Trolleys Of Our Past

[jon]

WIRES GROUNDED
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The cars on all the lines fed with the power from the giant wheels of Trenton Falls were out of business nearly all day. Those who had occasion to go to the places on the interurban lines had to do so other than by electrics. The transmission line became grounded somewhere between here and the Falls this morning and it was late this afternoon when it was located. The cars on these lines will not be operated before 6 o'clock.


UTICA HERALD DISPATCH - SEPTEMBER 24, 1902

[jon]

BADLY INJURED
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Miss Noon of 300 Blandina Street Fell From Car[/size]

Miss Noon of 300 Blandina Street was painfully injured while alighting from a street car at the corner of Kossuth avenue and Blandina street last night. Miss Noon was attempting to alight from the car and before she had succeed in doing so the car had started and she was thrown to the pavement. She was picked up in an unconscious condition and was taken to a nearby store and later to her home where she was attended by Dr. Gayde. she was quite badly injured about the head and shoulder. Her hip was badly bruised. Her condition is considered serious.


UTICA HERALD DISPATCH - SEPTEMBER 24, 1902

[jon]

THE BELT LINE
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Work on Laying New Track Began - The Railroad Commission and the Telephone Companies[/size]

The work of laying the new track on the Belt Line Street Railroad began at New Hartford yesterday. About sixty men are engaged in it under the direction of Superintendent Haycox. It is intended to have the new track completed to the city line by Saturday night. Next week the new track on the Whitesboro line will be laid. The wooden poles for stringing the wires out of town are expected to arrive to-day. In the business portion of the city neat and ornamental iron poles, the invention of Superintendent Haycox, will be used. The erection of those poles will begin at the Company's depot on Main Street and extend up to and over Columbia street for the Whitesboro and New York Mills lines, and eastward over Blandina and the south street lines.Threats of injunctions on Upper Genesee street have been made, which, if carried out, may temporarily delay the stringing of the wires necessary to make connection and give New Hartford people the benefit of electric cars until after the same are in operation on other lines, but it is doubtless only a question of time when all will enjoy the comforts and convenience of electric traction.

[jon]

The State Railroad Commission, in granting permission to the Troy & Lansingburg Railroad Company to change from horses to electric motive power, has the following to say relative to the objections made by the telephone company:

"The telephone company requests that the Board decline to approve the application of the railroad company unless the company agrees to construct a double overhead or trolley wire rather than a single wire. The claim of the telephone company ; in other words, is that it had constructed its lines and strung its wires lawfully, and was using the earth to complete its circuit; that the railroad company then constructed its poles and strung its wires near to those of the telephone company, and also used the earth to complete its circuit; that in the passage through the earth the currents of the greater intensity of the railroad company interfered with those of the telephone company; that the interference is a trespass and should not be permitted.

[jon]

To determine the question in the way petitioned by the telephone company would be equivalent to anything that an electrical company using a minimum current should have the exclusive right to to the earth as a conductor. The question, so far as the Board is aware, is unprecedented and it does not feel that it is its duty to decide it, and it deems that the proper course would be a suit to be brought by the telephone company against the railroad company and the respective rights of the two companies to use the earth as a conductor there determined. One of the conditions made in the granting of the application is that the railroad company shall take all reasonable and proper means to prevent the currents from the wires, through leakage, induction of otherwise, from interfering with the currents upon the wires of other companies, whether telegraph, telephone or other wires. This provision is not intended to require the company to construct a double wire."

UTICA OBSERVER - NOVEMBER 25, 1889

[jon]

BREVITIES
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The Utica Paving company last evening had a gang of men at work laying the concrete between the Belt Lie tracks over the Genesee street bridge. They will now be able to lay the pavement without interfering with the operation of the line.

UTICA SUNDAY JOURNAL - AUGUST 1, 1896

[jon]

TROLLEY ACCIDENT
NEAR FRANKFORT
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Two Boys Struck by a Car Between Frankfort and Ilion- Both Sustained Serious Injuries

Frankfort, Sept. 16 - While returning home from school in East Frankfort yesterday afternoon, two boys about 9 or 10 years old were struck and seriously hurt by an east-bound trolley car. When the boys saw the car coming towards them they started to run across the track. they crossed once in safety but while recrossing they were struck. the car was immediately stopped and the boys taken on board. The boys were brought back to Frankfort and taken to the office of Dr. Hayes. It was found that one had sustained a compound fracture of the skull and was in a critical condition. The operation of the trephining was performed at once by Dr. Hayes and Richards. The other boy received several bad scalp wounds and was badly bruised but it was impossible to tell whether he was internally injured. One of the boys is a son and the other a grandson of Phillip Emrick of East Frankfort.


