Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-07-26
The Wire Railway.

Tho practical application of the wire
railway, or tramway, which consists in
suSpending 4 strong wire cable on posts
and rollers. giving motion to the cable by
steam engine, and attaching the burdens
to be carried TO the cable, Is rapidly ex-
tending. According TO the Mechanics
-NQga-iae, the plan is now in operation at
Nevada
We have watched. with much interest
the development Of the wire tramway sys-
TEN of transport, and have, from time to
time, noticed is progress. Its spread over
several foreign countries, and some of our
colonies, has been most remarkable, no less
than 1orty-tive lines having already been
undertaken. most of which are constructed
and under successful operation One Of
the most remarkable instances of its sue
cess is that OF the line constructed for the
Ebcrtard and Aurora Company, in Nevada,
I 3 The materials for this line were
forwarded from England late in the au-
tumu OF last year, and reached Nevada
while all the mountain district, in which
they We're to be placed, was enveloped IN
snow Nevertheless, during the spring
the line tof nearly three miles IN length)
was constructed. and has recently been put
into most successful operation, telegram
having been received by the directors OF
the Ebertraad Company. in London, to the
effect that the line was working splendidly
On il there are grades of l in 3 and spans
from post TO post Of some hundreds of feet
The quantity of material carried Is about
200 tons a day. and it may safely be as
serted that the difficulties of this mountain
l. ha
purpose Of so considerable a transport, by
the emp loyment of any other means.
Lines have been forwarded to Peru and
Brazil, for sugar cane transport. One has
been opened in Peru. but too late for the
season, and another at st. kits, from
which most favorable results have been OBJ
tanned In Austria the system has been
employed 70 the carriage of turf, and in
Bohemia to the carriage of fire clay Fl ON
pits. requiring an ascent of an angle of thir-
ty degrees from the horizontal
The Indian Government are now adapt
ing the system to the development of the
salt mines in the Punjaub and the Span
ish Government have applied it to a fifteen
mile length in the mountains Of Asturias,
of which about nine miles are already in
operation. The war office have taken a
line for transporting powder casks from the
store at Purfeet to the examining shed and
back again, the inducement being that the
transport could by this means be effected
without bringing either animal or steam
power within the precincts Of the establish
ment. The power is to be supplied from
boiler situated at distance Of several
hundred yards from the powder store.
Stimulated by the rapidly increasing de-
mauds, not only Of our countries, but the
development of mineral and agricultural
productions, means of transport are now
in great demand, and rapidly on the in
crease.
The traction engine has seen some re-
markble improvements of late, and prom
ises to aid if not frequently to supersede,
horses on common roads but the wire
tramway system has the advantage of not
requiring ready made road for its en-
ployment, and undoubtedly is the pioneer
of all existing means Of transport.