Edison's Noiseless Motor and the Race to Put Olympia on Rails
Two Edison men pitch a single-reduction streetcar motor to Olympia's electric company, promising rails by the Fourth of July—if property holders cooperate on subsidies.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mr. J. W. Grambs, manager of the Edison Electric Light company, with headquarters in Seattle, and Mr. Paine, of New York City, an electrical expert of fame, also connected with the Edison company, are both at the Olympia.
These gentlemen arrived this morning from Portland and are here for the purpose of putting before the Olympia Electric Light and Power company the indisputably superior merits of the Edison iron-clad single reduction street railway motor, with the hope that the Olympia electric people will, when made fully aware of its advantages, decide upon it as the electric common carrier to run on the rails shortly to be laid in Olympia.
This style of motor was placed on the streets of Tacoma some two weeks since and is doing excellent work. Its initial trip was made in Seattle today.
Mr. Grambs said to a TRIBUNE reporter: "The motor whose interests I am watching here is perfect. It moves without noise. It can be run at the rate, if necessary, of fifteen miles an hour with two 20-horse power motors, and will climb an 8 per cent grade at the rate of 6 miles an hour. In fact, I saw in Tacoma a day or two since one of the iron-clads climbing an 8 per cent grade at that speed with a 'trailer' attached, and both motor and attachment full of people. There is no external magnetism about it, either, for it is of the closed magnetic circuit order and therefore avoids those little disagreeabilities, such as playing the wizard with your watch and the like.
"Yes, I have seen Mr. E. T. Young and am assured by him that there will be an electric railway in Olympia by July 4th next.
"Mr. Young also told me that if the citizens and property holders of the city along the proposed route would act harmoniously in regard to the matter of subsidies that it might very probably make a difference of from six weeks to two months earlier in the completion of the road and the running of the motors. I neglected to say that the iron-clad motor is as noiseless as silence itself and when you want it you must watch it."
“There will be an electric railway in Olympia by July 4th next.”
The pitch mixes new technology with the oldest transit question: who pays, and how much faster will the line arrive if property holders subsidize it? Olympia got its electric railway and eventually lost it; today's debates over buses, rail and public investment still echo the same arguments about growth and the common carrier.
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