Show COMFORT COMFOR T RATHER THAN SPEED AIM OF SALT LAKE CITY'S MULE-CARS MULE I I U r.-i r. j a n 1 1 r i. i c i fr n 4 t 4 4 s fr s y fa fr t e 4 f 4 p g-p J i I A a aI I T ii b 4 I A t n x W F t c t w Above t one of the first electrically elec o operated street cars in Salt Lake City It began operation operation operation opera opera- tion in fn 1889 Below a scene after af af- af- af ter tracks tucks were wee first laid under Eagle Gate By Dy JACK THOMAS S Napoleon it looks like rain Whereupon the mule pricked up his ears cars and was wao ot off at the breakneck speed of 20 to 60 minutes per mile Such Va was vas Salt Lake City's street railway system not so long ago The original mule car system here began operations in 1872 with a 3 route from the thc old Utah Centra Central railroad depot at Third West Vest anc and South Temple streets east cost to the business busi ness district south then Cl cast t again on Fifth Filth South str street t to the Ninth ward 5 The second line took passengers to I the Warm Springs near where Wasatch Wasatch Wa Wa- satch Springs plunge is Js located Other Oth er extensions followed and when the first cI electric trolley was WM installed in 1880 there were 21 mule cars operating t. t In lag ing on 14 miles s of ot single track Comfort rather than speed was the chief chIc advantage of mule cars over walking since reports are the speed of ot the cars was anything but breath breath- taking Fares were 10 cents The cars cats were kept in an old Fargo Express company barn which had formerly housed stage coaches One mul mule car clr line followed the route of the present Third avenue car line to M street Another extended extend extended ed along First South street from Main Moin street to Twelfth East street strett The public square on the block which now houses house the car ear barns harris was connected con con- with the district by bya a track along Seventh East street Broadway Other tracks circled the railroad depots There were no track along State street and none below Fifth Filth South street on Main street When tho the system was electrified in 1889 the entire road had to be reequipped reequipped re- re equipped With heavier r rails new nM cars generators and md power plants The was with 42 miles mUes of ot track In us use as soon as the electric system Was com completed l ted The present E system stem of ot street cars and motor mo- mo lot lor buses covers more than three times this miles The Salt Lake City Railroad company com corn pany hod had little iitti more than completed electrification when it faced a competitor com corn the Salt Lake Rapid Transit company organized in 1890 1800 At the same time the Fort Douglas Rapid Transit company built two miles of at street railway in the eastern section of the tle city cHy but it was taken over by the other rapid transit group before operations began Then followed 10 years of ot bitter competition but finally in 1901 the I Consolidated Railway and Power company took over both companies as ns well as th the Utah Power company which had been supplying the Salt Sal L I Lake Railroad company with power L I from its Big Bg Cottonwood canyon I plant Another consolidation in loOt iDOl linked I the thc electric light and street railway prop properties in Salt SaIl Lake City and the electric light and gas as prop properties o ot of Ogden in the Utah Light LIht and Railway company This organization was purchased pur ch chased ed in 1906 by the late E E. E H. H Harriman Harriman Har Har- riman railroad magnate Th present Utah Light Trac Tree tion lion company was formed in 1914 by a consolidation of ot the Utah Light Ligh Railway company with the Salt Sal Lake Light Traction company The new V organization leased all its distributing dis systems transmission I lines inca substations and generating stations to tho the Utah Power and Light company for 99 years and arranged to purchase purchase pur pur- chase its power from the light com corn pany Development of ot motor buses has resulted in r replacement placement of portions of ot the track system with buses in recent recent recent re re- re- re cent years cars |