The Growing Pains of Urbanization 1870-1900 - Intracity Transportation

ASU HST 200 (Historical Themes) The Growing Pains of Urbanization, 1870-1900 Intracity Transportation An important issue as cities expanded was finding effective ways to move about them, from homes to industries or stores and return. The majority of the transportation infrastructure was employed to provide rail or canal connections between cities. The horse car and the omnibus were two of the most widely used modes of urban transportation until the 1880s. A big carriage pulled by horses was called an omnibus. An omnibus and a horse car were comparable, but the horse car traveled on steel or iron rails for a more comfortable journey. Although these horse-drawn carriages functioned well in smaller, less crowded towns, they were ill-suited to deal with the greater crowds that started to form at the end of the 20th century. Horse dung became a persistent issue, and the horses were forced to halt and rest. The electric trolley was created in 1887 by Frank Sprague and used a huge wagon on rails, similar to the horse car, except it was propelled by electricity instead of horses. Like the factories and the laborers who fuelled them, the electric tram could run day and night. However, it also brought less significant industrial hubs like Richmond, Virginia, in the South, up to date. San Francisco engineers used pulley technology from the mining sector as early as 1873 to build cable cars and transform the city's steep hillsides into affluent middle-class neighborhoods. But when the greatest cities' populations grew—Chicago and New York, for example—the trolleys could no longer maneuver through the dense foot traffic. In order to get around this problem, New York City designers raised the trolley lines above the streets, giving rise to elevated trains, or L-trains, which were introduced in Boston in 1887 and Chicago in 1892. Subway systems represent the ultimate evolution of transportation, moving underground as skyscrapers started to dominate the sky. After Boston's subway system debuted in 1897, New York and other cities swiftly adopted it as well. Creating efficient transportation within cities was one of the most important issues facing the growth of cities between 1870 and 1900. The primary goal of the current transportation system was to link cities by networks of trains and canals. Up until the 1880s, the horse car and the omnibus were two popular forms of transit within cities. On city streets, one may frequently see omnibuses, which are big carriages drawn by horses. Although the horse car and the omnibus were identical, the horse car's ride was smoother since it was on steel or iron rails. Nevertheless, these horse-drawn carriages found it difficult to handle the growing numbers of people as urban populations increased and streets got more crowded. Horse manure became a constant annoyance on city streets and was one of the major problems associated with the usage of horse-drawn transportation. Horses also needed regular rest intervals and breaks, which made effective urban transportation much more difficult. Transportation technology made strides in reaction to these obstacles; one such example is the electric trolley, which Frank Sprague invented in 1887. Similar to a horse car, the electric trolley was a huge wagon on rails that was driven by electricity rather than horses. Transportation services are now able to operate day and night thanks to this invention, which also made operations more continuous and efficient. The advent of electric trams helped modernize transportation infrastructure and connect formerly isolated industrial areas, an advantage for cities like Richmond, Virginia, in the South. As early as 1873, engineers in San Francisco used pulley technology from the mining industry to create cable cars, which revolutionized mobility on the city's steep hillsides and helped to create rich middle-class districts. But as the population of big cities like New York and Chicago grew, the transportation system could no longer keep up with the rising population density. As a result, creative solutions to the problems caused by urban congestion were developed. In 1887, Boston saw the introduction of elevated trains, sometimes referred to as L-trains, and Chicago followed suit in 1892. Trains were able to avoid street-level traffic thanks to these elevated lines, giving city dwellers access to a quicker and more effective mode of transit. But when urbanization persisted unabatedly and skyscrapers started to dominate city skylines, it became clear that even more sophisticated transit systems were required. The pinnacle of urban transportation development was reached in 1897 when the first subway system was introduced in Boston. The smooth passage beneath the busy city streets made possible by this subterranean means of transit made it much easier for people to move around metropolitan regions. As a result, subway systems were quickly incorporated by cities such as New York, establishing their place as essential elements of contemporary urban infrastructure.