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TH£ GREAT ELECTRIC STREETCAR COMPANY AND OTHER STORIES - - - - By - J.F. Lardner Published by the Rock Island County Historical society 1999 Digitized by the Internet Archive 2014 in https://archive.org/details/greatelectricstrOOIard The Great Electric Streetcar Company And Other Stories By J.F. Lardner Asthe currentdebate onthemerits andfutureofmasstransitintheUnited States grows involume andintensity, itmaybe ofsome interesttolookback on anage whenmass transitwas consideredthe onlymeans forproviding adequatemobility in ayoungandrapidlydeveloping industrialnation.Ninety years ago, beforethe automobile andauplane,raih-oads, streetcars, inter-urban trams and steamboats werethe foundationofthepeopletransportsystem in and between cities. Inthose daysno one doubtedtheirvalue orplace inAmerican life and certamlynoone doubtedtheirfuture. Inthe Tri-Citiesurbanmasstransitbeganwiththe construction ofahorsecar tramwaybetweenMoline andRockIsland in 1866. Thiswas followedin Davenportin 1868 bythe constructionoftheEastDavenportsection ofthe Thu-dstreethorsecarsystem. The westsection ofthatsystem, some fourmiles oftrackbeginning atPerry StreetandendingattheMcManus property, was complete in late 1869. InMoline andRockIsland, eagerentrepreneurs seized the opportunityto supplythisnewmarketformobilityand scenting sudden riches, stretchedrails inhelter-skelterfashionwhereverfranchises couldbe obtained. In 1872, the DavenportBrady Streetsystemwas builtfromtheriver to Central Park. Thenextyearaline from downtownDavenporttoMt. Idawas completed. The streetrailwayboomwas mostevidentinDavenportandRockIsland where investmentcapital andmarketdemand exceededMoline's. In 1886 the NorthwestDavenport lineupMarquette Streettothe fairgroundswas com- pletedandthe Tri-Citieshadthe following streetrailwaylines: Davenport DavenportCentralRailway Co. EastandWestDavenportRailwayCo. Bridge, Second Street, andNorthwest StreetRailwayCompany Davenport StreetRailwayCompany RockIsland Union StreetRailway Company ThirdAve. LineDavenportCityRailwayCo. Elm StreetLine BlackhawkLine MilanLine 1 Moline Moline andRockIslandHorseRailway Co. CentralRailway Company Union StreetRailway Company Mostofthese lineswere independentlyowned and eachhad one ormore franchises from the citywhich allowedthemtoruntrackoverspecifically designated streets. Everylinehad its own fares andtherewereno transfers between oramong lines. Eachtune apassengerchangedlines an additional farewasrequired. Patronshadtoplanroutes careftillytoavoidunnecessary interline changes. Faresvariedfrom 3 to 10 centsthough some Imes soldbooks oftickets at reducedrates, whichwerenottransferableandhadatune lunitationontheir use. In October 1888 amilestone inthedevelopmentofthe local streetrailway companies occurred. Messrs.Allen and Swiney formedtheDavenportElectric StreetRailwayCompanyto electrifytheBrady Street line, establishingone of the firstelectric streetcarlines inthe CentralUnited States. Therapidgrowth ofurbantransportationherehad cometothenoticeofa group ofChicago investors and in 1889, aftera series ofcomplexnegotiations, theyboughtoutallbuttwo ofthehorsecarstreetrailwayfranchises inthethree cities. One ofthesewasthe Central andFairmontfranchise inMoline con- trolledbyW. L. Velie, L. S. McCabe andE. S. Guyer. The secondwasthe Brady StreetlinecontrolledbyDr. Allen andMr. Swiney. The Chicago groupwas represented locallybyone Mr. Hohneswhopro- ceededto extendtrack atarapidrate, much ofitdoubletrackedtoprevent future competitionfrom obtaining franchises and sharingchoiceroutes or occupyingthe same streets withtheirtracks. By late 1889, the Chicago interestswere infinancialtrouble aswereMessrs.Allenand Swineywiththeir Brady StreetLine. Ill advised expansionandcutthroatcompetitionhadpushed both companiestothewall. Intothis opportunitymoved asecond Chicago—groupheadedbyamanof formidableexperience andimmense confidence Col. D.H. Lauderback. Originally fromDavenport, Lauderbackhadmade acareerin buying, develop- ing and sellingpublicutility franchises includingthe SoutheasternBell Telephone Companyfranchise andagoodpartofwhattoday