The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-25
TO PIERCE THE CITY.
Extensive Plans of the Trunk
Line Railway:
THE BROADWAY BOULEVARD.
The James Street Cable and Connectin~
Electric Roads-work Begins
This Week.

ROAD from the Occidental triangle of James
street TO Broadway. The next section to be
Quit WI be the electric line along Broadway to
tne northern city limits. Then will come the
line southwark along Broadway and South
fourteenth street to the southern city limits IL
the property owners subscribe the required sub
say oy the time the company is ready to begin
work. Last of all will come the road to Lake
Washington. which viii begin on Jessie street
a d run on route yet TO be fixed to point on
Ine AXE about midway between the termini of
Inc Madison street ard Yesler avenue roads,
should tine subsidy be secured in time. AL.
together there will be about eight miles of road,
the most extensive street railway sy stem in Sc
attic, divided about as follows: James street,
tnree-qusrters of a mile; north along Broadway,
two and one-half miles: south along Broadway,
two and one-half miles: to the lake, two and
one-half miles.
The James street cable read will have two
tracks four feet wide running from the Occi-
dental triangle to the power-house ut the corner
OF James street and Broadway. Alexander
Jackson. who will superintend the whole sys-
tenn. will take advantage of his experience in
building the existing cable roads in tae city to
make this the most perfect. One improvement
Is that the yokes will he cast-iron aud so strong
tested to q pressure Of fifteen TO eighteen tons,
that they will resist the action of the frost One
dlfncHlty with other has been that the expan-
sion OF the earth, through the action of frost,
has closed the slot and thus temporarily sus-
pended operations. Mr.. Jackson has had the
yokes made strong enough to cause a break in
the earth bef re the expansion can close the
slot, and thus he will circumvent Jack Frost.
The road will have the most improved depressed
pulleys and the cable will he 5000 feet long and
one ana onefourth inches in diameter the
largest north OF San Francisco. 1t will be of
the Lang lay twist, which is the most flexible
made and does not crystalize on the pulieys as
does the average rope. lis superiority was
shown in the Yesler avenue rosd, where cable
put I'D directly after the fire had a longer life
than any in Seat e and under as adverse con-
cifious as any cable could be subjected 10. This
roai will b. built as rapidly as men can do it
and Is expected to be CONFLICT d in TWO months.
Then will come the Broadway road to the
north. This viii be operated by electricity by
the overhead system. The Trunk Line company
Will not M rely build street railway along
Broadway. but will improve that thoroaghfare
so as to make splendid boulevard of it, and
cause 1t 10 become the favorie drive OF the city.
AT first single track three feet six inches wide
will be built along the center of the street to
the northern city limits with all the turn-outs
necessary for satisfactory service, cars run
ming about every six minutes. The turnout
system will be only temporary, for ultimately,
and that before long, the track will be doubled
throughout the length of this street The car
tracks will then occupy fourteen feet between
the outside tracks. Beyond these with proper
clearaI ce space, the company will plant shade
trees on ach side Beyond these again win be
driyeways twenty-sevan feet wide, with broad
sidewalks bounding them on the out side On
each pole of the electric line viii be an electric
Ii hit furnished by the company with an orna-
mantal bracket three feet wide and three feet
high, having in it the monogram ~. s. T. L"
The wires will be supported Ly one d one
half inch gas pipe p, ssing through the pole.
Tn line to the south will be similarly con-
structed with shade trees dividing the track
from the drives. The Lake Washington line
will probably have the same attractive features.
though the details of the plans are still in en-
bryo.
The power-house is now being erected on
Broadway, facing James street, and will be of
brick. 100 feet square, with one story and base
ment. The machinery viii be all in the base
ment, and on the ground floor will be car
house with a capacity for twenty cars, Offices,
reading. room, bathrooms and ten or twelve
sleeping rooms for employees which will be
plainly but neatly furnished, and let at a nomi-
nal rental.
The cable machinery consists of two 24x4S-
inch Lane & Boddley engines, with wheels I6
feet In diameter, weighing twenty-iour tons.
The shaft will be Ia inches in diameter, aud on
ii will be spool feet inches in diameter,
with eighteen grooves for Pinch rope, the ropes
running from the engine to an 1S-foot wheel
with 4-foot inch face and sixteen grooves for
Pinch rope. This gives transmission from the
engine to the cable drivers VIII CHI are 10foot
Walker diferential wheels. Seventy revolutions
OF the engines will give the cable speed of
eight miles an hour. The fiy-wheels of the
engines which viii be sixteen feet in ii iameter,
with fourteen grooves for II Zinc CHI rope, will
transmit power TO the counter-shsft for the
dynsmos and TO a fve-fo grooved wheel SINH
lar to the one on the engine-shaft. This will
give the counter-shaft 224 revolutions a minute.
On the eounter-shatt Will be eighty four-lnch
pulleys, also grooved, and running to four-foot
pulley on the generator giving the g nerator
$50 revolutions minute Steam will be fur
nished by three tubular boilers. ~ inches by Is
feet. These two engines will have an aggregate
of 600 horsepower r, and the foundations aud
shaiting for third engine are being con-
strueted, so that as soon as work begins on the
last section of he road the horsepower may be
ipcfessad 10 go Thi will be three lines as
much VIII b. ab olutely necessary. and
relay viii thus be pr ided in case il should be
scessary 10 stop any OF the engines Tor repairs.
The mach cry will b. run almost without
noise, g. there will be no otis 70 make u con-
slant rat IL.
The electric energy VIII be furnished by two
$50 horse power Edison generators with capac-
ity OF 10000 giving an aggregate OF SEQ horse
power. Foundations will be laid for Two more
generators, so that the plant may DE doubled
when the completion OF the whole system re-
qures it. The line will then have 900 horse
power of engines and 1, COO horse power OF dyna-
mos The style of motors to be finally used
has not yet been finally selected, but the CON-
pany has contracted Tor four sprsgue motors
and is now in negotiation with all the other
electric motor companies with a view of testing
one OF each kind and masking final selection
as the result OF direct observation.
The company will have travelling cranes for
handling the machinery and Will have a ma
chine shop with lsthes, planer and drill operated
by a 10 horsepower electric motor, so that ali
the repairing may be done right on the around.
For the cars a number of designs are being
procured. and with their own suggestions, the
managers hope To make the best car in use. so
far as decided on i; will be double-ended with
an open part st each end, aud will seat about
fifty persons The dummies, of which there will
be four. TO run ON the James street liue, will be
made mainly for strength and safety and Will
have reversible grip OF the pattern invented by
Mr. Jackson fos use on the Front street cable
line. The dummies will be used in running the
cars mp and down James street, and VIII trans
fer them at the power. house to and from the
electric wire. A start will be made with six
cars, and when the Broadway line is finished
the number of ears will De continually in
creased as tue demand grows.
The company intends TO have as much of the
material as possible ina &c IN seattle. All the
spokes. small castings, depression pulleys, fors-
leaders aud saeayes are being MAZE by the
Washington Iron Works Company. Tie outside
machinery. such as poe brackets. insu!at ors.
puls.off, and everything countc I'd with the elec-
tic appliances which 10 not patented, will also
be made IA SEATTLE. TAis is being done with
view to encouraging home industries, though
these articles could be II ado cheaper elsewhera
The via lie system of lines will cos about
ss0aOOO ana II circumstances allow OF conun-
nous work will be complete. within year. The
work is IN ehsrgeof threeoi the most experienced
ard energetic street railway builders. Andrew
Jackson, who super ts"ded the construction