The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-17 00:00:00

ELECTRICITY ON TRAMWAYS.

The first public working of an electrical tram car,
fitted with the Faure•Sellon-Volckmar cells, took
place on Saturday on the lines of the West Metro-
politan Tramways between Kew and Hammersmith.
The car ran well at the rate of six miles an hoer,
and the experiment was held to be suite successful.
General Hutchinson, who had been closely observing
the working of the car during the morning, and was
satisfied with what he had seen, expressed himself
confident that the Board of Trade will grant the
necessary licence, and when this official sanction is
obtained, the first electrical cars will run on the
Acton-road.

Sir Daniel Cooper, Chairman of the Electrica
Storage Company (Limited), after the experiments
on Saturday, presided at a luncheon at the " Star and
Garter " Hotel," Kew Bridge, and interesting
speeches by men of eminence in the scientific world
were del,verel "Success to Electricity" was, as
might be supposed, an appropriate and honoured toast.
Tke wonders already achieved by electricity were
dwelt upon, amongst others by Sir F. Bramwell, who
asserted that his friend Siemens had actually grown
strawberries by electricity. Dr. Siemens himself
spoke of the use of electricity as a propelling power,
and stated that the first applioation of electricity he
remembered was in 1843, when, in connection with
Elkington, of Birmingham, he introduced come im-
provements into electro-plating.
Dr. Siemens also stated that electric railways have
already attained a speed of 25 miles an hour, and that
they have been in regular operation for years. An
electric railway is about to be opened for traffic in
Ireland. It was explained that the electrical tramcar,
the success of which had been witnessed during the
afternoon, carried its own store of power, and that it
can run upon common roads as well as upon rails.
The rails were need on Saturday because they offered
smoother working than the high road, but this new
power is quite independent of them.

Messrs. Sellon and Volckmar, who were present on
Saturday, were much complimented upon the part
they took in the invention. The tramcar is fitted with
an accumulator consisting of 50 Faure-Sellon—Yolck•
mar cells, each measuring 13 by 11 by 7 inches, and
weighing about 801 b. This accumulator is capable of
working a tramcar with its full load for seven hours.
The action of the motor may be reversed at will, and
the power may be increased or diminished, as required,
by adding to or taking from the number of cells by
means of a simple switch. By breaking the circuit
the motive power is stopped, and the brake being then
applied, the car is almeet immediately brought to a
standstill.
In returning thanks for a toast, Mr. Sellon entered
at some length into the comparative powers of the
dynamo, and he showed that an electric car can be
worked at the coat of 65. 3d. per day for traction.
Th., actual daily cost of horsing a tramcar is given by
some of the metropolitan companies at 265. The
difference between the 6s. shown as the cost of electrical
power and the 268. paid for horses affords such a
margin that after abundantly providing for sinking
fund, depreciation, repairs. contingencies, &c., a vary
great saving is effected. Another great public
convenience is obtained in the means of lighting the
car from the same accumulators used for the motive
power, \Were water or other natural power may be
brought to bear there is no daily consumption of feel,
and the only outlay is really the sinking fund for
depreciation of the machinery.

The prospect of seeing a tramcar travelling along
the road without any apparent means of propulsion
attracted numbers of people along the route.