The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-09-13
ELECTRIC CANAL GOATS


Introduction Of the Sew Motive Power
Wonld ftuu, the industry,
There has appeared in % mechanical
publication Che following statement.
An electric engineer. of Buffalo, sug
gests plan 90 reduce very largely Che
cost of transportation ON the Eric canal
His plan is to adopt the trolley system,
now generally I'm use ON street railways.
TO the canal. If the overhead trolley
system can be- applied 90 street railwaya
at cost of about half thct of horse
power, he argues. why can it not take
the place of canal mules with q like re-
duction of cost? The poles aud other
appliances for the overhead wires. and
in fact the whole plant, covering the
whole length of the canal. could hc
readily arranged without mndrunce To-
navigation. The SPIN would not he too
wide at any point
A reporter asked the opinion of Mr..
William G. Miller, the electrical engi.
neer of Che Watevlict Railroad com.
pany. Mr. Miller said "Why, certain.
ly it can be done do not see why the
same motive power Of turning % wheel
by the electric current cannot be util.
lied on a canal boat as well as ON q car.
The only question is the cost. IL they
want to put through such scheme 10
will cost money. As to there being %
reduction Of expense from that required
for horse or mule power | cannot say, as
am not well enough acquainted with
the canal TO know
A very extended and interesting opin
ion on the feasibility of the canal elec
trical scheme was given by Mr.. John ID.
Roman, of the Roman Towing line. Mr..
Roman said: "The plan which you ex.
plain TO me is not n new one 10y amy
means. The first man who broached the
Erie canal trolley system to me was au
Albanian, who is demented on the sub
iect of electricity / think of course
merely from practical, not scientific
point of view that the scheme is i'm
practicable,
'There are a thousand and one objec.
tions to it which present themselves tc
any mind. Take for instance, the
trolley scheme. Itmust be remembered
that it is canal boats and not horse cars
that are to be run now. The horse cai
is forced to go i'm certain line by the
, solid tracks. But would not cana
boat waver so from side TO side that il
, would be impossible TO keep trolle!
, wheel ON that set wire? Then ther,
q would be the continual probability o
I the wires blowing down and in othe
q ways being damaged. How are tn,
trolleys to be managed going through
p locks? Boats, you know, do not trave
up and down grade in an inclined posi-
! tion as a car does-they are always ON
level What would they do at the six
:, teen locks with the trolley system?
81 think the trolley system ON tn
e canal is utterly out of question. 1t EN-
braces so many points where complca
i. tions might arise, and so much cost O
construction, that | think it is entirel
| impracticable. Supposing it Were adopt
ed. Supposing that all the 1000 or NOR
- boats on the canal were on that one, o
Il the two. wires At any time a boat
liable to leak or to have an accident oC
cur to its motor. What then is to b
done? 1t would block the whole cana,
and that could not he afforded. One G
y the main points, will say the mai
II point--in the introduction Of this systel
u would belts reduction of expense. Tha
I. is what we are looking for. AS cani
II boats are now constructed the introduc
d ton of the trolley system weuld revolt
le tionize the whole line.
II "There would have to be special boat
a built for the introduction of motors an
5, propelling wheels. That would thro'
p the great army Of canal boats that al
lie now being used off the canal for Il
II boats that did not run by elechicit
G could navigate in those waters. Can W
afford to do this? Then the introductio
le of motor into canal boat would il
re crease its tonnage greatly and, woul
Is say, reduce its carrying capacity almo
N 20 per cent. Albany Argus.