UTICA HERALD DISPATCH - SEPTEMBER 16, 1902

[jon]

COLUMBIA STREET
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Yesterday the work of repairing that portion of Columbia street crossing the Chenango canal, was resumed. The street car track was taken up and street car passengers are transferred. It is expected that the track will be relaid so that the transfers will not be necessary after to-morrow morning.


UTICA MORNING HERALD - AUGUST 21, 1885

[jon]

SOUTH STREET
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The new pavement here is being finished rapidly. The next improvement is the street railroad, which will certainly be built provided a few parties on Cornhill subscribe as expected.


UTICA daily observer - AUGUST 29, 1870

[jon]

A BUSY CORNER

The business of the city does not concentrate on Genesee street, as it was meant to do before the church-building, pavement-laying movements began. Witness the industry appeared on the corner of South street and Howard avenue. The new Calvary church building calls to that site a large force of men, and of course it crowds the street in front with mountains of mortar, sand and stone. this gives to Howard avenue (above South), something of the appearance of an abandoned French fortification. On South street the blockade is very effective. The thoroughfare is in the hands of the paver's. Nobody who has been on Genesee street lately, doubts the ability of the paving brigade to demoralize any street they attack. Going below South, on Howard avenue, you find heavy cobble stone fortifications thrown up. The cobbles are drawn from Genesee and deposited on this avenue, within easy reach of the pavers. To-day the pavement is being laid between Howard avenue and Neilson street. The progress is gratifying. South street will be a splendid thoroughfare when the pavement shall be finished, and when the rails are laid for the Utica & Mohawk Street Railroad, the residents on the hill will have little else to desire in the way of municipal or private enterprises designed to afford them the comfort and convenience which belong to residents of a first-class, live and growing city.


UTICA DAILY OBSERVER - AUGUST 15, 1870

[jon]

WILLIAM FOLTS'S RIG
STRUCK BY A TROLLEY
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AT HERKIMER ABOUT 10 O'CLOCK
THIS MORNING
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MAN'S SKULL FRACTURED
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Victim of Accident is in St. Luke's Hospital - Was Driving in Opposite Direction of Car - Thrown Several Feet - Recovery Doubtful

[jon]

Herkimer, January 10. - Westbound interurban car on the Utica and Mohawk Valley Railroad Company leaving the Herkimer Station at 9:47 o'clock struck a rig occupied by William Folts of East Herkimer near the corner of Mohawk street and First avenue shortly before 10 o'clock this morning. Mr. Folts was thrown from the cutter into the yard of John Metzler and was injured. The horse attached to a cutter ran after eastward turning up Bellingar street, where it was halted. There was but little damage done to the horse and cutter.

The accident happened peculiarly. Mr Folts was driving in an opposite direction from the car, the whistle of which was sounded as it approached. It was said that the horse reared at the noise and the cutter turned as the collision occurred. Drs. F. J. Harter and J. E. Canfield were called and the victim of the accident was taken on the same car that struck the rig to St. Luke's Hospital at Utica.

At the hospital Mr. Folts was attended by Dr. F. H. Peck and Dr. H. G. Jones. He is suffering from a fracture of the skull and is still unconscious. His recovery is doubtful.


UTICA HERALD DISPATCH - JANUARY 20, 1908

[keith]

This was sent to me by a friend
www.flixxy.com/san-francisco-1905-historical-footage.htm

It's not Utica but it might show why Jon is finding so many reports of trolley accidents. Apparently rules of the road were much more flexible.
It was just a year ago that I rode on the Market Street trolley.

[Dave]

I somehow lost a post in which I cited the above video (and similar ones) on Youtube, so you can download and save them. To save myself from finding and reposting them, just do a search on youtube with the argument "trolley 1906 san fran." There are a few, and other interesting video also.

BTW, I was surprised there were so many cars!

[valarian]

I have really been enjoying all the work about Post Ave and Trolley's. Thank you