The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-10-07
EDISON'S LATEST
Has Something thnt Will Revolu-
tioniso Street Our Service.
THERE Is NO TROLLEY ABOUT IT,
Aud tho King of Electricians Says II
isa "G0"---lIc Talks About the Sub.
tie Fluid m Applied to Locomotives.
-..Elcctricity the Motive Power on
Railroads IN tho Futurc....S Some.
thing About tho KinctoHraph.

hon has another surprise in store.
This time It Is in the practical line OF
rapid transit. lIe varied his summer
occupation OF electrical mining at Og.
den, N. j., by experimenting and test.
ing C now system Of applying electricity
TO street railways. lie said, with all
tho satisfaction OF success, that he had
Just finished the tests, and they were
ago" and that the North American
Company is going to use the system
somewhere.
swell, what is it exactly, Mr.. Edi.
SOM"
"0h, no, no, mol" said tho prince OF
electricity. "You mustn't ask inc ior
plans and details yet"
He was in tho handsome, high.coil.
ingol reception room or library of his
wonder shop at Llewcllyn Park As he
turned his face TO the sunshine which
came streaming in, he looked boyiah in
spite OF the gray threads in his hair.
Ills straw hat was tilted back OH his
head, his eyes sparkled and smiles
dimplcd the corners Of his mouth when
he closed his lips on an aitcr-luncheon
cigar.
Come now" he said at last, an tell
You this much: this is quite wonder
full affair" lie paused moment and
then added, "lIaving lots OF fun on
broadway, aren't they?"
THE BROADWAY COMPANY WAS WARNED.
"Thcy ought to have waited. told
them they should hold on bit. After
all this digging and ditching they'll have
their cable road, and by that time
my system will be in operation IN
some other city at much less expense
and with much more satisfactorily re-
suits. | could simply have gone to work
and taken that Broadway road rs it once
was, and could have put in block
night OF my system. | could have
changed the road all over, and you
would never have Known anythingabout
H."
$50 you can apply your system to any
street railway"
YES, and to any car. But the system
is only suitable for use in cities where
cable roads are warranted. | have an
experimental quarter mile road in the
laboratory. The cost is one-third that
OF Il cable road aud it performs every
function cheaper and better"
NO TROLLEY IN THE SYSTEM.
ut is not a trolley system?"
"Oh, no. In the big towns the pub
lie think the trolley Objectionable. Only
the rails are used and there ia no slot.
can pick up current through two
and hall inches OF mud"
ut isn't Il storage battery SYSTEM"
mo. | use the regular motors under
the street ears" Then Mr.. Edison
nodded his head roguishly as he said:
i've got very peculiar thing III that.
1t was 4 hard thing to do-to get that
system perfected. 1t may appear SIM
pie, but il is not. To get a practical
system was very difficult"
The reporter limited that. the subtle
current was to thrill along the rails in
some mysterious way, and he asked ii
it would be safe
Quite safe" said Mr.. Edison, "the
current won't escape at all. told YOU
how | could mokc the change in Broad
way at the rate of block night. Well,
would just take the old rails rs they
were. To take practically anything and
turn it into an electric rail was quite a
trick. Icould use any car, too, but the
trick was to get the current to make
practical current
"Now, in the trolly system they get
tho current over the wire and have that
arm running along. The public claim
that that is Objectionable in large
city. Very well, you needn't use it.
have got up system where YOU Just
take the current right from the rails"
AN ELECTRICAL LOCOMOTIVE.
Having admitted this much Mr.. Edi.
son changed the subject for kindred
one.
Il am also building large electrical
locomotive, several hundred horse
power" said nc, "and have devised a
system OF conduction without trolley
for . big railroad for Henry Willard. i
small section has been laid. An cleo
trical locomotive is much moro eco
nomical than steam one. i steam
locomotive is not economical By reason
OF the conditions it has 20 work under.
That is the trouble with it, whereas
take one OF these triple expansion en-
Gircs on solid foundation, with all the
economical appliances, and The result
is yon can get horsepower delivered on
u train i'll motion fer onothird the cos.
that you can do it direct with steam
locomotive. Then you have every ad.
vantage in en- electric locomotive. In
stead OF running II train Of six coaches
every two hours, split it up. Make it
two coaches and run ii oitener. They
are going to put this locomotive on
some road III Chicago-betwean Chicago
and Milwaukee, l think"
fou say this il system OF conduc.
ton without trolley. Is 1t anything
like your street car system?"
ELECTRICITY IN PLACE or STEAM.
"oh, no. Ithas nothing whatever to
do with it. 1t is much simpler. There
is no great difficulty about it. Almost
any good engineer could designn good
electric locomotive. | am going to tukc
the currents IRON stations lwerty mics
apart.
~ was tho first man in the United
y States, you know, TO build an electric
railroad. brilt one three miles long
ut Menlo Park in 1880. took Mr.. Vii
lard over the road at the rutc OF forty
miles IN hour. We ran SO fast that he
wanted TO walk back. My idea tllcR
was 10 put the system OH large steam
roads, but | Twas II little 700 far ahead Of
the times. They are evidently going to
come to it now, however.
I 81 can take tho Pennsylvania Rail
road for instnnce. hatWrnn Jersey Citr