Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-04-10
Electric Motors for Street Car,

Passengers on the Newark and New
York Railroad have at times during the
past few weeks caught occasional
glimpses in the distance of an electric
motor spinning along on a private track
near GreenVille. The motor in question
is one which Leo Daft, the electrician of
the Daft Electric Light Company, has
been experimenting with for the last eight
months, and which he now claims to work
with satisfaction both as regards power
attained, simplicity of construction and.
most important of all, the matter of cost.
Mr.. Daft is now especially considering
the question of the introduction of the
electric motors upon street railroads, and
company has been organized at Newark
under the name of the Daft Electric Mo
tor Company, with a capital of $500, 900, to
manufacture motors for this purpose. 1t
is proposed by this company to expert
ment with motors on some of the Newark
street roads Immediately, with a view to
their permanent use, and as soon as. two
of the motors can be constructed for this
purpose they will be placed on the road.
The railroad at the Daft Electric Light
Works. at Greenville. is about one
eighth of mile in length, with one very
sharp curve and with heavy grade, and
is laid as an ordinary steam railroad
track. The electricity is generated by
powerful dynamo machine, which is also
one of Mr.. Daft's own construction. 1t is
carried to the rails, through which lit
runs, perfectly harmless current. The
motor consists of a simple pair of trucks
as a basis. Under a platform above the
trucks the electrical appliances for regu-
lating the motor are placed, and occupy
so small a place that they are hardly
noticeable. BY a small lever the motor is
regulated in speed and the brake is put
on. There is another small lever at
tachment by turning which the
weight of the motor is practically in
creased, SO as to give the adhesive
/ power necessary in heavy grades, and by
[ which grade of forty degrees can be as
/ cended. \ Times reporter on entering
I the yarC in which the railroad is placed,
nearly stumbled over little motor which
rested on the rails. and which weighed
| only 40 pounds. The same little motor
afterward drew ive-ton car at as high
rate of speed as the track would allow.
/ Other motors adapted especially for n
high rate of speed spun around the track
[ with load of seven persons so fast as
/ almost 10 take the breath away from
| those aboard and send hats flying to the
rear. The motor was under full control,
/ and could be regulated by a child of
/ wears. In fact, the brake apparatus was
/ so simple that one gentleman, expert
menting by himself and forgetting
I all about the probable result of
not paving attention to the
/ lever. was somewhat surprised to
/ find himself sprawling on the ground and
/ the motor trying to plow through a bum
per al the end of the road. For his elec-
| fric light works Mr.. Daft gets his power
/ from a fifty-hOrse power steam engine,
/ which also runs the dynamOs furnishing
/ the current for the electric motors. In
regard TO the cost of running cars by
/ electricity, Mr. Daft claimed that he could
! regain IS per cent of the energy eXerted
/ from the steam engine in running the dy-
/ namO, and that he could run the motors
! 40 per cent. cheaper than by steam.
/ He proposes, he continued, TO divide
/ the line of track upon which the elec-
tric motor shall run into stations of twen-
! ty-fiye miles. at each station being
/ DYNAMO of the necessary power. On
/ street railways more favorable showing
could be made, The cost of the motor it.
/ self would be sm;sn in comparison with
steam engines. and there would be no
need of relaying or changing the present
/ tracks of the street railways, and no third
! rail would be needed. The loss OF electrl-
/ city in the system was very small ana
I only appreciable by delicate instruments.
/ ANY number of motors can be run inde-
I pendently on the same track.
Mr.. Daft is graduate of London Uni
versity, and has been working in a quiet
way in this country, not wishing to make
public the result of his experiments until
/ practical results could be attained.