788 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



The motive power used on the total mileage given is divided 

 as follows : 



The relative economy of cable, electric, and animal motive 

 power has been brought out by the census officers, but the super- 

 intendent remarks, in issuing the bulletins on this subject, that it 

 is still too early to form a final judgment regarding the value of 

 electric motive power for street railways ; yet he feels that the 

 statistics presented, being, as they are, a record of actual experi- 

 ence, throw considerable light upon the matter of economy. The 

 lack of uniform accounts of railways prevents the use of the data 

 already collected for the formation of a final judgment ; while, 

 again, the electric railways, being nearly all new, have not been 

 in operation a sufficient length of time to afi'ord final conclusions 

 as to economy of service ; and, as Prof. Adams points out, most 

 electric railways are the successors of roads operated by horses, 

 the horses being still retained on a part of the lines and the ex- 

 pense incurred for horse power being intermixed with that in- 

 curred for electric power. For these reasons a final judgment on 

 the figures given must not be reached ; yet the facts presented are 

 indicative of what may be expected. 



The bulletin relating to the relative economy of different mo- 

 tive powers embraces fifty lines of street railway, ten of which 

 are operated by cable, ten by electricity, and thirty by animal 

 power ; and from the various tables presented, showing length, 

 steepest grade, number of cars, car mileage, number of passen- 

 gers carried, operating expenses, etc., a crystallized statement 

 (which statement, it should be remembered, is not a complete and 

 accurate one) is drawn, showing that the operating expense per 

 car mile of cable railways is 14-13 cents ; of electric railways, 13'21 

 cents ; and of animal power, IS'IG cents ; while the operating ex- 

 pense per passenger carried is, for cable railways, 3*22 cents ; for 

 electric railways, 3-82 cents ; and for railways operated by animal 

 power, 3'G7 cents. It will surprise many to learn that in opera- 

 tion both cable and electric railways show a greater econo- 

 my than railways operated by animal power ; but in the full 

 tables given in the bulletins it is noticeable that electric rail- 

 ways which have the least expense per car mile have the greatest 

 expense per passenger carried. So the statement of the ratio be- 



