The Cable Car Story
Additional Details:
|
It begins with Andrew S. Hallidie, an inventive manufacturer of wire cable, was was taking a walk one rainy evening in 1869.During that stroll on one of San Francisco's steep hills, he saw a four-horse team slip and slide on the wet cobblestones in a failing effort to pull an overcrowded street car to the top of the hill. From that moment, Hallidie was determined to overcome such strain on the horses. It wasn't long before he had his plan complete. Although a few years went by, success was to be his. At 5 a.m. on the morning of August 1, 1873, the sound of movement from wire cab;es beneath the surface of Clay Street commenced. On the track above was the world's first cable car with Andrew S. Hallidie controlling a mechanism that could grip the moving wire cable. Away they went and so began the story of an institution that continues to this day. San Francisco's cable cars are known the world over and since 1946 have been a registered national historic landmark. From the Darlene Thorne Collection |
