New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-25
DANGER FROM ELECTRIC MOTORS
THEIR GROWING USE FOR STREET CARS.
HOW THE ENGLISH BOARD OF TRADE REGULATES
THE NATTER IN LONDON.


To he Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The accident toArs. Lizzie Pfcifer, Of BrooRyn
while riding in an electric car from Jamaica 10 Ea
New York by which her entire left side was para!hco
again calls attention TO the fatal danger lurking IN inc
air in the shape OF the. electric light wires, and also
calls particular attention 10 the danger we may OK
pect to meet when electric propulsion OF street cars
more generally adopted than at present.
A similar accident, i am informed, occurred IN
Richmond Va where there is street railway operate"
electrically and using overhead wires 10 THIS case
however, IT was a horse that was Injured one oil
the wires of the electric road operated under the
yandepoclc system, at Birmingham, Ala, about
year ago broke down and fell into the street Cover
nor seay OF Alabama and his private secretary were
driving through the street az the time in buggy, when
the horse stepped on The fallen wire and was instantly
killed
There are now some thirty more street railways
In the United States operated electrically ana great
many more are In Of construction The low cost
of operation by electricity compared with horses
and the doing away with animal power render the
electric street car systems particularly attractive to
street railway managers, and probably thfeefouiths
of them arc investigating the electric system and
contemplating its adoption their lines. The danger
to human life from electrically operated railways Is
much greater than that from electric light wires.
The latter always moro or less ehectvely insu-
lated and Furthermore be buried out of sight and
covered, and whether they arc overhead or under
ground will always be in a position to do harm
Death may come from the broken wire, as was the
case in Birmingham and Richmond, or may como
through the car and the motor seems TO have been
the case in the accident Mrs Pfeer; but no matter
how or where IL comes, It Is always there.
Here arc three accidents within year on thirty
roads aggregating less than 100 miles OF track, ana
IT easy TO see that II all street railways were operated
with electricity as they undoubtedly will be In me
near future, and tho same proportion 81 acclocrs 10
kent up, the number of deaths ard Injuries Will lar
exceed those resulting from electric Light wires
The rapid and general adoption OF electricity as
motive power for street railways makes the question
of absolute safety most important ono, and II seems
to me- and probably win 10 every body thar such az
against before rather than after road Is allowed 10
cdup with electric motors. This can easily be Done
by allowing such roads TO equip with systems wnch 10
not use a current exceeding 300 volts. This IS mo
maN inum safety limit although there arc persons
who, under certain conditions, could touch "iic
charged with higher current with impunity.
The ENGLISH Board OF Trade which p-ulates ana
controls the railways and electric lights OF bonuinn
have fixed the maximum safety limit at 200 yolts
where the public have 10 the lines anu oOO
volts whore the line Is quite enclosed III seells
to ne that nasmuch as accidents have ALREADY OccurIcu
from contact with the wires of electric railways on
through the motors and nasmuch as there are seVera
electrical cOnuapics which prepared 10 FURNISH low
tension systems for street railway service and 10
Of il.r aId Of Trac If Lind( ought 10 Ur auopteu
and the pabc fully protected from danger
join MUREAY MITCHELL.
New-Yorll June %, 1858