Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-22
STREET ROAD WORKS.
A Company Organizing With a Capt.
tai of S5,OOO,OOO to Locate Here.
LOOKING FOR A DESIRABLE SITE.
They Will Make the Underground Plan Of
Electric Apparatus.
FOR A DESIRABLE SITE.
Mr.. LOVE GIVES SOME OF THE DETAILS

Mr.. C. H. Love, of Philadelphia, cele-
brsted inventor and electrician, is in Pitts
burg organizing q company with capital
stock Of S., 100000 When all arrangements
have been completed it is the intention of
the company to build large works in Pitts
burg to construct the appliances necessary
for new system Of electric railroads. Some
of the most prominent men in the city are
interested in the scheme, and a number of
distinguished electricians notified Mr.. Love
of their willingness 10 take up the idea and
push it to the front. Such men as George
Westinghouse and George Rice, chief
engineer of the Citizens Traction road, are
convinced of the feasibility of the project,
and will enter the company. Mr. Rice, in
a report he made, pOints out the advantages
of the underground system of electric
ity for use on street railways as compared
with other systems now in vogue, where cars
are propelled by the overhead electric cur
rent.
Mr.. Loves plan is to run cars by the un-
derground system of electricity, and during
these days of clamor for placing wires be-
meath the turf it can meet with no objection.
The Pittsburg company is well under way,
and is composed of moneyed men. Mr.. Love
himself has some capital which is not to be
sneered at The company is negotiating for
q site, but as the property has not yet been
obtained, though he told the reporter where
it was located, Mr. Love does not want this
fact to be known until the deal is closed.
The company has no desire to pay double
prices.
LOCAL ROADS INTERESTED.
Mr.. Love isnow negotiating with two Pitts
burg horse car lines who contemplate chang
ing their motive power to electricity. No
definite contract has vet been made between
them, but Mr.. Love thinks that some con-
elusion will be reached in a few days.
Mr. Love, in an interview with DIS
PATCH reporter yesterday, said: 1--WE have
in our system thorough insulation in the
ceiling Of the conduit 1t is so completely
encased that neither water, mud or filth can
reach the wires, which is the greatest diff
cultv that hitherto has been experienced in
the overhead system. The contact carriers
are held by pull springs, controlled by
hand lever, so under any circumstances we
have perfect connection with the line con-
ductors. There are but two essential things
in an electrical railway-insulation and con-
tact with the lever.
'fWhere it is an impossible thing to get a
conduit cut through bridge; by one move
ment of the lever the contact carrier is lifted
out of the conduit, and an overhead trolley,
which is in reach Of the motor man, is at
tached to the lever making the necessary
electric connection. On the other side of
the bridge the carrier is dropped into the
conduit and makes the contact again.
PARTS OF THE MECHANISM.
"We place rubber jaws near the ceiling
of the conduit, then block of glass with
an opening in it is slipped into the jaws,
then tongue fastened to line conductor
passes through the opening of the glass
block and a wedge is dropped in to hold it
in its place. The tongue is surrounded by
glass, having no connection with the con-
duit or anything but the line conductor. A
h8nge is carried down from the lid of the
conduit, protecting 1t from the weather or
mud. The conduit is deep enough to keep
it from filling up.
1.-THE lever connecting the contact carrier
with pull springs forms perfect cushion on
the under side of the line conductor. These
springs allow for any irreguIarity of the
road. The lever is somewhat similar to that
rsed-for the cable grip, but instead of grip
ping the wire, there is a rolling contact.
The lever can be made so as to cut the cur-
rent or lift the contact carrier out of the
conduit, and is held suspended underneath
the car. There is also an unbroken metallic
home-line conductor. To this one tongue
is attached, which is slipped into an iron
bracket and there secured by wedge, max
ing electric connection with the iron con-
duit. The line relieves the electric motor
of any backward resistance, giving a large
outlet for the electricity after leaving the
motor 1t is not necessary to have motor
more than 15-horse power strong to climb
the steepest hill in Pittsburg. The cost of
running q road such as described is about
81 80 car per day, and it costs $40, 900 a
mile to construct one.