The Phoenix Trolley Museum

Bisbee daily review, 1902-09-12, p.8

S. F. Cochrane, formerly of the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix railway, has arrived in Douglas and will have charge of the construction on the Douglas street railway, which is expected to commence early in October. The grade has been finished and the steel and rolling stock is already on the road from the east.

—

Bisbee daily review, 1902-09-26, p.8

Douglas Street Railway in 90 Days

The street railroad at Douglas is expected to be in operation within the next ninety days. S. F. Meguire, secretary of the Douglas Improvement Company, informs the Review that the rolling stock and steel for the system is ready for shipment. The motive power for the present will be small engines, burning crude oil, which will be smokeless, and the engines are almost noiseless.

—

Bisbee daily review, 1902-11-09, p.4

Street Railway at Douglas

Our representative ascertained that the street railway in our neighboring city of Douglas is making good progress. The grading is practically completed and the company are only waiting for the ties and rails to put the neat little system in operation. It will be operated by steam dummy engines at first, and will doubtless be converted into an electric system later on. It runs well out into the country in every direction, as far as the Calumet and Arizona, on the northwest and and will be extended as rapidly as the extension of the booming little city requires it, which at the present rate of progress will be about once a week. In the course of a year it will doubtless reach the interesting suburbs known as Naco and Bisbee.

—

Bisbee daily review, 1903-05-20, p.8

Douglas Street Railway Time Table

In effect Sunday, May 10th, 1903.

Douglas Terminal E.P.&S.W. Passenger Station (Temporarily)

Leave Douglas, 6:40am, 8:00am, 10:00am, 11:30am, 1:15pm, 2:40pm, 5:10pm, 10:40pm
Leave Calument, 7:05am, 8;15am, 10:50am, 12:00am, 1:14pm, 3:05pm, 5:35pm, 11:05pm

—

Bisbee daily review, 1903-09-24, p.1

Don Luis Townsite and a Suburban Electric Road

Henry P. Barbour, of Los Angeles, of the firm Henry P. Barbour company, Dealer in Real Estate, has been in the city for the past two days on important real estate business, being nothing less than choosing the final details of the transfer of eighteen mining claims near Don Luis, and owned by Charles Hull, to a company of capitalists of which Mr. Barbour is the head and among whom are several prominent citizens of Los Angeles.

Fruther than this the company, which at present is in process of formation, has in contemplation the building of the street railway line about which we heard so much talk several weeks ago. In this enterprise will be local capital, as well as foreign, and it is stated on good authority that L.C. Shattuck, president of the Miners and Merchants bank of this city, will be one of the heaviest stockholders.

In converstation with Mr. Barbour, at the Copper Queen Hotel on Tuesday he briefly outlined the plan and purposes of his company.

“In a small way,” said Mr. Barbour, “we intend to follow the general idea of Colorado Springs. Not that we ever expect to have another Colorado Springs here, but our idea is to prepare at Don Luis a beautiful and healthy townsite that will serve as the residence portion of Bisbee and the surrounding camps, and as a further inducement we propose to connect Bisbee and these surrounding camps by an electric road.

“We have unbounded faith in the future of Bisbee and the surrounding mining districts, and as Bisbee grows in population and wealth we can foresee the building of a nice residence portion in the vicinity that we have selected for the building of the town.”

With Mr. Barbour from Los Angeles was Judge W.H. Barnes, of Tucson, who comes to Bisbee in the capacity of legal adviser to the new company and who at the same time will be heavily interested. Both gentlemen left for Douglas yesterday to look over the field at that point and will also visit Naco before they leave this section.

No doubt, the ultimate intention of the company is to connect Bisbee with Naco and Douglas by an electric line and run fifteen minute cars…

It is of some interest in connection with this enterprise to know that Judge Barnes, attorney for the company, and who is one of the very best corporation lawyers in the territory, holds that before the city can grant his company any kind of a franchise or privilege that the question must first be submitted to a vote of the people. The question of a street railway franchise will in all probability be presented to the people of Bisbee at the April election.

—

Bisbee daily review, 1903-10-28, p.4

Barbour Company Lets a Contract

Postoffice building soon to go up at Don Luis

Manager W.B. Thompson of the Henry P. Barbour company, reports that the sale of lots in the Hull tract of the Don Luis townsite yesterday was far in excess of any one day’s sale since the inception of the company, with the exception of one. Thirteen lots were disposed of yesterday by Mr. Thompson and his assistants, ranging in price from $300 to $500.

A contract was let to J.A. Hall for the excavation of ground for the foundation of a two-story brick and stone structure, 50 by 150, to be used as a postoffice and office building for the Henry P. Barbour company…

The Barbour corps of civil engineers will be here within a few days and will start work on laying out the proposed line of the street railway from Don Luis to the city limits of Bisbee.