is Consolidated Edison ofChicago. The LauderbackgroupboughttheHohnes andtheAllen and Swineymterests aswell as franchises inMoline andRock Island. The Tri- Cities finallyhadaunified streetrailwaysystem. OnlytheMoline CentralLine remained independent. OnJanuary 1, 1891,thenew company, incorporatedastheDavenportand RockIsland StreetRailwayCompany,took inventoryandfounditowned 135 cars (includingseveral electriccars ontheBrady StreetLine), apowerplantat 2 Second andBrady, anda spiderweb oftrackinthree cities whichwas anything buta logical, well laidoutpublictransportationsystem. In late Springof1891, lessthansixmonths afterthetakeover, Lauderback made clearto&eassembledDavenportCityCouncil, whathis companyandits stockholdersexpected. Simplystateditwas: sixpercentnetreturnonthe investment;repeal ofspecialtaxes forstreetpavingandacooperative attitude ingranti—ngmodifications infranchises sothe linescouldbemademore cost effective ^"Ifthe citywilltreatus in afriendlymannerand aidus in ourwork ofimprovementhere, wewilldo ourpartandmore",he said. "Ifthe council, onthe otherhanddeterminestohandicapus and situponus as ithasbeen doing, we shallprotectourinterests. Icontrolthispropertyand itwillbe handled as I say. Ihavethe ownersback ofme andtheywill dowhatIrecom- mend. We donotproposetopay acentoftribute forthepurpose ofstaying in a territorywherewehaveto dobusinessataloss."Hethen outlinedplans for changes intracksystem whichthe companywouldproposetothe council. Since each changerequired anew ordinance oranamendmentto an existing one, this was an essential stepto securingauthorityforanychange. Thiswas the firstofalong series ofskirmishesbetweenthe streetcarcompanyand various cityofficials. C. A. Ficke, thenMayorofDavenport, probablyowedhis conversiontobeliefinmunicipalownership ofpubhcutilities (withwhichhe laterharassedthe company)inlargeparttoCol. Lauderback. Atthebeginning, however, citycouncilsremainedmesmerizedwiththebeliefthat streetcars meantprogressandwere inclinedto followLauderback'sratherthanFicke's conceptofwhatwas goodforthecommunity. Itwas cleartothenew ownersthe systemhadgreatpotentialbutthreethings wereneeded. The firstwastomaketravelby streetrailwaymore attractiveby reducingtraveltime and increasingpassengercomfort; secondwastorestruc- turethe system sothatthecostperpassengermile couldbereducedand streetcartravelmademore competitive;thirdwastogeneratenewreasonsto ride streetcarsandincreasetrafficvolume. Sincetherewas an absolutepractical limittothespeedandcomfortpossible withhorsecars,the companyembarkedon aprogram ofelectrifyingall lines as rapidlyaspossible inorderofdescendingprofitability. ApowerplantinRock Islandwasbuiltandtheworkofputtinguppoles andstringingwirebegan. The citycouncils ofthethreetownswere approachedtoallowtracktobetakenup, rerouted andextended. Oldsystemswere integrated, lines connectedand roadbeds improved. As apartoftheprogramtoelectrifyandupgradethe streetrailwaysystem, thenew ownerssoughtadramatic(andprofitable)wayto capturepublic attention andincreasepassengertraffic. Theythoughttheyhadfounditinthe electrificationofthehorsecarlineovertheGovernmentBridge. Itwas one of themostheavilytraveledlinesandhadtheadvantageofconnectingthecities onbothsidesoftheriver, hiFebruary 1892,thecompanyrequestedpermission fromthe SecretaryofWarto electrifythebridge line. Therequestprovokeda storm ofprotestfrompeoplewhobelievedtheelectric carswouldsofrighten horsesthatthelives ofdrivers andpassengers ofhorsedrawnconveyances wouldbe indanger. Evensuggestions thateachelectric carbeprecededbya horsetoreassurealloncominghorseswas shouteddownandtheprojectwas postponed. Thecompanytriedagam in Septemberof1893 andonce againwas turneddownwhentheBusinessmen'sAssociation, spurredonbyrhetoricsuch as "Shallwe,thatthe streetcarcompanymayavoidalittle expense, placethe lives ofourfamilies in dailyjeopardy?" passedaunanimousresolutionagainst theproposalandonceagainpermission fromtheWarDepartmentwas denied. In fact, itwasnotuntil Mayof1894 thatelectrificationofthebridge linewas approvedandhorsecarsbetweenDavenport andRock Islandpassedmto history. Contrarytopredictions, horses andteams