Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-10-21


tulat0rs have been long ago condemned
for telegraph purposes, whore compare
lively small current is used 1t seems
strange that they shonld have been
adopted a. the best means for securing
| insulation in circuits Of such high po-
tential es are employed on the Rich
mond road.
The trolley itself seems to be clear
source Of trouble and difficulty to
| manage properly. AZ has been shown.
1t cone'sts OF "a grooyed wheel Mt the end
| 81 ii couuterhsanced pole held by
/ spring against AMI making contact with
/ the under ndc Of the working conductor
/ In rounding curves It must be carefully
/ watched by the car-cOnductOr 10 prevent
/ 1t leaving the tro.icy-wire and thus stop
/ ping the car, and at night extinguishinR
/ the lamps. which has proved exceedingly
/ disngreeabie 30 tine passengers, while Oh
/ busy days 10 has seemed necessary TO pnt
p tird man on each car az additional
/ expense for the sole purpose Of attend
+ iug io the trolley. Sometimes the
Z trolley pole has broken or the springs
/ holding 20 against tho wira given way,
/ stopping further pro0rcss Of the car or
/ recurring man e. stand On The car-roof
/ h0.du. the troieypoi. against ihe wire
until the repar-shcds were reached.
One 0f the most unsatisfactory fea-
/ lures about the arrangement OF the
/ Richmond road is the ground circuit. not
/ only because OF the difficulty of getting
a good ground, which has IN ths case
only been accomplished by connecting
I tue track with tho whole gas. or water
works system OF the city TO the detri-
meut 20 our exchange telephone system
80 we'll described by the telephone super
| inteudcnt, MIR. McCluer. in his paper
before the recent telephone convention.
bat the fact that It is necessary 10 have q
clean track 10 work on, otherwise vivid
flashes Of electricity viii appear 10 the
terror OF the horses IN the vicinity aud
dhmaoe 10 the motor, or should u
happen that there is sufficient
quantity OF dirt on the rail It
viii cause n higher resistance than
the potential of the current can over
come, and Of course stop the car should
the motor man get oil 20 push it over
tie n AMI fail, as sometimes happcnb
tO switch OH the current from the
motor the fol- clTrent Oh tine
Iue viii pass through 1t just rs soon Us
good conto De- made. an tho result is
% burned immature and disabled car.
THIS scems go have been particularly tho
case durl0g the recent stormy weather,
when an informed that tue number Of
available cars for traffic on tine road was
reduced 90 aDOutten. Possibly Sac 6atu-
ration " tle motor by the rain md the
c1e.t of lightning on the Tolley-wiro
had a. % fomcthug 10 30 with the case.
Owing 10 Tho retIcoDce Of the employees
above referred 90, H. has been dilicuit 10
ascertain lust what damage has been
c9u-c3 by lightning striking the trolley
wires and iumrng the motors, but That
there hns been serious trouble from tina
source have no doubt ihe very hes.
forms OF hghtuiuRarTeslcrs have not
proved sufficient 90 prevent injury TO
electric light dynamos where insulated
wire, are used ON the outdoor circuits,
Rhile the bare WIro used for the work
INC conductors on overhead electric
traction systems must always render
them more susceptible to trouble from
Tins direction.
After sottiug forth the difficulties
which have been shown in the practical
operation Of the most extensive system
of electrical traction IN the world, It
gives mo pleasure to direct attention to
jhe behavior OF the Sprsgue motors I'M
der all the conditions 30 which they
have been sublected for the past seven
months. which has indeed been remaTka- |
bic. No load has been too heavy and |
no grade too steep for them TO ascend |
Perhaps the severcst test they ever re-
ctivod was on the night OF July 4th in |
bringing the crowds from the New
Reservoir Park, whom tho ordinary open |
cars carried over one hundred passen-
gers and the closed cars over seventy
five each, $50 many, IN fact, that the |
axles Of one or two of the cars broke /
down under the load, all Of which must
he exceedingly satisfactory 10 the IN
ventor. and places the Spregue motor at
the very head of the many excellent
typos or forms that have been devised ut
home and abroad.
The objections referred 10 above APP
ply equally rs we'll to all forms OF over
mead systems except where second
wire is used for return instead OF the
track and earth. aud also where the
trcley-pole IS discarded for the movable
trolley. But the increased number OF
aerial wires required as we'll as the
heavier fixtures needed 10 sustain them
render these systems just rs objection
able.
We are very anxious to see the effect |
of ice sleet, and snow upon the opera
ton OF our road, rs it has not yet passed |
through winter III complete running |
order A heavy sleet storm has often |
Frustrated our telegraph lines, and ] sec
no reason why the overhead electric |
railway wires would be exempted from |
similar trouble, nor why the covering |
Of tine rails hy ice and snow will not !
renderit difficult to mako sufficient |
contact to operate the line successfully, |
not TO speak of the loss OF current 10y !
leakage or escape from the trolley
wire but / have no doubt that the |
ingenuity Of those who have overcome |
all the problems encountered IN opening |
up with such success the Richmond /
Union Passenger railway will he suil-
cient TO insure It's continued operation
nm HIillt Oh WlilN hlu NtAiliNls rAA W A-N
one more than myself VIII this be graft
fying, since IT was through my efforts
that attention was first directed some
,hreo or more years ago to the splendid
opportunities Tor electric traction that
Richmond presented. although | am free
to confess that my inclnations were to-
wards the application of the storage bat,
t,ry. which obviates all the troubles and
defects developed by the overhead sys-
TENS. and against which no more serious
objections seem to be brought than the
extra weight caused 10y the batteries and
the greater first cost as compared with
the aerial systems, all of which, 1t ap-
pears TO me. are more than counter
balanced by the difficulties and annoy
anre IN tho systoms just described.
The very satisfactory results obtained
in the operation OF the new electric
storAge-cars on the Fourth-avenue rail
road i'm tins city. as well as by Mr..