THE TRAMWAYS.

Evening Star, Issue 4896, 9 November 1878, Page 1

THE TRAMWAYS.

The convenience afforded by tramways being a subject of interest and discussion in the suburban boroughs just now, we willingly re-publish an interesting letter which appeared in the Dunedin papers at the time the introduction of the tramway system into Dunedin was first mooted. The letter is Mr C. H. Street's, and commended the subject to the citizens when first published. Since then the testimony of many of our notable citizens who returned from visits to the Home country is to the same effoct, and the improvements in tram cars in the two half-years which have elapsed of course is on the sitle of the advocates of the tramway system : Dunedin, May 17,1876. I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of yesterday asking me to furnish the City Council with any information I poiiess as to the working of street tramways at H>me. the result of my personal obsojvatious during a recent visit, which I will do with much pieasur^. The stiejt tramways of which I had most experience were those of London, Hamburgh i-tublm, and Glasgow. In London the system is largely in uss, especially in the northern «i>.toiu, aa.i southern districts. Tram oars rmi oo*ii tn (Jay *. ad, though Kinsbury square, to the head «>• Moo'gate street, within a few minutes walk «f the Baukof England. 1 hereis * dou lc line of rails, and the cars are numerous, foliowiusj e.ch oiher at short interrais. On the suuth side uf the Thame* the tram oars ruaneJr

the foot of London Bridge ; and on the out Bide to the Minories and Aldgate. I mention these line* to show the. nearest points at which the tramways at present approach the heart; of the City of London. One large and wol'.appdmted li>e with a double line of miis runs thtough Camden Town to the fottenham Court road. This line passes lor part of the di> - tance thiougb. a very narrow street, much narrower than Princes street, Duuedin, with a dense population and heavy traffic, and in the narrowest part of this street the line is wngle; and> the cars when'ihey arrive at the teriniuua—having both ends precisely alike—a e not turned, but the horaes are hitched on to the other end. The diiver mounts the platform, and back the car goes on the fame line of rails. Short curve lines are provided at regular distances, so that when two cars are approaching "on the »ame line of rails one car is driven on to the side curve till the other has passed. I used tram cars on many of the London lines, and found them exceedingly pleasant to ride on; the motion is 'eaiy, smooth, aod steady, and the ingress and egress very easy. Tne driver stops the oai on any pa.t ef the road on a cord being pulled by the passenger wishing to alight, which rings a bell The fares inside range from 2d to 4d, according to distance; outside passengers Say half price on some of the lines. The c»nuctur walks through the car to take the fares, giving each passenger a ticket in which he has previously punched a whole "with a little selfregirtering instrument, which checks the number of tickets issued by the conductor. I found these cars extremely popular and greatly patronised. The rails of the tramways are level with the roadway, and I saw the ordinary traffic running across and along them without the ■lightest inconvenience. I asked several omnibus drivers and others if they found the tramway any obstacle to their vehicle s -, and was invariably answeied that they did not It is, however, fair to *ay that I was informed that the four-in-hand clab< had at one time resolved not to d.ive their coaches on any street where a tramway was laid on account of possible-damage to their fine narrow tires; but I presume the member * had found their f dars grouudless, as I myself on the opening day of the club saw a long line of heau-tfiully-appoiated coaches-andrf.-ur being driven in procession along a street where was a double tramway which they must have crossed m<ury times. In Dublin tne tram car is an institution, and those I u«d in that city were the cleanest aud best-appointed that came anywhere under my notice. But it is in Glasgow that the tram car seemed to me to have attained the greatest popularity. Tramways there are in all directions, and the lufty tram car is a prominent object io Glasgow's busy-thoroughfares. The fare from Jamaica street, corner of Argyle street, to Paisley road toll is only Id, inside and out. _ .Tjue cars carry f-rty or forty-two passengers—l forget which—and I was much interested in observing the thoroughly popular character of the institution. Crowds of workpeople avail themselves of the cars in going to and from their work, and women, with big Sarceta and baskets, get in and take their penny rive; in fact there neemed to be great liberatity on the part of th« proprietors towards the pasBengera I must say that I never saw a greater public convenience than the tram car in Glasgow.' Kenfitld street in Glasgow is very steep, and a tram hor e is always used ; but I have been .surprised at seeing the ste-p incline up which two horses will take one of these huge cars.. Thnre is no gradient in the proposed route in I)u< edin that two horses could not easily tak-3 a car up. In going up Renfield street the car is not stopped; but if passengers vrUh to alight they can easily do so, as the pace is slow, and they aim ly step out without any trouble or risk, touch, in fact, is the ea*e with which tuese cars can be entered and left that a large proportion of ma'e passengers get in and out when the horces are going fast without requiring the car to be stopped I have nothin* particular to remark as to the Edinburgh street tramways. In Bombay I saw the Itram car running through the crowded and narrow streets of the native quarters; ann in America, as 70U are aware, the street tramway is in universal operation. I did not anywhere, hear any complaint against them on the score of danger to- foot passengers; on the contrary,, they were considered much safer than the ordinary omnibus or cab by reason of their size, and that they must eome in a certain and defined, p'ac?, Hnd also that the powerful brake at the elbow o f the driver enables him to step the car BO,quickly that it is easy to avoid accident*. I have allowed this letter to spin out longer than I had intended, and will conclude with a few remarks on cars and t am ways as noticed by myself.

1. The average car carries inside and out about forty passengers. The Kides have one long Beat from end to end,, with a good passage up the middle. The ' seats are in many cates covered with velvet, but many ears have simply a wellmade, easy seat along each side, with open ba s, varnished. Windows are generally fixed with curtains to draw, and open spaces, with shutters over the windows for ventilation.

2. The rails were invariably 1 'id in the middle of the road, and the two Inside rails were ju>t •wide enough, apart to allow the cars to clear each other in passing. 3. The roadway -was the name nil across; there •was no pitching or paving that I could see when the rails were laid on a macadamised road, as most of the. suburban tramways are, and a machine which I repeatedly saw working hi Camden Town, drawn by one horEe, was run aloug each line of rails to clear out the pieces of road metal which got into the groove in which the wheel of the tram car runs.—l have, Ac , , C. H. Street. J. M. Massey, Town Clerk.