—

Bisbee daily review, 1903-10-30

Another Franchise and No Returns

A regular meeting of the city council of Bisbee was held during this week. All the members of the council were not present, but a sufficient number were to constitute a legal meeting. At that meeting another franchise was granted. This time to the Bisbee and Don Luis Electric line of railway. While the Review has not a copy of the ordinance before it at this writing, it is presumed that the report of the proceedings of the council in the news columns are correct. The provisions of the franchise, according to these reports, are that the street railway line is granted the right to lay tracks in the city of Bisbee, and for twenty-five years are accorded the privilege of operating an electric railway on the streets of Bisbee within the city limits. They are to give a five-cent fare within those limits, and issue exchange tickets to any other part of the city from connecting lines…

A telegram to the Review from Mr. Henry P. Barbour states that he will leave Los Angeles Saturday next, and will arrive in Bisbee Monday accompanies by engineers and contractors, prepared to push the building of the electric line to Don Luis forward with the utmost dispatch. Mr. Barbour is a man of tremendous resources and a tireless worker. His arrival here will be another stimulation towards the building up of the new townsite. Nothing so far that he has promised or undertaken but what he has put through with a rush.

—

Bisbee daily review, 1903-11-12, p. 2

[Editorial]

Unlike the gas franchise, which never was a franchise, the people are to have something to say about what their streets are worth. Thousands of dollars can be had in case for such a franchise.

The people of Bisbee will keep in mind the voting on the franchise of a gift of their streets to corporations without some return. Read the history of New York, Chicago, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, and any other place on the subject of street railway franchises.

—

Bisbee daily review, 1903-12-24, p.8

New Accomodation.

The Douglas Street railway will soon have its line in operation to the International line, and when arrangements can be made for a right of way it will no doubt be extended to the business center of Agua Prieta.

Street Railway Work.

The Douglas street railway company has already arranged with Andy Scott of this city to do the grading on the street railway, which is to be extended through the residence section of the city, and it is the intention of Mr. Scott to begin the work about the first of the year. The line will be changed between the city and the Calumet and Arizona smelter, so that it will go nearer to the Pirtleville addition, so as to better accomodate the employees of the smelter in that suburb. It is expected that everything will be complete for the starting of the electric car service in Douglas not later than the first of May.

– Bisbee daily review, 1905-11-28, p. 6

Work will begin on construction of extension in the near future.

International-American, Douglas, Arizona. Nacozari, Aug. 3. — You may announce that arrangements have been completed for beginning work on the extension of the Douglas street car line in accordance with previous announcement, just as soon as the necessary franchise can be secured from the city council. — J. S. Douglas

The above positive announcement that work ins now ready to begin on the electric street car line for Douglas will be received with much satisfaction by the people of this city, as it marks another important step in the progress of this city, which has already attracted the attention of the southwest.

When Mr. Douglas was in Douglas on Monday of this week he was interviewed and gave some information concerning the enterprise in hand, but at that time there were some incompleted arrangements in connection with the enterprise that made it desirable that nothing be said then concerning it.

Route Adopted.

The immediate work to be undertaken and pushed hurriedly to completion is practically as heretofore announced, with the addition of a track on Tenth street from G avenue to B avenue and the indecision to the present time as to whether the north line from B avenue to G avenue will be on Fifteenth street as has been planned, or whether it will be changed to either Fourteenth or Sixteenth street. The streets to be covered by the electric line, in addition to the trackage to the Copper Queen and Calumet smelters, will be G avenue from the northern limit of the city to Fourth street, from G avenue to on Fourth street to B avenue, and on B avenue north to either Fourteenth, Fifteenth, or Sixteenth streets, thence west to G avenue. In all the system will have about eight miles of track.

The Equipment.

The line is to be operated by electricity and the power will be of five hundred voltage. For the present the electricity is to be obtained from the Copper Queen Mining company and will be supplied from the electric plant at the smelters in this city. Every tie and pole used in the construction of the line is to be of the very best quality and chemically treated to preserve them against the elements. The cars will be of the latest design and in all respects the Douglas electric car system will be the equal of that of any city in the southwest.

The Service.

It is the intention to keep the cars constantly going after the service has been put in operation and it is expected that a thirty minute service will be provided, except when the trips are being made to the smelters.

Improvement Necessary.

This improvement for the street car service will come none too soon, as the present service to the smelters is becoming very uncertain on account of the failing of the oil dummy engine which has been pulling the cars since the line was built. During the past week numbers of trips has been missed on account of the disabled engine. This has resulted in the employees of the smelters being compelled to walk to the smelters or hire a private conveyance.

The Franchise.

Before work can be started on the grade or setting the poles in the streets it will be necessary to secure a franchise from the city government. This will require some time, but in the meantime all the material necessary is to be ordered so that it will be on the ground ready to start construction work at the earliest possible time.

Hereford & Hazzard, the well known Tucson law firm, are now preparing the ordinance granting the franchise and it is expected that they will have it ready to present to the city council by the middle of the present month. After the ordinance is submitted and passed on by the city council, if it receives the favorable consideration of that body, it will be necessary to advertise for thirty days the calling of a special election for the purpose of voting on the question of granting the franchise asked. It is not known just what will be asked for in the franchise but it is understood that the company will guarantee to complete the proposed line within one year from the date of the franchise.

– Bisbee daily review, 1905-08-06, p.3