The tranquil atmosphere of the borough of Media, was rudely broken this morning by the appearance of a real trolley car. The sensation was sprung when the first car over the Media division of the Philadelphia and West Chester Traction Company reached the Delaware County terminus at 5:32 o’clock this morning. The car, the first to run over the road, left Sixty-Ninth Street terminal, Philadelphia, at 5:02 o’clock. It carried fifteen passengers and arrived at Media on schedule.
On the first car was H. H. Atkens, vice president of the traction company; C. A. Entriken, civil engineer; A. E. Garwood, assistant engineer; S. W. Rogers, assistant superintendent of transportation; B. A. Hengst, claim agent; and W. H. Slaughter, freight agent at Sixty-Third Street; other passengers, J. Roop, C. H. Miller and Roy Blackburn of Llanerch; D. G. Moore of Upper Darby, and William W. Wilson of Drexel Hill.
The first fare on the new line was paid by Mrs. Joseph T. Gormley, wife of a conductor on the new line. H. W. Getz, an old employee of the company, tendered a brand new dollar bill in payment for his fare. The car was in charge of Conductor William Lyle and Motorman Reese Hagy.
A. Merritt Taylor, president of the traction company was not present at any of the opening features of the new trolley line. He is in the south at this time recuperating from a recent attack of typhoid fever.
The trolley company has the right to run in the borough on State Street from Providence Road to a point 100 feet west of Orange Street on a single track, returning by the same route, if the company shall not proceed to construct the road in due time unless delayed by legal interference, the right will be forfeited. No construction in the borough is to be commenced until the company obtains the right to build as far as the borough line. Octagonal wooden poles are to be used as far as Monroe Street, and west of that street iron poles are to be used. The company is granted the right to maintain feed and telephone wires to the poles. No wires are to be at an altitude of less than 13 feet. The company is also to construct and maintain a vitrified brick paving from curb to curb west of Orange Street and between the rails and two feet on each side from Orange to Plum Street. East of Plum Street the company is to construct and maintain a macadam roadway. Cars must not be run in the borough at a speed of over 13 miles per hour, and each car is to be numbered on the outside. The company shall not remove its tracks except for renewal or repairs without the consent of Council. A penalty of $10 is provided for any violation of a provision of the ordinance, with a penalty of $2.50 for each day the violation continues after due notice is given. If the company fails to run its cars for one year consecutively, it forfeits its rights and Council in such case reverses the right to remove the rails. The company shall keep the crossings in good repair and maintain the grades so as to carry off the surface drainage.
The company is relieved of all limitations imposed by any general ordinance. The ordinance is binding on the company, its successors and assigns.
President Taylor declared that Media would be furnished with the best service of any community in this part of the United States. The cars will be seven feet longer than those in use on the present lines. He explained the groove rails as being the most satisfactory for use in the borough, as they make less of an obstruction than the girder rails, and said the company was giving about $12,000 in municipal improvements. “Luxurious” is the term he applied to the service which he says Media will secure.
The car on its return trip to Philadelphia, left Lemon Street at 5:32 o’clock. The passengers on the vehicle when it left the borough were: Warren T. Lowe, Clifton Schur, Daniel Healy and J. E. Miclkle. George Powell boarded the car at Springfield Township and Benjamin Supplee, Lawrence Supplee and Harry Skillton became passengers later. The car had thirty-seven passengers by the time it reach Sixty-Ninth Street. Vice President Aiken paid the first fare on this return trip.
The second car to leave Media this morning, which departed at 6:02 o’clock carried a large number of people. It had seventy passengers aboard when it reached the Philadelphia terminal. The car was in charge of Conductor Joseph T. Gormley and Motorman Charles P. Morton.
Among the passengers of this car were: Miss Frieda Lynch, Miss E. E. Singleton, Miss M. H. Thorpe, W. J. Black, John L. Pennington, J. A. Sampson, Joseph Holmes, Charles Hodge, H. H. Carey, George J. Suter, Thomas J. Kelly, Thomas Pratt, T. C. Pratt, William Kelly, J. H. Evans, W. H. Corkran, William Saunders, Charles R. Cotton, William King, Jr., J. O. Howarth and George Whittaker of Media, but editor of the Morton Chronicle.
The cars will be run on a half hour schedule over this road, the running time being 25 minutes. The schedule has been thoroughly tried out and can be easily maintained.
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