The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-12-24
INTRAMURAL TRAVEL.
Something About the Cable system OF
Street-Cars.
INTERESTING INTERVIEW on THE SUBJECT WITH
MR.. HENRY CAsEBoLT-THE sOUTHsIDE CON-
PANY TO EXPERIMENT WITH A SECTION.
IChlcaRO Tribune.

! IChlcagO Tribune.l
The advantages OF cable over horses as
a motive power for >treet-cars seem to be
appreciated in Cincinnati and St. Louis as
well as in Chicago, and the tjrst-named city
will probably have the first line, as railway
men there have examined the plan and con-
cuded TO lay cable as soon as permission
can be obtained from The Council. They
have had a conference with Mr.. Henry
Casebolt the inventor, and were so well
pleased with his demonstration Of the
practicability OF the scheme that they lmme-
dlately sent to San Francisco for copy OF
the charter OF one OF the companies opera
ting there as basis for an ordinance. Rail-
way.men in St. Louis, too, are thinking the
matter over, bun will probably wait as usual
for Cincinnati an" Chicago 10 act before
they do anything. Having visited Cincin-
natl and st. Louis, aud explained the work
Iings OF the cable road to interested parties,
Mr.. Casebolt has come to Chicago to do the
same thing. He had been here hut an hour
or two when be received the card OF Super
iptendent Holmes, OF the Soulbslde Com
panv. who called TO get posted. Mr. Holmes
believes in the system, and borrowed some
tracings in order to examine the matter thor
oughly.
The Tribune OF recent dates contained
considerable on the general subject. Chi
caeoans who had been in San Francisco and
were interviewed expressed themselves as
convinced OF the praclicabiliy OF cable.
roads I'm the South division, though there
lappeared TO be two questions about which
there was some dOubt-(D whether the cable
would work around curve, and ~ whether
the trench in which the cable is laid would
not iill up With snow and ice and prevent
the running OF the cars. With view OF
getting
| INFORMATION on THESE POINTS,
q renorter conyersed with Mr.. Casebolt yes
terday, askin. him at the start II there was
a road with curves in San Francisco.
"No," said he; most OF the roads there
are uphill"
"Do you think cars can be drawn around
a curve!"
eyes. 1t is practicable with the right
kind OF grip to retain hold OF the ca
ble."
Have you invented the right kind OF a
grip'?"
YES"
.sHow is the cable arranged :"
cit runs on series Of pulleys with
ouard.rail, and has full play. The friction
Is slight. There can be no difficulty unless
the car is obliged to stop on curve 10 pre-
J vent an accident and the cable Is lost; Dul
I even that can he remedied."
Scan car be stopped easiyY"
every. The cable is dropped by the
turn OF lever, and the brake applled Dl
the man in the dummy ana tDe con
ductor can put on the brake OF Tue 9ai
proper" .,
| II mo ~ Glide 1IOn0
smoothly. When first operated in san Fran
cisco everybody was astonished, and the
Cinnamon are TO this day. They see tn'
cars 90 along with apparently no motlV'
mower. and one OF them said, NO horsee
no pulIee; no smokee, but go like devil
"Will not the snow get into the tube
in winter and freeze, and stop the running
= of the cars !!
f 81 think not"
. "There is no cable road in a cold coun
D tryi"
"No."
"Then YOU don't know as to that
S "Not certainly, OF course; but do no
think the weather will interfere"
"How is the tube construcied?"
"It is two and half to three feet deep
S with an opening or slot at the top thre'
quarters OF an inch wide." ..
"Tbe snow and water couid get INTO II
them"
"The rain could be gotten rid OF by
: crown. so as to make it run off; and the III
= tle that went inside could be drained int
% the sewers. I apprehend no trouble iron
the cold weather"
r "a cable road is more economical than
horse road!"
"Mucb MORE"
If costs twenty cents mile at present
how much OF "a reduction would there oeE
r 81 haven't figured II in that way; Du
. one man and an engine can do
t THE WORK OF THREE HUNDRED HORSES"
How many engines would be necessar!
on a line say four miles iong!
"One would do the work."
"What Is the carrying capacity OF tn
: carr" m .on
e G.Those In San Francisco will seat TWEEN
tv.two, and the dummy as many more
|; one hundred people have been carried"
But forty.four can get seats!
!; "Yes; about twice as many as IN the or
6 dinary ears i'm use in Chicago"
"How many cable roads are there III ope
ration in San FranciscoY" -,
USiy. and the three horse-roads Will adop
the evstem in the spring. The cables hay
heen in use there four or five years, ant
their utility and economy have been demon
= strated."
"What speed can be made? 7"
"The law allows eight miles an hour
That is two miles faster than horse-cars."
"Can the cable be laid over a SWIM
bridget" =,
Ono; it must be solid. However. th
cars could be drawn to the bridges and the
pulled across by horses at a small expense.
Scan the cars be run from one track u
another at the terminus Of q road?"
ayes; switching Is easy by means OF
drum large enough to shift the cable fror
one slot to another"
"Are you going TO make test In Oh
cago?" ,
eyes: that Is what came here for. Th
Southside Company is going to put in sec
ltion OF cable. We want to see how tn
weather will affect it,"
An article ia tie San Francisco Cal
shown the reporter by Mr.. Caseboit, speak
of the success OF the cable roads there, an
says that they yield from 33 to 60 per cen
greater profit than those operated by horses
Tae Executive Committee oil the Ne
York Worlds Fair Wednesday adopted IL
1 osts gnu tl.o tsftil In