San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-04-12
Electric Motors for Street Cars.
New York Times.

Electric Motors for Street CARS
New York Times.
Passengers on the Newark and Now
York Railroad have at times during
the past few weeks caught occasional
glimpses of an electric motor spinning
along Il private track, near Green
vile. The motor in question is
one OH which Leo Daft, the cleo
trician of the Daft Electric COM
pany, has been experimenting with
for the last eight months, and which he
now claims to work with satisfaction,
both as regards the power attained,
simplicity of construction, and most
important of all, the matter of cost.
Mr.. Daft is now especially considering
the introduction of the electric motor
upon the street railroads, and COM
pany has been organized at Newark
under the name of the Daft Electric
Motor Company with capital of
100000 to manufacture motors for
that purpose. 1t is proposed by this
company to experiment with the mo-
tors on some of the Newark street
roads Immediately, with a view to
their permanent use, and as soon as
two motors can be constructed for
that purpose they will be placed on
the road.
The railroad at the DAFT Electric
Light Works at Greenville, is about
one-eigth of a mile in length, with
one very sharp curve, and with a
heavy grade, and is laid asan ordinary
steam railroad track. The electricity
is generated by powerful dynamo
machine which is also one of Mr..
Daft,s own construction. 1t is car
ried to the rails through which itruns
a perfectly harmless current. The
motor consists of a simple pair of
trucks as basis. Under platform
above the trucks, the electrical appli-
ances for regulating the motor are
placed, and occupy so small a space
that they are hardly noticeable. By a
a small lever the motor is regulated
and the brake is put on. There is an
other small lever attachment, by turn
which the weight of the motor is
increased, so as to give
the adhesive power necessary to heavy
5 rades, and by which grade of forty
degrees can be assembled. A Times
on entering the yardin which
the railroad is placed nearly stumbled
over little motor which rested on the
rails and weighed only $50 pounds.
The same little motor drew fve-ton
car at as high rate of speed as the
trucks would allow. Other motors,
adapted especially for a high rate of
speed, spun round the track with
load of seven persons so fast as to al
most take breath from those on board
and send hats flying to therear. The
motor was under full control, and
could be regulated by a child of eight
years, and in fact the brake apparatus
was so simple, that one gentleman
experimenting by himself and forget
ing all about the probable result of
not paying attention to the lever, was
somewhat surprised to find himself
sprawling on the ground and the mo-
;or trying to pillow through a bump
Il at the end of the road. For his
electric light works, Mr.. Daft gets his
power from q fifty horse steam engine,
which also runs the dydamos furnish
ng the current for electric motors.
n regard to running cars by electric
ty, Mr.. Daft claims that he could
egain rs per cent Of the energy ex-
,rted from the steam engine in run
ling the dynamo, and that he could
'un the motors forty per cent cheaper
han by steam. He proposes, he
to divide the track upon
which the electric motor runs, into
stations of twenty-five miles, at each |
station being dynamo of the neces-
ary power. On street railways a
more favorable showing could be
made. The cost of the motor itself
would be small in comparison with
steam engines, and there would be
10 need of relaying or changing the |
present tracks of the street railways
md no third rail would be needed.
The loss of electricity in the SYSTEM
vas small and only appreciate by
lehcate instruments. Any number
If motors can be run indedeneently
IN the same track.
Mr.. Daft is a graduate of London
University, and has been working in
4 quiet way in this country, not wish
nc to make public the result of his