The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-08-03

| An event of more than passing interest will take place Friday when trolley car No. of the Bris- 1 tol Trac action company will make it's 1 last rice. This trolley, which on August 12, 1895, just 38 years ago, made the first official run on the then Bristol and Plainville Tram way company line, will make it's last run over the same route, that is from the center of Bristol to Lake Compounce.
 The run will not be done in quite the same fashion, however, since the trolley tracks from the Y to the lake have been taken up. Ben- jamin R. Lockwood, local builder, will supervise the moving of the | trolley. The wheels will be taken off and the trolley will be mount ed on special wheels and hauled over the road by Miller Brothers truck. Eight o'clock Friday morp- ing is the hour set for the "last ride".
 Trolley car No 1 has been out of use since the fall of 1881, which was the last time that any of the open cars saw service. The other open cars have been demolished but No 1 was saved from the scrap heap.
 Permanent Resting Place The car will be set up at, the west of the pavilion, where it will remain permanently. The lenders will be removed, so the trolley will look more as it did when the line was first operated, lenders not be. ing used until some years later. The seats, of course, will all be left intact, and patrons at the lake may sit in the trolley at any time they desire.
 It is interesting to read over the article which appeared in the Bris- tol Press of Thursday, August Is. 1895, concerning the opening of the new trolley line. The article is headed Progressive Bristol; Now Enjoying Metropolitan Privileges; John Norton, Who Never Rode on a Steam Car. Takes a Ride on the Trolley; Four Cars Necessary tG Accommodate the Traffic to Com bounce"
 Rccollcctions of Initial. Trip
 The writer of the article tells ol the crowds of people which assem- bled on Main street to watch the great event. There. were people on foot and in teams. Men who wanted to train their horses to make friends with the cars were on hand. At precisely 3:4S D. m. car No. 1 carrying the directors, town and borough officers, representa- l tives of the press and invited guests, sped out on the main line toward Compounce. Car No fol- lowed with the ladies, of which there were about 45."
 George l.. Bookings, general manager of the Bristol Traction company was one of the specially l invited guests of the occasion. Nil | Bookings at that time was man. ager of the Waterbury Traction company.
 The article relates quite .vividl, John Norton's reactions to the trip MT Norton, who was then 93 year. old, knew every inch of the terri tory about Lake Compounce. Thi. was his first ride in any mode oi conveyance other than a horse ant
 buggy. He enjoyed the ride i'm
 mensely.
 Everything went we'll with tn. trip down to the lake, but on th< return trip No. jumped tn, tracks at the sharp turn neal Pierces bridge. The cars wer, stopped in front of the pest ofiic, at 5:34, q delay of % minutes hay
 ing been caused by the derail
 ment." 5..,.
 It is interesting to note that cal
 No. l was in charge of conductor
 James Prior. MT Prior, who live at 445 West street, was rcgula conductor until year ago whel he was pensioned off.
 Pierce and Norton feel certaiI that the setting up of trolley No
 at Lake Compounce will be | link between the past and tn, present. When the line was frs started, the populace hailed tn, trolley as great achievement which indeed it was.
 And yet, in less than 40 years time. the Lake Compounce trolle. line has disappeared altogether. II d few years. children will be grow ing up who never saw an opel trolley or had any idea that thor, ever was d trolley line to Lax, Compounce. To these boys ant girls old No. 1 will be more thai a novelty. It will be an historica exhibit.
 Brief History of Lake COmpOunc, Lake Compounce itself, has : history which goes back a grea deal farther than the opening 0
 the trolley line. About the mid dle of the 17th century, tribe o '"