The Hawaiian gazette., 1886-03-09
TeIpherars.

new system of transport for field OF other pro
duce by means of an overhead railway with cleo
triclty as the motive power has received the name
of IELPHERAGE, has been for come months sue
cessfully worked in England. seems admirably
adapted to the needs Of our planters Mr.. w. L.
Green has been appointed agent for this kingdom.
Ihe following account of this new departure in
eectrc-technology is condensed from an article in
lair'r, published in England on November 9Th,
lss'-, describing the opening of the first Telpher
line:
Ielpherage has been defined as the transmission
OF goods and passengers by means of electricity
without driver, guard. signalmen, or attendants
The line opened on October 18th, is nearly a
mile long, and is composed of double set of steel
rods, each 66 feet long, fourths of an inch in
diameter, and eight feet apart, supported on
wooden posts standing about Is feet above the
ground, and is now regularly delivering clay at a
railway station mile distant from the CLAW pits
at minimum rate of 80 tons per train per week.
and ~ trains can be run on the line without fear
OF collision as an absolute automatic block is pro-
vIded, and the trains are governed automatically
speed.
The clay is delivered at the railway station,
where II IS tipped into the railway cars at a price
as follows:
Abou. the middle of the train is the electric To-
connective, there are 10 skeps buckets which hang
by their travelling wheels from the steel line Each
sk'sD weighs I0I pounds, and carries go TO 900
pounds Of clay, and by distributing these evenly
AM somewhat widely apart the strain on the steel
line Is small, although the total weight of train
and clay Is about two tons. Only two electric
horsepower are necessary to be furnished at the
engine house TO propel the train at the rate of five
miles an hour.
Tho Sussex Portland Cement Company decided
10 adopt this method Of transport as any road or
tramway would have seriously interfered with az.
rlcultural work carried on in the fields between
the clay pits and the railway station, aud more
over these fields are under water during part of
the winter
The train is under the control of one workman
who by touching key can start, stop, or reverse
the train at will.
1t is estimated that line similar to that de-
scrlbed above may be erected at short notice for
total cost, i'll England of 81 200 including engine
dynamo, permanent way, and five trains, with To-
Connective 10 carry 100 tons daily; the working ex-
penses, Including coal, attendance and deprecia.
ton, being less than 3D., &c cents) per ton per
mile upon material carried.
double line such as this, but ten miles long
worked heavily, would carry material for I'd. per
ton per mile. Some OF the advantages claimed
for this system are as follows:
The facility with which such line can be run
up and carried over uneven ground or across
streams, high fences and deep ditches where an
ordinary railway would involve serious expense.
1t does not impede as any form of railway does,
the ordinary agricultural operations.
special advantage is the ease with which the
trains can 20 round sharp curves without loss of
power, since electricity having no momentum, suf-
fers no loss IL going around corner, whereas
with the overhead wire-haulage system there is
considerable friction, and great wear and tear of
the running wire-ropes where they GO round sharp
curves.
The Tclphcrage Company state that they can do
chcaply the work of Horses and carts light tram
ways, and the wire-haulage system, and this they
seem to have accomplished.