The Electric City was born one icy day in November 1886 when Scranton’s electric trolley made its inaugural run. Other cities had experimented with and used electricity to operate trolley cars, but Scranton was the first city in the country — some say the world — to power an entire streetcar system with electricity.
The motorman operating the controllers that November day was John R. Williams. His role in this transportation breakthrough earns him a place in our history. John Williams was born in Bryn Mawr, Bredenshire, Wales, on December 19, 1861, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John F. Williams. When John was but 8 years old, his family came to America, settling first in Ohio, then moving to the Providence section of Scranton and finally settling in the Peckville section of Blakely. John went to work in the Midvalley mines at age 9 and stayed on for eight years. He later found employment with the Gravity Railroad, and, still later, as a teamster. In those days, of course, the term referred to someone who operated a team of horses.
When the Scranton Suburban Street Railway was organized and began operations, Mr. Williams secured the job of a motorman — a job that required him to operate the controllers and steer the trolley cars along their route. On the first successful trip of the new electric system, Mr. Williams’ conductor was John Cawley. That first car had a single motor, according to information found in The Sunday Times archives, and the trolley wheel, which ran on top of the electric wire, frequently fell off and had to be replaced using a long pole carried along the side of the car. In those days, the terminals had turntables, and the cars were about half the size of the ones that would later come into use.
Mr. Williams was at the controllers for the birth of the Electric City, but he did not remain a motorman throughout his career. During this period of his life, the man who operated the latest in transportation kept his fingers in the older mode of horse-drawn vehicles. And he worked at perfecting his own brand of adjustable calk for horseshoes. In 1902, he began to manufacture the product here. The following year, he established the Williams Drop Forging Co. at Penn Avenue and Walnut Street in Scranton’s Pine Brook section. The company turned out mine bits and wrenches in addition to the horseshoe calk.
Mr. Williams worked at this company for about four years, and then turned his efforts once again to electricity, this time as foreman in the plant of the Suburban Electric Light Co. He later became superintendent of that company.
Always seeming to have an interest in transportation and innovation, Mr. Williams was active in the formation of the Lackawanna Motor Club, which was organized on March 25, 1918.
At t he beginning of December 1918, the motor club launched a campaign to increase its membership. Within a week, it had 700 new members. The club worked with the police to ensure safety through compliance with the law. It worked with the Red Cross to establish first aid stations along local highways. And it worked with the Bell Telephone Co. to allow drivers to connect easily with the nearest service station.
Mr. Williams’ interest in business led him to play a prominent role in the affairs of the Scranton Board of Trade and, later, its successor, the Chamber of Commerce. He was also affiliated with the Masonic order.
This man, who played such a significant role in Scranton’s transportation history, died at 4 p.m, April 20, 1938, at his home at 924 S. Main St., Peckville, after an illness of several weeks. He was 76 years old.
CHERYL A. KASHUBA is a freelance writer specializing in local history. Contact the writer: localhistory@timesshamrock.com