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Rapid Transit System is Ideal OneWaterloo Center of Many Radiating Lines of Interurbans Providing Adequate, Comfortable', Convenient and Speedy Transportation Facilities Between the Factory City and Vast Area Containing Many Thousands of People—Many Trains Daily Bring Populace of Two Counties to the Trading Center of Northern Iowa Seven Days of Every Week.The development of electricity as a otlve power seems to have solved d busy man’a problem of a rapid, nvoulent and economic menus of □asportation, and the extension of ectrlc street railways In comb In u-m with interurban service, leaves ;tlo to b© desired, until that day may jsBibly come when the flying ma* ilno shall be a practical method of aneportation rather than tho costly id dangerous toy it Is today.The growth of the electric railway •stem bos been of recent date and is increase in mileage during the ist 2D years has been marvelous, be census report shows that 3d 1SD0 lere were 1,2G2 miles of railway In le United States operated by eleetric-y. Today the electric street and ih-•rurban systems I a this country ng-regate in uxtent very close to 40,000 illes and represent an investment or bout four million dollars. Today It is ossible to make a continuous trip by ectrlc Interurban and street railways cm Buffalo to SL Louis* and with •w short breaks which will soon be Ifcd lnT the journey niay be extended om Buffalo to New York City. Speaking of the utility and benefit r the interurban systems In connec-on with the electric Etreet railway nos, Phesldent Cass of theIV. C. F.; N. railway, says: “Tho Interurban srvice added to free rural mail delfv-ry, rural telephone and the parcels ost, mokes the country home prefor-ble to the city home.” lie might ave added that the interurban aya-sms radiating from a populous center Ives every person living in the ter-itory covered by them a suburban aflidencc with all tho benefits of tli© Sty and lacking the annoyancea of therent business centers, he Waterloo, Cedar Falls Northern Railway.In 1SS6 three young men with an af-iosL prophetic vision of the future of i/atorJoo, built the electric line in ills city. They were L. S Casa, J. H.LafFerfcy and C. J. Fosselman. The rst lino constructed :.i this city ex-anded from Elmwood cemetery on the rest side to the Cedar River park on ho east side and including its branch-s was about Tour milee In length. In Blt;37 the interurban line to Cedar Falla ,'as constructed. Today, In addition o tlie local lines in this city and Ce-Itir Falls and the Interurban line be-wcen the two cities, the company lias :onstructed and operates an fntcrur-tnn line to Denver and Waverly.naking in -aj] about 70 miles of track, 'be equipment consists of 150 pns-eager curs, 50 to 00 freight cars and 5 miscellaneous cars, work ears, witch engines, etc.OFFICERS WATERLOO, CEDAR FALLS NORTHERN R’YJ. F- CASS, VICE PRESIDENT,and street railway systems In the weal. It is intended to build an interurban line to La Porte City next year and it is probable’ that this Hue will be extended to Cedar Rapids within the near future. In addition to this there 13 almost positive -Assurance that the Chicago, Atmmosn and Northwestern railroad, which has been built from Anamosa to Coggon, will be extended to Waterloo. Thin road ia -at present operated as a steam railroad, but if the proposed extension Is made, it is understood that ears will be operated by motors, trains will make frequent stops and it will be operated practically as an Interurban road, adding, at least, TOD miles to the interurban service from this city.The Future of InterurbanB In Iowa, The above expresses briefly what has been done through the energy and intelligent efforts of the managers of the W. C* F. N railway. The gen-other very satisfactorily. The trunk lines, with their heavy trains can males more money for their owners, if thoy run these troloa for long distances with but few stops, and Just here Is where the Interurban service relieves the trunk lines of the necessity of attempting to do both local and long distance business on the same road. -.The interurban line can handle the local business, making frequent stops and thus taking care of this class of business In a way more satisfactory to the people than could be dono by the trunk line. Ia this way the one ay stem supplements the other and each is run for the benefit of the people/*Alluding to the development of Interurban service in Iowa, Mr. Cass indicated some of the rcnEOns why It has been slower than In other states and why today Iowa has a amaller total of Interurban lines than In otherL. 3. CAS3, PRESIDENT.invito a large and enterprising population, which would locate along these linea until Waterloo and it* suburbs would become one of the moat Important cities In the atato/’Legislation Ie Unfavorable.Continuing on this subject President Cass said: “You ask why, everycondition for the construction of such lineB being apparently Inviting, that they are not built, and you wonder why we do not branch out more ex-C. D- CAS3, GENERAL MANAGER.tenslvely than we have. You perhaps wonder why projects for tho construction of ltnc3 from Waterloo to Oekaloosa, Des Moines, Red Oak and other points, which have bean discussed, seem to have never outgrown the uewspapcr stage. I think thesequestionb may he answered by the simple statement that under the present laws of Iowa, ft Ib very difficult for any new company to build n lino of any size In the elate. In otherof our franchise today and It was voted to us, it could only extend until 1537, which would he three years less than the limit prescribed by our bonds. So you see all the money we expend In the city of Waterloo or Cedar Falls for tho betterment of our focal systems, must come out of