The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-01-28
An Elevated Railway.
. CHICAGO MANS pEvrcE-THE CARS TO RUN BY
GRAVITY.

| 4 merchant in Chicago has recently
| patented device for street-raiIway de-
pendent upon gravity for the motive power
The Chicago Tribune thus describes 1t:
"The railway itself consists OF series OF
inclined tracks elevated upon trameWorR
of heavy pillars and trestles, upon which the
| wheels which carry the car travel. The cen
| trail posts are heavy timbers, twelve lnches
souare. into which are set the cross.JolstS
which support the double tracks on each
| side. The inner track is set one foot from
the post. and the outer is eighteen inches
from the inner. The tracks are set on beds,
two by fourteen inches, and are braced to
the trestle-work and to each other. The
cars do not run on the tracks, but set OF
| four wheels with grooved edges travel on
the hall.round rails, and the car is suspended
| from the aXles Of these wheels by wire rope.
On starting at the highest point of the first
section of track, the car is hung about one
foot clear of the ground, and as the sections
are one mile long or more, and the grade IS
about TWENTY-FIVE feet to the mile, it is evil
dent that the car would strike the ground
within very short distance. TO obviate
this, laree wheel, five feet in diameter, is
placed mt the front end of the car on the
side. This wheel is turned by spokes, like
ships wheel, and the bold pilot OF the car
occupies little platform, where he can keep
lookout for passengers and work the ma
chine. AS the wheels descend the incline the
operator winds up the car distance corre-
sponding TO the vertical fall by means of his
large wheel and series of pluion-wheels
which turn the shaft TO which the support
| ing rope is attached. The car Is thus kept
constantly ut the same distance from the
ground at which it started, and the eXertion
necessary is not great. owing to the Ightness
Of the car and the leverage obtained by the
gearing. The tracks are arranged with op-
posite inclination on opposite sides OF the
posts. 50 that the cars travel in opposite d.
rections on each side. As above stated, the
average length of the inclined sections is one
mile, but the road can be extended indef-
niteiy by q simple contriyance. On reach
ing the lower point the wheels run upon a
piece of track which slides vertically in
groove-ways to the height of the original
Starting point. The trestle-Work here is
again high up, the wheels start on their de-
scent once more, and the journey continues.
| The car itself is neither raised nor lowered,
but the wheel is simply thrown out of gear,
and the rope uuwinds from theScylinder to
| be Iewound as the wheels again descend.
| The sets Of wheels weigh less than 100
| pounds each, and are raised by the descent
! OF counter weight at each station, where
station. keeper is placed to attend to the
| changing OF wheels from the lower to the
| upper track. Each car carries ten persons,
| for each of whom scat is PROVIDED win q
sliding door for each seat, and when they
| are filled no more passengers can be car
ried. The cars weigh about 900 pounds
each, and cost from S1I5 to 500. II is thought
| that the road will not cost over ,00O Iel
mile where the incline is not over twenty
| feet to the mile. The rate of speed, OF
course, depends upon the amount Of the in
| cline and the weight Of the car and passen.
gers. The full car should have speed OF
fifteen miles per hour with an inclination OF
twenty-five feet to the mile. They may have
| more, but the conductor has brake upon
the wheels and another check in the shape Of
two obliquey- inclined iron rods which will
drag along the ground to prevent lateral mo-
| ton of the car. They can be pressed into
the ground by treadle. and the forward
motion thus checked Also"