The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-04-29
THE new ELECTRIC ROAD.
How Travellers Will Be Carried to
the Beautiful Broadwater,
By Electricity.
There Will be Neither Dust, Cinders
Nor Smoke to Annoy
People.
4 Curious and Interesting System Of
Using Electric Currents A.
Motive Power.

The most attractive feature to many of
the visitors at Broadwater is the new cleo
trio railway. On Sunday the track was
covered with visitors examining the wires,
studying out the motive power and asking
curious questions. 1t is probable that not
one person in twenty had an intelligent
idea Of the system, though all were greatly
interested. When the cars are placed in
motion tho novelty of the road will attract
thousands of sight-seers and passengers.
and the rails have been laid, though q few
finishing touches are necessary at the city
end of the line. The overhead wires have
been placed to point about mile east of
the hotel. This work will be finished in
comparatively short time. The Pullman
Car company is responsible for
the the, delay at this rs time lime They prom
to run month ago. But like very many
business promises, they have failed to ma
terialize. 1t seems reasonably certain that
the cars will arrive shortly and that the
road will be in full operation within two
weeks. In the meantime the electric plant
at the hotel is being enlarged under the di-
rection Of the well-known electrician, Mr..
T. A. w. Shock, of Minneapolis. Charles
King, of st. Paul, has charge of the wire
work on the track. The Thomson Houston
system will be used. The manner of con-
through the overhead wire and thence back
again by the return wire is interesting.
The overhead wire, which is of heavy cop
per, runs from Sixth avenue to the storage
in the basement of the hotel. Here two
powerful engines and two dynamos will
the hotel. The current after leav-
ing the storage runs over the
upper wire, from which it is
transmitted to the car by means of talley
which is on the hood of the car and which
is always in moving contact with the wire.
The current strikes another wire on the car
and runs along until the motive power is
reached beneath. The machinery by which
the wheels are driven is too elaborate for
explanation. The line current sets cylin-
in motion which in turn revolves against a
series Of cogs and turns the wheels. The
current then passes to the rails. Between
these is another heavy copper wire from
smaller wires run to the rails. The current
strikes the rails, flies to the connecting
wires and thence along the main wire by
means of which it returns to the storage in
the hotel. There will thus be constant
stream of electricity through the two copper
wires, though neither current will be sufh
GENTLY strong to cause death. The
wire on the track, however, will be
carefully insulated to prevent any accident
CAdJ IulSuI OuuelWISo OCCuIs IL SuOulQ also
be understood that the rails will not be
charged except in the immediate vicinity of
the moving car. The current leaves the
rail at the first sub-wire. These are placed
q few feet apart. It is expected that a
speed of twenty-five miles an hour may be
maintained if the occasion requires. The
esed and The direction he eus sss easily xbg
stands at one end of the car. There are
two levers and brake in front of him.
Control of the speed is maintained by
either increasing or diminishing the force
Of the current acting on the machinery.
When the current is shut off the car stops
or rather slackens it's speed until the brake
is applied. 1t is only within the past four
years that electricity has been
successfully used as locomotive
power. 1t was first used on
street railways in Germany and afterwards
IN France and Germany. The popularity
of electric cars in this country has grown
rapidly since their introduction. They are
fast supplanting street and grip cars and
are now used wholly in suburban districts
1t has been limited that electricity will soon
be used as motive power for the cars on
Main street, though the overhead wire sys-
tenn may not be used. The cars which have
been ordered from the Pullman company
will be of the latest pattern and will be
nicely furnished. They will run at frequent
intervals, and what is better there will be an
absence of jerks, cinders and smoke and
other aAnoyances of travel. That the road
will re we'll patronized goes without saving,
People will ride to enjoy the luxury of per
fect travel, If for nothing else.