Seattle's first electric streetcars began carrying passengers in 1889. By 1892, the city had 48 miles of electric streetcars and 22 miles of cable railway. In the mid-1890s, motormen were paid 22 cents an hour, but only while the cars were rolling. They weren't paid for the time it took to get the cars ready in the morning, keep them clean, or put them away at the end of the day.
In this 1890 photo, a group of Seattle Electric Railway and Power Company motormen pose in and near Streetcar #8. The photo was probably taken to commemorate the start of service from downtown to Lake Union.
Handwritten on mount: W.X. Wright, Motorman. Handwritten on verso: Year 1890. Eastlake Line 1899. Frank McClellan. Typed on verso: Seattle Electric Railway Co trolley with motormen of the company standing with it. SHS category: Transportation - Trolley
ID Number: SHS7701
Date: Circa 1890
Physical Description: 1 photographic print mounted on cardboard : gelatin, b&w ; 20 x 25 cm.
