Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-05-09
OVER THE BRsDssR ny CABLE.
Five Minutes 10 Brooklyn fu Trains Of
Four Cars Each.

From the New York Sun.
The East River Bridge railroad will not be
opened when the rest of the structure is because
experiments are to be made with the rope
traction power In order that all risk may be
avoided. There are to be twenty-four cars, the
most OF them being already finished. They are
light, airy, and comfortable. The railroad will
be opened with all of them in place If the
storage tracks are finished next month. II not,
about half OF the number will be put in service
The cars are similar to those In use on the Sixth
avenue elevated road There is so much glass
ABOUT them That superior system Of brakes
would De needed to prevent the humping of the
cars together. even If the sharp grades did not
make them necessary The grade is about one
foot in one hundred, and the inertia of the cars
| after passing the center of the bridge either
way, would cause them to acquire an impetus,
| il unchecked, that would be disastrous before
reaching the station. Hence three kinds of
| brakes are used including the Westinghouse
brake. In the event Of mishap to any one of
the brakes either Of the others will be ample to
control a car.
The cars will start from Brooklyn. and return
by an opposite track. so that one track will be
exclusively for New York business and the other
for Brooklyn business. The system, which is
called the circulating system, has been perfect
co d.d reg S OF expense. Its cost exceeds
$35O.OOO. The endless cable is operated by q
4O0-horse power engine near Prospect street,
Brooklyn. and is II. 700 feet long. There will be
| an extra cable alongside. to be put into use in
ease OF an emergency. The cars will be attached
Gp sas of and two RutSs oSe each
lever, which. moved in one direction, will re-
lease the grip of the clamp. and, in another
will tighten it: The tighter the clamp the
swifter will be the speed of the cars When the
a brake to the wheels.
1t 1s expected that four cars will be run over at
time, CARRYING, at pinch, as. many as 400 pas
sengers. The first car of the train will be at
tached to the cable. The cars will make through
trips, and will not stop for way passengers.
They will be switched from one track to another
at the termini. Passengers will pass out by
stairway to be used solely as an exit. The pas
sengers who enter will buy tickets at the en-
trance and deposit them in the box at the foot
OF the station stairs. Surplus cars will be stored
on tracks over Sands street In Brooklyn.
The distance to be traversed by the ears is a
mile. and at. the rate of speed which will be
adopted 1t is respected that the trip will be made
IN ABOUT four minutes and half or five minutes.
In the busy hours the speed may be greater. 1t
Is calculated, however. that the trip will gener-
ally require FIVE minutes. The saving in the
trip fr0m the same points in the two cities, as
the distance is now traversed, will be from ff-
teen to twenty minutes
"There is nothing experimental" said an engi-
neer last evening, "about the rapid transit sys-
tenn devised, any more than about the other I'M
usual features of the structure. 1t is sure to
work perfectly. Col. Payne who invented the
improvements to the cable system which have
been used in San Francisco and Chicago, has
given the use Of his patents to the cities, and
has coded what would have Yielded him for
tune in royalties had he not been q member Of
the engineer corps. Every detail has received
the most careful attention, but the conservatism
OF our policy requires a practical test, which
will follow the opening of the bridge The
cars Will be In operation for the public probably
about the middle of june