS
FOR RECOVERY
United Lines Promising
Faster and Safer
Service.

Indianas traction system, once
known the world over. has passed
through the boom stage and today
IS a settled. grim business Of put
ting the state on its trolley feet"
More than half the tracks now
are rusting. AS weeks pass more
miles OF track are abandoned and
the companies realize the inter-
urban no longer is an easy come
easy 20" method OF transportation.
Bonds. once worth tens OF mil
lions now. in many cases, are mere
" paper with vague par values and
contractual phrasing printed there
upon.
System Raises Head
That Is IN contrast 10 the time
when Hoosiers would accept stock in
traction line as quick as they
would accept a gold piece.
The Indiana Railroad System
has raised its head above the
Rraveyards Of rusty track. and its
officials believe the day has come
when the interurban is looked on
as safe. reliable and fast way Of
getting there.
These officials follow the foot
steps Of Charles L Henry. who. at
the beginning OF this century, had
an idea about trolley cars in An
derson and tracked them out from
there. and is known as the father
Of the Indiana snterurban.
The first cars began TO ply be-
tween Indiana cities and towns in
the early part II the century. Horse
and mule cars went by the board
az early as 1893, and electrics re-
placed them en- the city thorough
fare. but It was not until 1902 and
'03 that trolleys began to carry the
travellers between cities Of the
state.
Lines Spread Out
The T. H., & Z. furnished fair
example Of what has happened TO
the two principal electric state
arteries. This was a company of
many subsidiaries.
The first was built from Indian
apolis to Lafayette, with a branch
line running from Lebanon to
Charlottesville. That was in 1902
and '03.
In 1903 lines we're built from IN
dianapolis to Martinsville and Rich
mond. And then there was an orgy
of binding the state together by
trolley tracks: Terre Haute TO
Sullivan, Terre Haute to Clinton
and Sanford. at the Illinois state
line. Lebanon, Charlottesville, Mar
tinsville, and Danville all came into
the system.
They went along for nearly three
decades riding on air. With few
exceptions there were no such in
terurbans in the country.
Indiana. more than any of its
possible interurban rivals, gained
the reputation Of having man-sized
trolley cars disrupting the rural
quiet Of its highways.
l.. T. Hixon. former vice-presi-
dent OF the old T. H., I. a. f., points
out that the levelness Of the coun-
tryside may account in a measure
for the growth of the trolley sys-
tenn in the state. But the fact re-
mains that in 1929. when the bub-
bic began to be pricked, the inter-
urbans we're riding virtually on
tracks of gold, and within a brief
twelve months the lowliest railway
pawnshop wouldn't take them for 90
cents on the hundred dollars.
Trackage Is Reduced
The T. H., I. & E., once operating
about $50 miles. now operates about
one-third of that.
Take as a fair example Of the
whole system, the Indiana and
Northwestern Traction Company.
Its original bond issue was for ST.
100000.
In the final liquidation 1886 was
paid to each $1,000 bondholder, a
free coinage of copper as far as the
bondholders we're concerned.
After a decade of booming in
1918, owing, perhaps to a tempo
rary reaching of the point OF satu-
ration, there came a halt; persons
looked at the lines for brief year
with normal eyes and prices OF their
stocks and bonds declined.
In 1914 came the war, and Amer
Ica was launched on one OF It's
greatest booms. destined to run, ex-
cepting the interlude Of 1920. for
fifteen years. Everything increased
in valve: the interurbans again
were on the march upward.
But another force was beginning
even then, to operate and make
itself felt-the automobile.
In q few years every state was to
begin the construction Of motor
highways as assiduously as Indiana
built tracks. II was a slow operat-
inc force for the first few years
and the fun measure OF its poten-
tisl strength only was dimly Wis
ualiSed.
Pride Shown in Trains
In those years Indianians talked
less OF the new six and eight-cyl-
inder automobiles than Of their pet
interIuban flierS.
Vast leaal pride was evinced IN
the crack inteTuIpal II 80 LftAg
dav passengers gathered on the
rear platforms to hold stop watches
on tSe time made by their pet iron
pony.
The lines christened their best
trains. There were the Muncie
Meteor and the Honey Bee, the
Cannonball, the Hoosier and Dixie
Filters.
Regular commuters on these lines
would take only their favorite train
and would argue long and loudly
that this and no other was the best
interurban in service.
on the Indiana Railways lines
today some Of these names still are
retained.
The Indiana Railroads. a unfit
cation OF four lines, now is the e.
ply Of the Indiana traction mag
mates to depression, automobile and
airplane.
Faster cars. shorter travelling time.
more convenient Schedules-theSe