the eurningu or tho lines themselves, or out of our own pockets. If we had a franchise which would meet the requirements of the bond people, wocould put in circulation in these cities,' nt least, three hundred thousand dollars, which would* go to the betterment of our lines and the general de-velopment of our local systems, and 1 this amount would certainly add-to: tho prosperity of Uio city to a very, material degree.Public Utilities Commission Nesdecf.President Cass Bald that this: hindrance to the development of street and Interurban lines had been don© away with in some of the eastern statoa by tbe establishment of public utilities commissions. Thoso commissions have charge of railroads and other public service corporations, with full power to compel their man-agemeul and operation in a manner-to the beet Interest of the people. As long ag they aro bo operated - under the commission, thoy are allowed to continue, to exist and tbetr franchise is unlimited, Tbe commission has the power to soa to it that tho operation of these corporations Is strictly legl- * tlmate and a complaint from .them to ;: the owners of the securities would'1 change the management lu case Vu ch. •-a move is desirable for tho beet In- • tereste of the people. Tbe corpora- \ tlone are required to report to, the ‘; commission, and there is the fullest publicity of methods, etc. “If such a/.... lav.' was in operation/* said President ' Cass, “you would find when you wont -to tho bond houses with a proposition which was feasible, they would say to you, All right, we will put our money*'-', into tho propositon, because wo know that If you don't manage matters totlie.satisfaction or tho poplo, you .will .be put out and some one else will get the lob who will manage it sattsfac-. lorlly. We knoy that our monoy wiliv be safe becauae yon will be compelled* ‘ to run things as they should be runr and the property will have a right to, exist and will not be subject to a short lived franchise or to ahy polltl? • cal or other disturbance/ ’* • 1Mi*. Cass said he believed that tho. people did not thoroughly understand:; these eoudltSono, or there would bo; . no opposition to a public utilities com-; • mission. He was equally positive ' that, vJtlt the olmngoB ho had suggested In the law, Waterloo would; • ,*. r • .. ;. ..s'• •..#A::V T •• •'s: J. ■...... • •••. • •; • // i *. . . ' iv.V '. y1lliiltlil'NU. 3I—Tii-ld UK Tilt; JJKAUTIFU tj hVTt-KOltUAN CARS.Approximately this plant repreKenta ihout five million dollars. The property account of July 1st of this year, uraounted to four million six hundred thousand dollars, and the expenditures fn betterment, etc., for tbe fiscal year amounted to $G16.0CO, while for tills calendar year the amount will reach rully J700.000.Tho company proposes as fast as possible to make betterments and extensions of their system, so that in the near future they hope io have it one of the most Important interurbantleiDGn at the head of IhJs organiza-tion have faith in the future of Waterloo and In tho growth and development of intorurban railways. Speaking of the Interurban service, President Cfi39 saya:“Thore la a legitimate field for the electric Interurban railway as well ub for the great steam trunk line system and instead of being opposed to each other, ne rt was gup posed they would ba in tho early days of electric street railway building, their objects are Identical and they supplement eachatatea, Ilt;?a entorprlBing and with less opportunities for successful operation of such roads. He said: “Iowa offersa splendid field for the development of interurban lines. Waterloo, I believe, is one of the most favorablef pointb for a large interurban center, and I nm certain that were all conditions favorable wo would have from 300 to 500 miles of Interurban railways radiating from this city. Tho benefit of such a network of IlneB would certainly be great. It would benefit the city and the country alike, and wouldNEW W., C. F. . N. IL R. POWER HOUSE—A iil IMPROVEMENT—MAKES THE WHEELS GO ROUNDA PRETTY VIEW, SHOWING DOUBLE TRACK, W-, C. F. N., WEST THIRD STttEtHwords, us the statutes now read, they } could not got money enough from the Hale of stock to Uiko up the slack between tho cost of the road and what they could bond It for. For Ihte reason, It la almost impossible* to build a line unless yon havo an existing street railway as a basis; something which will show eomo present earning power.Another thing -which cripples exr tension of lines, which already hay© a certAin earning power Is the pro* vision or law which prohibits the granting of franchises to municlpa. corporations for a period to exceed 25 years.‘'Should you go to a bond house and offer them your bondB you will find It is ahnoat itnpoBsible to dispose of such bonds baaed upon a property which has no right to exlat, according to law, for more than n quarter of n century. The bond people want to know that the property which 1b Lbt basin ot the loan has a right to exist, at least GO years. Possibly thoy wlij take bonds based on a 30 or 40 year rranchlbe. hut they prefer at least GOyears. Now, tho lowa law prohibits the Issuance of any franchise to any municipal corporation for more than 25 years, nnd thero you nro. An In-Btnnco 1n pointy comes from our own oxperlonce. There is a provision In tho mortgage upon which our bond* aro based, which prohibits tho use or any moneys derived from thoso bond ft for the betterment of any street car linea whose franchise expires before IfiRL Should ?ro ask for a renewalcedaji navEK park—a i-ovely spot on this w- a a n, by*
Newspaper Details
Waterloo Reporter
Waterloo, Iowa, US
Sat, Dec 30, 1911
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Steve F.
USA 05 Oct 2022
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