George Washington Cable, compared in his lifetime to Dickens and Daudet and praised in Moscow as a disciple of Turgenev, was more than a local colorist of Creole days in New Orleans. He was a crusader as well -- and a crusader for a dangerously unpopular cause.Originally published in 1956 by Duke University Press, this biography won the Charles S. Sydnor Award given by the Southern Historical Association for the best book in Southern History over a two-year period.

Reproduction of the original: Strange True Stories of Louisiana by George W. Cable

The book is a treatise on passenger transport using wire rope traction for carriers operating on rail, popularly cable cars or street railways. The system is described. There are extensive photographs and drawings of components, particularly, carriers, grips, brakes, stationary drives, and the haulage ropes. System design, construction, operation and maintenance are covered in detail along with the powerhouses and drive machinery. Cable car economics is covered for principal cities in America. Fully illustrated with photographs and drawings. Bibliography. (CFD).