Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-10-10
ELECTRICITY IN CARS.
Passenger Coaches illuminated by
Electric Lights for the FIrss Time
In this COuntrY-The Experiment
Highly Successful,
PHILADELPHIA Press

Philadelphia Press.
For several DAYS past DR.. Dudley
electrician of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company, has been actively engaged in
applying electrical apparatus to one OF
the company's passenger coaches al
Jersey City, for the purpose of testing
the feasibility OF the use of electricity in
lighting cars in the place of gas, which
is now used. Yesterday, all the arrange.
ments having been completed for a test.
the car was attached to the train leaving
Jersey City at 40 p. M, and made the
trip to Philadelphia, arriving here
at $50. As soon as darkness
set in the electric carbons were
set aflame, and a most beautiful
light was the result. The party who
came over on the car from jersey CITY
were all electricians, or in some manner
interested in the experiment. They
were Walter B. Whiting, President Of
the Light and Force Company of the
United States and Canada; George W.
Lockwood. President of the Railway
Electric Lighting Company, and A. E.
Smithe, Treasurer; William Lachlan.
engineer to the company holding the
Faure's electric accumulat0r patent; P.
Z. Quackenboss and Dr. Dudley, cleo
tricians of the road Inasmuch as this
is the first test of the kind ever made
in the United States, a description of
the plan is interesting. Stored electricity
is no longer hypothesis, but demon
strated fact, as shown by the London
and Brighton Railroad in England, which
for the past ten months has been light
ing It's cars by means of stored electricity.
The car seen last night at the Broad
street station, in which the test was
made, was an ordinary passenger coach.
There were seven electric lamps in the
coach, with two burners to each lamp.
The electricity was supplied from res
erVOlr underneath the car, better known
to the scientific world as Faure's electric
accumulation. Electricity was transmit
ted to the carbOns by wires on either side
of the car, connecting with the accumu-
lator, and was cut off or supplied at will
by simple key. The accumulation in
which the electricity was stored last
evening consisted of a long wooden
water-tight box underneath the middle
of the coach. Incased in this box were
number of lead plates. At one end
was the, positive and at the other
the negative pole of the battery.
Each plate is coated with red lead
mixed with calculated water. After
being perforated with small holes about
three -sixteenths of an inch in diameter.
sieve of parchment is placed on each
side of each plate and the plate is then
encased in a cloth jacket, with the ex-
ception of one end, which is left uncov-
cred to form an electrode. The plates
in the box were parallel to each other
and their electrodes stood up at each
end. The electrodes were all connected
together at each end, and connected
with brass terminal, through which
the electric current was supplied and
drawn out. After the first charge of
electricity has been stored IN the accu-
mulatOr, which is done from dynamo
machine, the red lead coating completely
changes its nature, being converted on
the positive plates into peroxide Of lead
and on the negative plates into a spongy,
metallic state, which absorbs, retains or
throws out the electric current as need
be.
The accumulation seen last evening was
about three feet long and one wide, and
the life of the carbons used in connec-
ton with it covered a period of about
5000 hours. The entire accumulator
contained sixty volts of tension, or two
volts to each cell. The light produced
was soft, bright and clear, and equal to
eight-candle power, and was supplied
twO-thirds cheaper than gas or oil.
Every car can be supplied with an accu-
mulator charged with the amount of
electricity desired from dynamo bat.
terry, or one accumulation will supply a
train.
The car when lighted last evening pre-
sented very beautiful appearance, and
enc could read newspaper in any seat
therein. There was no flicker or flare
to the light, and it burned with per-
sistent regularity of fame. Taken alto
gether, it was a most successful demon
stration of its utility and feasibility, and
will probably be universally adopted
after DIR. Dudley makes his report to the
company, although he declined to speak
on that subject last evening, saying he
would report first to the company. The
other electricians present did not hest
tate to pronounce it a grand success.