encounteringthenew electric carsdidnotboltorleap intotheriverandthe BridgeLinebecamethe financial foundationofthe company. Themostvisible andprobablymostpopularofthe strategies ofthecompany was the developmentofvariousparks andrecreationareastopromoteuse of streetcars forexcursions, familyoutings andholidaycelebrations. Withthe purchase oftheRockIslandstreetrailwayfranchisestheDavenportandRock Island StreetRailwayhadalso acquiredatractoflandontheRockRiverbluff whichtodayisBlackhawk State Historic Site, formerlya StatePark. ChiefBlackhawk's Watchtower, rising abovethesite ofthe largestofthe Sac andFox villages, was aheadyawell knownrecreation areaandthe company set aboutdeveloping itfurther. InJuly of1892 the firstBlackhawkInnwas opened. The Imetothe Watchtowerhadbeenelectrifiedpreviouslyandspecial trains ofmotors andtrailerswererunfromMoline andDavenportforthegrand opening. Motormenandconductors wore buttonholebouquets, whitetiesand whitegloveswhilethe leading citizens ofthethreecities, seatedin careful arrangementinthree brilliantly lightedtrains, were conductedin styletothe greatevent. This setthetone fortherestofthe socialworld ofthethree cities. Blackhawk's Watchtowerwastheplaceto go-andthe companywasreadyto receivethethrongs. Modestly at first, butwith anincreasinglylavishbudget, theybookedsummerentertainment atthe Watchtower. More attractionswere added. A shootinggallery, atoboggan slide intoRockRiverandanoutdoor theater. To attractpeopletothepark, entertainmentwas freewithtwoperfor- — mances perday one at4 p.m. andone at8 p.m. Faresto Blackhawk's Watchtowerweretencents onewaywith specialexcursionfares forround trips. The faresandtheprofitfrom concessionspaidfortheshow. Though SchuetzenPark inDavenportwasnotacompanyproperty, attrac- tionsthere werepromoted andspecial carsrunto thatlocation on Sundays and holidays. LaterProspectParkandFejervaryParkbecame locationstowhich 4 the streetrailwaycompanywas delightedto runtheirtracks. Bythe Summerof1895 theplaybill atthe Watchtowerincludedthe following attractions: Hungarian bandinnative costumes. Severus Schaefferjugglers. BarkBeuAchmettroop ofArabs from BuffaloBill's WildWest Show. Annabelle - serpentine dancerfrom Trocadero, Chicago. Lenton Brothers. Chinese acrobats. Harding andAh Sid, the Englishman and Chinaman- equilibrists andheadbalancers. Mile. Olive -juggler. Princess Dolzomky - violinistwith atroop ofRussianmusicians. Takazawas - Japanese - general acrobatic andbalancingwork. Romolo Bros, - acrobatic pantomime. Marionettes - eight innumber- comic pantomime. ThreeMawelles - grotesques alaHanlon. MazeyandAbacco - flying trapeze andtriple bars. Mile.Alberti - female wireperformer. Carlini's trainedmonkeys and dogs. Muhlemann trio - Swiss warblers. Innes famous band in its warpiece. Laterthatsame summer, "As YouLike It" was presented inthe open air theaterby a Shakespeare Company from Chicago. Admission was bysubscrip- tion only and attendance atthe performance was 400 ofthe "wealthy and cultured ofthe threeprosperous cities" according to the localpress. The : syndicate was offto agood start. Fame spreadquickly andpeople from other communities began toplan outings to Blackhawk's Watchtower. On June 26, 1895, the steamerW.J. Youngbrought500people fromMuscatine to see the attractions andspendthe day. In spite ofallthatLauderback coulddo, and in spite ofrepeatedwarnings from the company, the Populistphilosophy (ourimmigrantheritage)prevailed mthe city councils. As the cities expandedand demand forbetterstreets became an issue, councils forced the company to pave the streets on whichthey rantheirtracks to avoid angering voters by imposing assessments on adjacent property. Things came to ahead inJuly of 1895. The company, facedwith over$250,000 ofassessments accumulated in 3 shortyears, ran outofcashand calledthe bluffofthe town fathers. Company officers announcedthe company was insolvent andunable to pay its debts. They offered reorganization as an alternative to receivership andtoldthe worldthere were no choices exceptto 5 supportthereorganization ortake a chance inthe bankruptcy courts. Though there areno available records