Abandonment of the trolley lines this city severs practically the last, link which connected the far flung Broadhead enterprises of a generation ago with the present time. The Broadheads, Almet N. and Selden B., heads of the prosperous Broadhead mills engaged in what developed into transportation on a large scale by the purchase of control of the little horse car line that looped around Allen street and carried passengers to the boatlanding. If they had been accorded the gift of prophecy it is questionable whether they would have gone into this enterprise, for it brought them into closer contact with politics and politicians to say nothing of the general public.
As managers of the textile mills, and indeed in other private enterprises in which they engaged, they: were comparatively free from public criticism and control, but the moment they engaged in a public service enterprise they ran head on into plenty of criticism and a considerable degree of control.
They discovered this at the very outset when a petition for a franchise to operate electric lines in the city was submitted to the common council. This happened to be just the time when the doctrine that public franchises were valuable was claiming a good deal of attention. In the past, cities had given street railway companies free franchises but there was a growing belief that in the future these companies must pay for the privilege of using the city streets. This belief. was expressed in no uncertain terms by a majority of. the members of the common council. On the occasion when the negotiations between the city and the company were completed, A. N. Broadhead, who represented the company arose three different times from his seat and announcing that it was impossible to agree on terms, went as far as the door of the council chamber and then returned to his seat to resume negotiations. Eventually he signed a contract, agreeing to pay a substantial percentage of the gross fares collected in the city and a less percentage of the fares collected partly within and partly without the city, with a proviso that if the latter fares could not be accurately computed the company would pay the city $10,000 in liquidated damages.
Of course there were no means of making any accurate computation of fares paid partly within and partly without the city and the issue was the subject of controversy between the street railway company and the city officials for a period of yearn. At one stage of the controversy a bag containing several thousand dollars in gold made several trips from the company's office to the office of the city treasurer. The company would formal tender of what it claimed was its percentage and the city would refuse the tender. At another stage of the controversy the city attorney was directed to bring suit against the company for the liquidated damages but the suit was never brought and eventually the passage of a franchise law by the state brought about an adjustment of the difference between the city and the company.
Controversies With City
This was the only serious controversy between the city and the company, but there were innumerable minor ones. Just as in these days the politicians in Washington regard it as good politics to assail the so called monopolies, so the politicians on the common council regarded it as good politics to prod the street railway company whenever an excuse presented itself, and there various aldermen from time to time adept in finding excuses.
Perhaps one of the most amusing incidents, which has been related before, had to do with the layout of the lines. One hot night the aldermen were tired and cross the result of a long session passed two resolutions at different intervals, one of which was designed to compel the company to widen the space of its double track on West Third street because the swaying traction cars in passing might happen to bump together, and the other designed to compel the company to narrow the space between its double tracks on Jones and Gifford avenue. The street railway company was glad to widen its West Third street tracks but even in this there was controversy. The company wished to make the space between the two track a few inches wider than the aldermen who knew nothing about street railway operation thought was necessary. It was finally settled and the track was spread out. The Jones and Gifford avenue situation was different. The aldermen discovered on investigation that the company had a contract with the city to provide a roadway for teams on this street and in consideration was given permission to lay its tracks, with a wider space than usual and consequently nothing could be done about it. As a matter of fact the territory occupied by the street railway was thru a swamp and the roadway provided was adequate for every purpose. Now that the line is abandoned the city can build as wide a road as it pleases over this street but it is a safe prediction, that the present concrete road will be considered all that is necessary.
In the main the Broadheads got along with the city with a minimum of friction. As a rule they were ready to do anything that the city deemed desirable. One illustration of this attitude was after the city took over the water plant and the water commissioners discovered that leaks from the trolley line at the boatlanding were eroding the water mains - electrolysis to use a technical term. Mr. Broadhead was invited to appear before the commission to talk things over and at the appointed hour he made his appearance with a chip on both shoulders ready to fight at the drop of the hat. The late George V. Blackstone who was a member of the commission tactfully assured Mr. Broadhead that it was not the desire of the commission to quarrel over the situation which was a loss alike to the company and the city but rather to cooperate and in five minutes Mr. Broadhead was enthusiastically diagramming on paper what he believed could he done and at the conclusion of the conference assured the commission that the company would cooperate in remedial measures and pay half the expense, an arrangement which was fair enough for all concerned and which was eventually satisfactorily consummated.
Willard Street Line
The most serious mistake ever made by the company was the construction of the Willard street lines. The original route laid out by the company engineers was rejected by the engineer of the public service commission as too dangerous and an alternative route was recommended by that official. This line the engineer said was the extreme limit of safe operation. There would eventually come a time when a motorman would lose control of the car on the long steep hill and if the original route was take it would mean jumping the track into the ravine below whereas on the alternative route there was a chance that the car would reach Winsor street. Exactly such an car accident happened and the car slid safely to Winsor street and jumping the track bumped a hole in a nearby building.
The reason for running a line up that street was plan in Mr. Broadhead's mind to eventually extend the line down Willow Avenue and thence out Buffalo street to loop into the Falconer line at the Junction. Unfortunately revenues began decreasing soon after the construction of this line and the project was never carried out. It may be safely said that the line was unprofitable throughout its existence.
One improvement which was exceedingly costly and probably at a later date would not have been undertaken is the crossover at the junction of Main and Third streets. This crossover represents the highest and costliest type of street railroad construction. It consists of specially tempered steel made to withstand the battering the car wheels. A street railway official informed the writer that the steel cost the company $18,000. Unfortunately before it was laid, the World war put an end to all construction and this steel was stored in the car barns until some years after the war. Placing it in position and repaving run another expense into four figures. If there is any street railway company that want the last word in street intersection crossovers it is probably that this expensive layout could be purchased at a bargain. However for a period of years it served the company well.
It may be said without fear of contradiction that in its heyday the Jamestown street railway company rendered service far superior to the service in other town of the same class as Jamestown both as to the equipment and schedule of runs. In fact the first two trolley cars that were put in operation were built to order by the Pullman company and except in size were equal to the cars in any of the larger cities and far superior to the cars in small towns.
Note: For more information on this company, see the Jamestown Street Railway home page.