St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1954-06-25

This group along with rel
and televisions, guests of the
street cars at the Eastside station
in Minneapolis at 1915 p. m.
Luncheon was served on the
train Of street cars as they toured
slowly through the Minneapolis
loop. Twin Cities Lines president
Fred Ossanna and board chair
man Elmer Olson and other Of
ficials were on hand to greet the
guests as they boarded the trans.
After a tour of the loop the
cars were routed over Washing
ton Av. to University and thence
to the Smelling Av. station in st.
Paul, where, with proper cere-
monials the last street car" was
burned with President Ossanna
setting the torch.
There was jolly fun all along
the way. In the lead car were
most of the company officials and
the press. For while John C.
Seidel, president of the Local di-
vision Of the Amalgamated As
ISOLATION of Street, Electric Rail-
way and Motor Coach Employees
of America was at the controls of
the first car.
Then TO the surprise and we
might add CONSERVATION of the
passengers, Fred Ossanna ST..
president of the transit firm took
over as motorman. This was I'M
expected, After a few rather
rough applications of the air
brakes, Mr.. Ossanna did a pretty
good job. He blamed his sudden
stops on the sudden braking of a
police escort which was leading
the tram-cade. However every
body on the lead car breathed a
little freer after the company
head turned the motorman's Job
back over to a regular driver
Investigation revealed that Mr..
ossanna had only had about ten
minutes instruction on driving a
street car a few days before! No
harm was done, of course, because
right close by for emergency pur-
poses was both union president
John Seidel and the regular mo-
torman.
Later on Senator Hubert II.
Humphrey, just in by plane from
Washington boarded the street
car parade. Naturally he was in
itiated into the order Of motor
men. He was photographed in the
drivers seat but this writer never
did learn whether the senator &C.
tually drove the car.
All along the route spectators
braved the showers to gaze at the
spectacle Of the street cars con-
verified into dining cars making
their last run through the city
streets. Some persons seemed
startled by the trolley parade.
At Smelling guests comprising
most Of the Twin Cities Who's
Who took almost everything
movable off the interior of the
streets cars for souvenirs.
1t was some party and the
people seemed to like being in on
an historic occasion marking the
complete conversion Of the Twin
City Transit system from street
cars to buses in a record-break-
ing time
Friday, shortly after midnight
the last street car in the Twin
Cities made its final run and
pulled into the car barn for the
last time.
A total of 7s6 buses now serve
Twin City public transportation
users, replacing the obsolete
street cars which served the Twin
Cities for many years.
Officers Of the firm. most OF
whom were present are Elmer ".
Olson. chairman Of the board.
Fred ossanna, president: DR.. Da-
yid z. Ellison, executive Vice
president and medical director;
James H. Towey, secretary and
treasurer, board members. Ber-
nard Nelson, James b. Aune,
John A Guy. Emil B. Aslesen
and Benson Larrick. vice-presi-
dent and general manager. (See
editorial page ~