ofwhatreallytookplace, aremark- able lack ofconcernwas evidenced in the interviews grantedtothepress by local managementregardingthe crisis. The secretary ofthe company and local manager, when questioned aboutthe affect ofthe financial crisis on the company, said oftheMoline operatio—ns, "I donotthinkthe insolvency ofthe companywill affectthe local lines". ^An interesting observation from an individualwho wasmanagerofthe local operation, an officerofthe company and a stockholderwhose financial interests would be affectedby anyreorgani- zation. Thetriumphantresult ofthis gambitwas therecapitalization ofthe company with an infusion of$600,000 in new capital, a2-yearmoratorium on allpaving assessments by all cities involved and anew appreciationbythe cities oftheir dependence onthe company fordevelopment oftheir industries and outlying areas. Theyhad suddenlybeen facedwith thepossibilityofno public transpor- tation. The threathadbeen veiled, the voicehad been soft andgentle but itwas clear-"Don'tkillthegoosethat lays the golden eggs." There is some evidence thatthe crisis wasnotquite as serious aspublicly advertised exceptforthe burden ofthepaving assessments. The Chicago Chronicle, on October23, 1895, reportedthatthe soon-to-bereorganized companyhad reported Septemberoperating expenseswere 60% ofgross receipts andthatearningswouldpermitthe $630,000 ofbondstobe serviced and still pay a 10% dividend on $600,000 ofoutstanding common stock once the floating indebtedness (short-term debt)was reduced. The developmentofthe Electric StreetRailwayswasnotwithoutits environ- mentalproblems. Shortlyafterthe electrification ofthe streetcarlines andthe installation ofelectric street lights in largertowns and cities, complaints fi-om the Gas andWatercompanies began. Undergroundpipelines were being eaten awayby electrolysis, andthe leakage ofelectricity from thepowersystems was blamed forthe apparent sudden and serious deterioration ofwaterandgas mains. The streetcarcompanyhastenedto assurethepublicthat"theyhad carefiillytestedthe outflow ofcurrentfromtheirdynamos andthatwhichwas returned, and foundthe losshardly appreciable." This problem, however, was to beheard from, offand on, foranumberof years. In some cities such as Omaha, the courtswere askedto enjoin the street railway companyfrom using electricmotivepower- andthewatercompany suedthe streetrailway companyfor$25,000. Atthe end of1895, the reorganized companyappearedtohave overcome its difficulties andwas looking forwardtoeasiertimeswhenthefirst oftwo events occurredthatcaused a severeblowto earnings andtaxedbothmanage- ment abilityandfinancial resources ofthe companyoverthenexttwoyears. InJanuary 1896,the GovernmentBridgewas closed formajorrepairstothe 6 drawspan anditwas expectedthattrafficwouldberesumedbytheopeningof thenavigation season inApril. InFebruary, however, anunfortunatethaw sent icepiling agamstthetemporarywooden supportsuponwhichthe drawspan rested, carriedthem awayandthe entiredrawspan crashed intotheriver. Except forrailroadtraffic, whichwasrestored quickly, thebridgeremained closedto allvehiclesuntilthemiddle ofDecemberandahnost ayear'srevenue oftheBridge Linewas lost. Tocompoundthe company'sproblems, onJuly3, 1896,the WatchtowerInnburnedtothe ground. The streetcarfirmwasnow withoutthe centerpiece ofits majorattraction andwithoutcontinuouscar servicebetweenIllinois and Iowa. Atfirstthenewswashopeful. The Innwouldberebuilt immediately and perhaps apartofthe summerseason couldbe salvaged. In any case, all attractions wouldbe presentedas scheduled andthe only amenitiesnotavails able wouldbethosewhichhad involvedthe Inn itself. Optimism wasdashed, however, whenthetown ofSears, whichhadannexedthe Watchtowerproperty someyears earlierto benefitfromthe real estatetaxes paidonthepark, passed an ordinancerequiringthe licensing ofall shows and concessions. Thoughthe proposed licensee feeswere saidtobe negotiable, the very existence ofthe ordinance wasunacceptabletothemanagement ofthe streetcarcompanyand the strugglewas on. Therewouldbenonew Inn untilthe ordinancewas repealed andatenyearmoratorium on suchnonsense declared. The Sears city