Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-04-15
HBw ELECTRIC RAILWAY.


That coming convenience, the electric
raii.ay.is the foremost topic of couversasisn
at present. and many are the conjee.ures of
Augusta, Halioweli and Gardiner people a.
TO the manner Of thing i. may be. The idea
thai complicated system Of trucks. poles,
wires, etc, is necs ssary for . conveyance Of
this sort 10 . mistake. On the contrary the
Visible machinery 10 very simple. A heavy
track Of two rails, At sI-2 in. apart. will
be laid upon hemlcck or juniper ties, six feet
Ia length, Ave inches in width and four in
ches in thickness Both track and ties are to
be flush with the street level. and will not
interfere IN the least with the passage of
carriages. The cars are 10 be
twenty-five feet in length by
seven in width. and resemble in all respects
the ordinary horse car. Beneath the for
ward wheels is the motor which converts
electricity into the moving power. At frs,
glance il appears to be little more than big
coil Of wire, but in reality 1t is very com
plicated piece Of machinery. The electricity
80 $S'h| Afc'a wv Ut uiOft uyDAmO9
situated at the kennebec dam, conveyed
along light selicon wire of high tensile
power, three-fourths Of an inch in diameter
situated directly over the track This il
supported by light, insulated cross wires,
which, in turn, are suspended from poles on
the sides of the road As many Of the cleo
trie light poles a, possible will be utilized,
and on Water street the wires will probably
be attached to the buildings. Underns ath
the wire which conveys the electricity runs .
small wheel or ''trolly" pressed against the
wire by spring, and connected with the car
by hollow iron bar, through the center of
which wire runs to the motor. The whole |
system of wires will be about twenty feet |
above the street, or at least twelve feet high |
er than the largest loads of hay, and the
poles will be placed about 1926 feet apart.
The speed Of the cars is to be regulated
by the engineer. who by merely moving an
Indicator Ga the dial can shut of portion Of
the current, thus slsckening the speed to the
pace desired. The cars are easily and
quickly stopped by an electric brake which
is said TO be even more efficient than that
used on steam cars They are also to be
Ii lighted by electricity. Each car carries
Conductor and engineer, the latter Of whom
corresponds to the driver of horse car. The
motion of the car is as easy az that Of
rolling carriage. The annoying
igyk nf sta il. |
IS the electric cars begin their motion with
as much ease as they continue it. In places
where they are used, such as Scranton. Pa,
where there are now eight rival lines, it is
found that at first horses are somewhat An
noyed by the cars. Soon, however, they
become perfectly used to them and pay no
more attention to them than to other car
riages. The A., II. & G. Co. intend to pur-
chase at once two cars with motors for 5000
each and two for attachment only at $500
each.
The cars will probably run in each direc
lion every half hour and the fare charged
will be five cents about the city or to Halo
we'll and ten cents to Gardiner. A trestle
work, some six feet in height, will be used
% bridge Britts Gully.
1t will readily be seen that a car will take
lp little more room than an ordinary car
.iage, and will not be so much of an obstacle
o passage as a load of hay or a cart filed
with furniture. In winter the track will be
lept clear by an electric snow pillow and salt
prinkler.