The daily critic., 1890-09-08
ELECTRIC CARS
SATISFACTORY TEST OF THE WHELESS
UNDERGROUND SYSTEM
ON the lexington Road An Expiana-
tion OF How tho New Invention
works-Big crowd OF Eteo-
triCai Experts Present.

hork9-Big crowd OF EicC-
trioal Experts Present.
AT lexington, on Saturday afternoon
car, containing forty gentleman anC
propelled by the Wheless Electric Rail
way system, shot out from little franz
building and was run a distance o.
about three quarters Of a mile, part o.
The way over a heavy eleven per cen
grade.
The exhibition had been arranged by
the officers of the Wheless Electric
Railway Company so as TO practically
demonstrate the utility Of the system
ard il proved 20 be an unqualified sue
cess. On the car were number OF
electrical experts and others. Those
present were: General Manager Silsby,
of the Edison systems; Superintendent
Saylor, OF the Washington and George.
town Railroad Company; Dorsey
Clagett, William A. Gordon, DR..
HILL Professor Wilson, OF the smith
sonian Institutes DR. Dexter. President
5. +. Wheatley, Secretary ID. f. Mer
rill, ir. Treasurer George T. Dunlop,
Electrician Wheless Of the company
and others.
In the Whelcss Electric Railway sys.
tenn the current is not carried over
head, but In an insulated cable buried
between the tracks, II a double track
road, OF by the side of the track IL a
single track. This cable extends the
entire length Of the road. From the
cable the current Is automatically
switched into the line in the conduit
The linc In the conduit is not a Continu
Gus one, but Is broken in sections con.
vtnicnt to construction, say In 800 foot
lLngihs
Every 800 feet a small switch.box Is
placed containing a very powerful
electro magnet on the car are carried
several cells Of storage battery, and
this battery vitalizes the magnet at the
switch box and draws up an iron arma.
ture faced with carbons When this
mmature Is drawn up Il gives a connec.
ton from the cable to the line of the
conduit and the current instantly flows
through the motor on the car.
When the storage battery on the car
has performed the function ofswitchinr
tic current from the cable 10 the trolley
wire In the conduit, its further use Is dis.
pCnsed with. The main line current then
holds up the armature 10 the switch box
aud gives powerful contact between the
main line and the trolley line. This
contact can In no way be broken while
Tie car is moving. There are no metal.
lie CtuiaCt penis Every thing works
Though carbon switches. The current
ly which the car was propelled on Sat.
iutHy was supplied from the power
l,uC Of the lexington and Soldiers
] cn & Railroad Company.
ti Of the main things claimed by
o. NhClCss system Is The economical
usC of The current Comparing an cgulp.
nj 81 any other system having a con.
tiuuuus conductor three miles In length
90 q double track and six cars With the
Nhtless ElCCuic Railway system ope
rating the same number of cars, and
with the same mileage and supposing
all the cars on both systems 10 be NOV,
ing The result would be as follows
OycrhCed or other underground system,
three miles, double track, bare wires
exposed, 81 $50 feet Wheless Electric
Railway system. three miles, double
track, Of uncNposcd wire, bare wires
exposed, 500 feet; shOwing a differ
tncc IN favor Of the WhelCss system of
90. $50 feet.
Another special feature claimed By
tie Whelrss s. stem IS It's absolute free
dom from danger by coming Ia con
tact With electrically charged wires.
DuIing the very thorough grade and
curve test made on the trial trip Of the
car, the trolley line ia the conduit
parted, Lutit caused 40 shaking up Of
the passengers and was not known un.
iil after the Trial was over, Had the
line however been overhead instead Of
buried, some one would have been
Stocked.
The electrical experts expressed their
entire satisfaction at the practical dem
urstTation given, and thought Il was
ahead Of any other yet invented. Its
success Is assured.
The inventor, Mr. Malone Wheless.
Is a native Of Nashville, Tenn, and
still a young man.
In speaking 10 a CRITIC reporter he
said Il have been identified with, and
On eXpeIimenter in, electrical inven-
iiOns since / was 10 years old among
them The multiple telegraph. the print
ing telegraph and the telephone. /
hTst started with d battery and an In
duciion coil as my outfit, and have
learned nothing Of currents but through
cells. All that l have studied In my
laboratory were the simplest principles
Of electricity. believing that the simplest
are the best.