The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-08-07

THE NEW DEVICE TO BE TRIED on TIE NEW
YORK ELEVATED RAILROADS.


| YORK ELEVATED RAILROADS.
"I have every reasen TO believe" saiC
Mr.. Cyrus W. Field Wednesday, " that tbt
electric motor invented BY my nephew Is ol
very great value. and Is Que that VIII reyo
Iulionize the whole system OF elevated rail
roads,. As child he showed wonderful
taste for the study Of electricity. We want
ed him 10 90 into the navy. but he rebelled
] am sure II he really has hit upon practi-
cal means for doing away with the smell and
noise and smoke OF stcam-engincs on The
elevated roads, OF which fact l have nc
doubt, shall be very glad that his inclina.
tions were not in the direction OF seafar.
ing life. He's up at the Western Union
office, and dare say he'll tell you all about
his invention"
Mr.. Stephen Dudley Field is tall young
man, with a straightforward, business-lkC
manner. He was engaged In superintend.
ing the arrangement OF several large dy-
namo.elcclric machines which are soon ia
do away with oil the chemical batteries In
the Western Union Telegraph building. but
cheerfuliy consented TO give the history and
DESCRIPTION OF HIS INVENTION
for applying electricity as a motive power
OF the elevated railroads.
To understand the process by which, un-
der this invention, the trains OF the elevated
roads are TO be run with electricity, IL is not
strictly necessary that the reader should
comprehend the working Of dynamo-electric
machines in general. That there are such
machines, and that they can transmit to each
other electric force or power obtained ORR
ginally by means OF steam, is well known
fact. 1t is not well.knOwn fact, however,
that electricity generated by steam power
can, by reverse process, be reconveried
into Il mechanical power equal TO about one
bali oi the power that generated 1t. In brief,
Mr.. Fields plan is as follows: Initial elec-
trical currents will he produced by means
OF stationary seam-eugines, situated at in
teryals OF two miles along the length Of the
road. The power that it Will be necessary
to generate by these steam. engines can be
determined only by practical test; but what
ever may be expected OF them. the expense
Of running them must OF necessity be less
than one half as much as that required to
run the little waStefu locomotives now in
use. Connected with each OF the stationary
steam.engines will be dynamo-electric ma
chine, through which the
ELECTRICITY FOR RUNNING THE TRAINS
will be Obtained. Leading from these dy-
namO electric machines will be wires which
will conduct the electricity to the surface OF
the elevated road and into a insulated cop
per rail, which l. TO be laid between the two
rails now in use. In place OF the putting,
snorting little engines used ut the present
time there will be attached to each train
simply Il fiat car provided with a wire
brush, hanging below it in such way as to
gather up the electricity from the middle
copper rail, and with dynamo.electric ma
chine similar 10 those hy which the elec-
tricity is produced placed directly over The
brush. The electricity generated by the
machine on the surface having no other out
let, must OF necessity pass along the copper
rail and into the dynamO-electrlc machines
attached to each train OF cars.
TO COMPLETE A CIRCUIT
for this electricity ii will only be necessary
for the engineer Of each Of these electrical
locomotives to move lever. BY the moving
OF this lever conducting wire viii be made
to furnish an outlet ior the electricity,
through the aXlcs and wheels OF the loco
motive to the iron tracks upon which the
trains run, and so to The earth. By con-
Meeting the current the movable machines
become energized; by breaking the cur
rent they become inert. In short, the cleo
tricity generated by steam-power on the
surface is by reverse operation trans
formed into power, which Is IN equivalent
OF the power OF steam, in the movable mo-
tors on the elevated tracks.
Mr.. Fields calculations are made upon 9
basis OF possible transfer and utilization
Of 80 per cent. OF the original steam-power
but even at 40 per cent. il is claimed that
there will be great saving, and in doing
away entirely with noise and smoke, drip
ping coal oil and flying cinders. The i'll
veutionis said TO be invaluable for its pur'
poses.