fathers, confidantthe companywas bluffing, reftisedto negotiate andhintedat furtherdemands. By lateJulythe city eldersbeganto fearthatthethreatwas real and a compromisewas offered. A five cent fare to Sears(itwasthenten cents) andthetownwouldrescind all license fees for 10 years. The answerwas apolite butfirm "no deal". Assummerended, newspapers inthe largercities? began a drumfire criticism ofthe littletown. Withridicule andthreatthey letit beknownthatSearswas adog-in-themangerandwas selfishlydenying worthycitizens oflargerbettertownstheblessingsthe streetcarcompanywas disposedto bestow. Pressure increasedbutbeforenegotiations couldberesumed, ariderattached to aFederal appropriationsbill forthe WarDepartmentcaughttheattentionof thepress andthepopulace. Sponsoredby an obscure Texas congressman, it required atollbepaidbythe streetcarcompanyforusingthe Government Bridge. Thetaxwastobe $200 permonth andwasnotto be leviedon any otheruserexceptthe streetrailway company. Therewas speculationthat certain local "enemies" ofthe companyhadbeenbehindthetax, thoughthey wereneverpubliclyidentified. Once again, scarcely amonth afterthebridge betweenRockIsland andDavenporthadbeenreopened, streetcarservice betweenthe citieswasthreatened. The communitywas galvanized into action. Petitions containingover5,000 nameswere sentto Washingtonwithin days. Lettersto congressmen, senators, 7 state legislators, governors, andthe Secretary ofWarwere dispatchedand a mighty lobbying effort forrepealbegun. This effort, ledby Congressman George M. Curtis and orchestratedbyE. E. CookandJ. F. Lardnerofthe Tri- CityRailway Companywas an astonishing success. BeginningJanuary23, intense lobbying in Congress onbehalfofrepeal began andbyFebruary4 therepealbillhadpassedbothhouses with little opposition. On February 16, itwas signedinto lawandthe crisiswas over. OnMarch 1, the Sears townboard followedthe example ofCongress and repealedthe licensing ordinance, guaranteeing a5-yearmoratorium on all licenses ofanykindwhatsoever. Two days laterthe companyannouncedthe Innwouldberebuiltandthat summer, on June25, agrandopeningwasheldto which over5,000 people attended. The Searstownboardretiredto nurse its grievances againstthe company andplotmoremischiefforthe future. ^ The SummerandFall of1897 wentwell forthe StreetRailwayCompany. In additiontothenormal entertainmentsuch asjugglers, traineddog acts, trapeze artists and singing groups, ashort session ofcomic operaanda circus were bookedatthe Watchtower. Among' the operaspresentedwere "The Chimesof Normandy", "The Mascot", "Olivette" and "FraDiavoloti." IndependenceDay broughtacrowdof10,000-15,000 visitorstothe Watchtower, setting anall- timerecord. People from towns as faraway as CedarRapids arranged excur- sionswithasmanyas 1,500 coming on a single dayandthe streetcarcompany was delightedtotakethemtoBlackhawk's Tower. The original company policyoffree entertainmentwasmodifiedand special attractionsnowrequired an admission fee ofasmuchas250,but stilltheycame. Thetriumph ofthe SummerSeason of1897 was an appearance bythe Cherry Sisters. Localpapers reportedthatrelativelyfewvegetableswerethrownbythe audiencebutthatthe lackofcabbages and onionswasmadeup yelling- "and inthisthe crowdwas at leastasmusicalastheperformers." Therapidspreadofelectric carsbroughtwith itarange ofnewproblems. Because ofthehigherspeeds involved(upto 10 MPH)thereweremore accidents, some fatal. Agrowing concern forthe animalspasturedalongthe tracks inthe less settledparts ofthe cities became apparentinpressstories. The lineto Sears andthe Watchtowerwasparticularlyvuhierable as areportfrom theDavenportDemocratwillattest: "The object(ofthe fence) isnottopreventthe cars from strayingoff therightof-way andgetting lostinthewoods, buttokeepthe cattle of farmersalongthe line from strayingonto itandgettingkilled. The companypaidforthree cowsthere lastsummer. Thismoneybroughtit — noreturns. Itwas practicallyadead investment. Byasingularfatality thecars lastsummerselectedonlythose cowsthathadlongandhighly veneratedpedigrees orthathadbeengiven totheirownersby *dear friends' forwhose saketheyweredearly cherishedorhadbeen for 'i