New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-24
THE CABLE RAILWAY SYSTEM.
HOW CARS WILL RUN OVER THE BRIDGE-STRENGrH
AND CAPACITY OF THE STRUCTURE

AND CAPACITY OF THE STRUCTURE.
II will be some weeks before the cars will
rim over the Bridge as steel tracks are not fully
laid vet A good deal Of time will he used In expert
mentng endless cable apparatus so that every
thing may perfect order before the railroad traVei
begins In time if the travel demands It, Colonel Pane
one of the engineers says that many as eighty cars
can be used the present only wentyf0ur cars ana
two cngine have been ordered These are now really
and for several days work of taking the cars rOm the
wharf at the foot Of the tower on the Brooklyn sue 10
the Bridge cnrache at Sands-st- has been gong GU
The two small locomotive engines which are 10 ne useu
temporarily In putting the carson the Bridge track etc.
and hereafter switching tie cars at the ernin are
now IN
The cars are much lighter than those required for or
binary railroad traffic. and nearly correspond TO the cars
usea upon the Manhattan Elevated Railroad except
that they are wider and higher They have wider doof-
ways requiring sliding doors at each opening IN
stead Of swinging door The gauge OF the track j
four feet eight ana half inches the grade three ana
one-quarter feet per hundred The cars are mounted
on two four-wheeed trucks, and have side seats aud
each car comfortably forty six passengers, hut Is
capable carrying all that can crowd In owing to the
width over persons crowd into one OF the care
The cars will their full load Of passengers at one
enc Bridge and then be attached to the endessrope
and start on the journey the structure There
will be no stops started but after reaching
The middle the bridge they will run 10 the ether END by
their own momentum. being under control by perfect
system of brakes. From the middle Of The suspended
structure the there Is decline Of fifteen feet
and from the towers to streets the down grade -
feet per hundred In passing from TO Brooklyn
tie cars have 10 go up elevation OF 100 feet.
THE METHOD OF PROPULSION.
The cars are to propelled by endless wirc rope.
II 700 long which IS not yet in place spare rope
VIII lie provided for in Of accident There are
two cngncs prope the chain so thar unless ho
should brake down time there will he no stop
pages from The endless rope Is 10 be run
over the Bridge along middle of of the railway
tracks and returned along the middle of the other The
rope will supported through length on 400 pulleys
placed twenty-five and half feet apart andWil run
continuously in direction. Motion Is communicated
to the rope by passing 1t three times around pair Of
eroovcd rope driving drums each twelve feet in diane
ter placed facing each othei These drums revoved
by means of friction drum placed between them and in
contact with each The whole is operated by two steam
engines situated TO be attached TO NO crnnks one
al each end Of the shaft OF the friction drum These en-
enes and drums under the Brooklyn approach, and
a. they considerably below the railway tracks,
summit sheavc is required with which 10 change the d.
of the rope and lead it down TO the drums After
passing three times around the grOoycd Tope-drivng
drums the rope led upward and over grooved sheave
ten feet in daneter blight loop of the rope is then
passed around another ten feet sheaye, mounted on
heavy car which moves steepy inclined track thus
serving balance weight to give tension 10 me rope
the returning part OF the rope passes ulIcr, tlru
sheave and thence passes onward over the rdgc rest
ing on the supporting pulleys At the Ncw-lOrk end OF
the Bridge the rope passes over summit sh"Nc' II toh
depressed and passes around two return sheaves then
rises to and passes over another summit seaNe placed
nm tbe other Track thence along between the
rails on supporting pulleys as before TO the Brooyn
end two steam engines are each horizontal, with
cylinders twenty-sIx inches IN diameter and forty
eigh-inch stroke. The fly wheels are fourteen feet IN
diameter and weigh $4,000 pounds each There are two
cast-iron ropedrvng drums each twelve feet IN diam
eter.
THE CAPACITY OF THE BRIDGE FOR CARS.
Itis proposed to run four a train and only the
forward one will attached TO the cable. The
stations at the termini elevated, the tracks
running level from point 600 feet
from the end. This will not In teriere with
the street traffic of the Bridge and Will OBJ
vate all danger II should break loose ana the
brakes were not applied coming down the incline of
the Bridge. The station buildings are really the sp-
proaches to the Bridge and give massive appearance to
the structure which ii would not otherwise have at the
entrance The cost of the system Of rapid transit is
about 100000 While the structure Is deemed strong
enough carry heavy locomotives the grade wond be
great objection 10 their use lief Engineer k"eDllng
says that there Will be no difficulty about running such
locomotives as used on the elevated railways,
but be is opposed to anything heavier or 70 the running
OF Pullman palace It, which has been advo-
csed by StIanahaD and some other trustees some
time SS the chief engineer was re CURED 10 buld Inc
smners rIcture so that Pullman cars could
For that purpose the russes which lengthwIse the
Bridge dividing the structure trnnsVersey III ve uVls
onsewere raised about feet each, and 1000 tons
more steel added TO the suspended structure,
greatly increasing weight and cost That change
made the subject OF Investigation by the Board OF
Trustees In 1851 ana was severely criticised
The roadways for vehicles each side OF the Bridge
are wide enough for street tracks 10 be Dut on te
hereafter necessary and stiI room would be lett lot
vehicle 10 pass car gong III the alne uIecuoh' ar
Roebng stated that be run over the Bridge
y the endless chain at rate or speed OF IOtl
miles an hour with safety that ten cars carrying
100 passengers each be- in one train IL IS not
contemplated. however 10 run the cars at any such
speed But II the traye demands II the rate OF speed
Will be increased from ten TO twenty miles an hour As
the Bridge Is over one lphe long 'he .nlC oi
crossing Will then be reduced 10 about thrte
minutes and IL is calculated that train
can lie loaded minute ANA discharged IN another
CHATHAM-sT. ELEVATED STATION TO BE MOVED
There is no conflict between the Bridge Trustees and
the elevated roiroad companies IN regard TO the re-
noval of city Hall station which now partly OBJ
strcts the NeWYork entrance 10 the Bridge The sta
ton is be moved up Chatham-st sufficient distance
to allow free the Bridge from the street without
preventing direct between the elevated