Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-02-24

Of power transmission that was ever
known. Then the DIRECTORS went into
the last ditch and said that though I'M
doubtedly ears could be run by electrical
power, get when they came to encounter
our Northern Winters-the snow on the
tracks and ice on the conductors-they
could not be operated. This has also
been disproved by the successful opera
ton f electrical railways in Canada and
Wisconsin and elsewhere during snow
storms and billiards, compared with
which our worst winter storms are tame
affairs. -
President Whitney figured out the
comparative cost of horse cars and cleo
trio motors i'll this way: A car (for
horses costs about $1,000; ten horses-the
number required daily on a single car of
the West End company, $500; equip
ments, 500. Total, $500 for one car.
An electric car costs $1,000; q meter
equipment, $4,000; two box switches and
other equipments, $3.50. Total, $3.50.
A plant or station for generating electric
power costs from 500, 600 to $I25 200.
Upon making close estimates the West
End officials found that while the cost of
az electrical equipment is greater at the
outset than horses, the expense of main
the reasons that induced them to adopt
electric motors.
A single horse car in Boston uses about
ten horses daily. The cost of keeping
them and incidentals, such as repairs, is
about IS day, while the daily expense
of an electric motor is only about 81
The pay of conductors and drivers footS
ub about 81 for the two daily, which,
added to the expense of horse living
makes Sl2 as the average daily cost of u
single horse car, as against Sc for an
electric motor. With such big concern
as the West End company this shows
basis for the saving of many thousand
dollars every year. The contract with
the Sprague people amounts to over one
hundred thousand dollars. Twenty
miles and as many miles of track have
been equipped by their overhead wire
system which, il is announced, will be
extended as fast as possible. Three
electric working ears have been built,
each furnished with snow plows, brushes,
ice-cutters and salt distributors. In
front of each car is a large revolving
wheel TO break up the snow crust, sup
plemented by revolving to sweep the
track clean. Two thirty horse power
motors propel each car land SPECIAL motors
L
timated that one of these working cars
will clear the track quicker and better
than an ordinary snow pillow drawn by
dozen horses.
Owing to legal obstacles against the
erection of overhead wires in the popu-
lous parts of the Hub, - the West End
company was compelled to introduce a
conduit system on about one mile of the
line that has been equipped with motors
The Bentley Knight company furnished
this conduit equipment. The conduit
runs from Park square on the Back Bay
district to the Providence depot, the
terminus of the road. The change is
made from the overhead to the under
ground system without much delay.
President Whitney has treated the city
fathers and state law makers to eX-
cursions and dinners so frequently
for several weeks past that It
is believed he will soon have the
right TO put up the overhead system of
wires throughout the city, and when he
gets tina permission horses on the West
End road viii be unknown.
President Whitney, his colleagues in
the West End company, members of the
city government, railroad oficials and
the state Law makers and the citizens