New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-11-13
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
RAPID TRANSIT EXPERIMENTS.


TRIAL. OF A DUMMY ENGINE ON THE BLEECKER-
ST LINE - POSSIBLY SUBSTITUTE FOR
HORSEPOWER.
The recent trial of dummy engineand street
car combined on one Of the street railway lines Of TINS
city is noeworhy That tho facilities at present aorued
for reaching different sections OF the metropolis are ho'
only inadequate but also inconsistent with the modern
sprit of progress few will deny. The man who does
business in wast and resides 25 miles up the Hudso"
must row spend much time IN reaching q Grand
Central Depot ms place of busD" as viii be re-
quired to accomplish the Is MI between that point and
his home II reach Harlem nv streetcar consumes an
hour and quarter under the most favorable circum-
stances. Though fe-s complaints made openly, yet
there are few persons who depend upon the streeteas
who are not Inconvenience almost daily by the VeN-
atiOus delays which they subjected People have
come - regard this state OF things as necessary e''
and have said little and done less toward bringing aoouV
"a reform in local transportation.
But what the people have neglected 10 10 is osSlDe
may result from what was considered as terrible ca
lamtr namely the recent horse epidemic In this city,
As direct result motors have already been IN
Produced into the streets Of NewYOrk. Little has been
sad thus far concerning this experiment and the rail-
uav officials apparently taken little interest In IT,
hut so complete revolution cannot be accomplished In
a moment and railway corporations ever slow 20
adopt new invention that will render necessary an en-
trely new supply Of rolling stock. An underground
railway from the City Han FiftyDnth-st will furnish
accommodations for much Of the present streetcar
traffic, and elevated railways also will be appreciated
but people would often like 30 from Tcnthave TO
the East River without wasting thrce-quarters of an
in the passage being entirely at the mercy OF
overwOrked horses.
The car which was placed the Bleocker-st. lDe
hast Saturday is known the Remington steamear IL
was invented about two years ago. In Newark and one
has since been running the Bloomfield, n. j., road
The Remington company has manufactured only two
cars, OF which is running the road at Ion.
N " though the track has only slight curves and 7ial
grades and the other is the car now IN the bIeecAerst
Company's shops in this city, The car at Hon has ac-
Sonodated 40 passengers, and has drawn second car
containing the same number The has at speed
IS miles hour with light load ana on smooth,
straight track IL has the appearance of an ordinary
sreetcar and il of the same size The machinery 10y
which it is propelled occupies the trout platform
entirely separated from the interior and also nvsl
lie from that point. IL is provided with compound
engine Of fyehOrse power, which be increased 10
3O-nOrse power without any complicated mechanism
The cylinders are placed under the front platform in
direct connection with the forward axle; On TINS Pa.
form small box containing coal sufficient Tor nan
day. II Is said that the car can run on ines Wi' ~
Platform the water being heated from tne 0 @
steam. The car itself Is heated by means OF Steam
yes running beneath the seats each side OF the car
~ uuIteteant heat is experienced from proximity To
TIE boiler, II is separated from the interior by non
SUD. enly reversing the engine. Even whcn the ear Is
running at the rate OF SIX miles an hS NO u can Re
half OF its own length Two only are required on "a
IL now remains to describe the recent experiment.
John l. COnoveT the President Of the BeeckerS Com
uauy had taken any active measures IN TINS d.
Tectou would he have done so II the horse disease
had caused such general panic. On the hs appear
ance OF the dlsease ne telesidphed 10 the
Company OF it's steau-cars The wheels,
however, not adapted 10 the BeeeKeI-st track
ana thc necessary alterations DELAY. At length,
he arrangements were completed, ana on saturday
afternoon the ready Tor use. Mr. COnONcf
wished he test To- be as thorough as possible and there
forc caused no alteration to be made IN the track or any
its The 10 run on tue rack IN ITS
nal condition. and no horses were TO lie taken along
ana IN turning corners OF ascending grades AT 10 O'CLOCK
Saturday evening, the President OF the Company, some
Of The other officials and their friends stepped INTO Inc
persons IN the car, and Mr.. COnOver pre-
dicted that 1t would leave the track at
1t not supposed that steam without external aid
would prOpel ear around such sharp turns as were
other streets. Contrary TO expectations the car
turned every curve and assembled aud descended every
ade without leaving the track and some OF the
bTyes turned al quite RAPID rate of notion AT
he top Of the grade in Elnstthe steepest IN the city
SHI m s,UtPou; ne ijIrcs djGS st"np,nS
al middle Of the grade starring again easily. At
the sharp curve III Readet the car was stopped az the
center OF the curve. ana again starred ana went on
without difficulty. The also stopped on the re
trip the down grade in Cenerst ana was held
ave Fulton Ferry, and, according to the President 81
great requirements Of steanl-car were met namely
Il tIrni sharp curves, ascend grades ana Oe man
nc yasuOt tie slightest doubt that on straight roads
Lac those u the Third or the Eighth-ave. lines,
TIE stcam-car would prove all that COud De desired.
MIR ConOver was satisfied that 10 had demonstrated Dy
experiment that steam could ne used Win euctsS Ou
he street railways and That Il would not trghten horses
the probability OF US coming INTO Lss II
The civ could not speak, that would depend upon
the action oil the eOinmOn COuhch neI1ne' 0 ~ IA
speak with certainty OF lts Use on ms q" ~ &c la
consulted with OF the directors on e SUBJECT duu
possibly they might oppose the PROJECT out az Iol n
sel' he would advocate the mtIoductOh oI the car on
TIC Bleeekerst line II it could be used ON That line OF
sharp curves and steep grades ds success On any pIgT
lC tls city would be assured Inc experiment VIII
be repeated at an early day.