National Republican., 1883-10-02
ELECTRIC MOTORS.
Electricity to Replace Horse Power on
the Paris Tramways.


Yesterday large number of scientific an
literary mcn-among whom was, OF course,
the ever active NJ. dc Losseps rcpaired on
the invitation of NJ. Simon Philippart, chair
man of the French Electrical Power Storage
company, to the Place des Nations, where
yellow tramcar was waiting The company
entered, and the vehicle, after time had been
allowed for u few explanatory words by M.
Philippart, gided without apparent motive
mower smoothly along the rails in the di-
roction of the Bastic. 1t was followed by
an enormous crowd of sightscers on foot
and in vehicles, who intontly watched It's
silent progress. The line being quite clear
high rate of speed was at once attained, and
the car soon succeeded in leaving nj! the
pedestrians behind, the boys being tho last
beaten. The carriage and cab horses had
quite enough to do to keep up with the pace
until the Place dc 10 Bastilo was reached,
when fow minutes halt was made so that
tho ordinary cars might be able to proceed on
their way. In ORDER however, that no time
might be wasted, the experimental car was
moved Off the rails and run along the road
way, where il worked with perfect smooth
ness, thereby heading the tramway cars
which were taking in passengers. The Jour
ney from the starting point to the Place do
Bastile had been performed in five minutes.
On the car proceeding thence toward the
Seine u veritable triumphal procession was
witnessed: crowds flocked on to the pave
ments, and every house had its windows
crowded. Tho crowd thought 1t to be its duty
10 cheer aud cheer it did, and well might as
tho car proceeded sur les rOulettes, without u
doubt.
After crossing the Seine the car proceeded
up the boulevard st. Germain until it arrived
at the boulevard st. Michael. Hero switch
again took the wheels off tho rails without
tho slightest difficulty. The steep ascent
from the point whore the boulevard st. Ger
main crosses that of st. Michael was made
without apparent diminution of speed. At
| the ton pause was made to afford GXplana-
tions to any inquiries of the scientific passen-
gers. The line was then followed as far as
the Porte dc Montrouge, where, after taking
au extremely sharp curve, the car was turned
for its homeward journey. Turning the
boulevard st. Michael the brake was applied,
and served to keep the speed under perfect
control.
BY the time the steep ascent of tho Avenue
Wagram was reached the consumption of power
had begun to be apparent, and it was decided
| to economiZe by slackening the speed some
what The programme arranged for was,
however, followed in most workmanlike
manner to the end of the journey. The
horses in vehicles, or those being ridden, did
not appear to notice in the slightest the
movement of the car during the whole of the
inaugural journey. All fear on that head
was soon set at rest Every one was aston
ished at the case with which the brakes were
being used, the vehicle being pulled up sharp
or gently with equal facility. Tho unani-
nous opinion of those who watched the ex-
pertinent was that it was complete success.
Contracts have boon entered into for fifteen
years with the Paris tramway and omnibus
companies for the adoption of the electrical
cars in place of the horse cars rs soon as the
experiments have been deemed complete.
| The train car used was one of the ordinary
kind, the seats being raised twenty inches,
somewhat to the Inconvenience of such of the
passengers not possessed of long neither limbs
but this will be obviated when the system is
fully adopted and the present cars used in
their ordinary form, the propelling power
being conveyed in trucks placed before thcm
The present rails are being improved at Ger
tain points to render the passage of the elcc-
trio cars more easy. At the lowest calcu-
lation saving of % per cent. on rolling and
live stock may be certainly predicted. Apart
from the application Of the princplet to tram
way and omnibus purposes, the field open to
the objects of the company is practically
boundless. For instance, locomotive engines
are being built by tho company which it is
affirmed will enable a speed one hundred
miles an hour to be attained, Experiments
on railways will soon follow those Of the
| tramWaVS.