The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-11-11
The Exit Of the Locomotive.

OGDEN, N. j, Oct. 25.-Steam locomo-
tives have had their day, and electric
motors will take their place. This new
device for whirling trains of railroad cars
at a minimum speed of 100 miles an
hour is the invention of Thomas A. Ed
ison. The Wizard of the Electric Fluid
has completed his motor, tested it, and is
assured of its completeness, and backed
by Henry Willard, the well-know New
Yorker, will operate a railroad between
Milwaukee and Chicago with electricity.
Thus the era ofsteam locomotives, those
tremendous machines that have been
the wonder of this age, will end on the
4O0th anniversary of the discovery of
America.
Mr.. E lison talked freely Of the cleo
trio motor yesterday, and said it would
displace the locomotive for three reasons,
viz p, it was speedier, safer and cheap.
er.
"It will get one horse power" be re-
marked, "out offrom one to two pounds
of cheap coal, whereas six pounds Of ex-
pensive coal are used to make q horse
power in a steam locomotive.
at will carry a train at 100 miles or
even 200 miles an hour, while it strains
q locomotive to cover sixty miles in that
time.
"The motor will be safer for the rea-
son that by means of an indicator in
the power-houses which supply the cleo
trio current the exact location of every
train on the road will be known at every
moment. That will be an absolutely
perfect "block SYSTEM" and will insure
perfect safety so for as collisions of
trains are concerned. This will also be
a saving of expense in maintaining the
road.
Mr.. Edison said the trains would be
run by electricity furnished the motors
from stationary power-housea. 1.-THE
current will pass from the stationary en-.
CINE to a central rail between the tracks,
thence through the mechanism attached
to the bottom of the cars or motor. A
freight train, of course, would need a
motor because of the number of cars, al.
though q single passenger car could be
run carry: ng its " motor beneath it
thence to the wheels, and thence back by
the side rails 10 the power house or sta
tionary engine. Three stationary en-.
giues, each with a horse power o l0,000
or 13, 1000, would run the whole Pennsyl'
vania Railroad system between here and
Philadelphia.
"For practical purposes I feel sure
that a 100, pound rail on a rock ballasted
track would stand the speed of 100 miles
an hour. The train will be stopped by
air brakes, the same as now. On the
road between Milwaukee and Chicago
we will run trains every twenty min
utes at the lightning speed of not lessthan
100 miles an hour.
A "pressure q little heavier than the
one 7 use would make a horse lift his
foot 3d." and Mr.. Edison lifted one of bis
own feet about a half an inch from the
Office floor, "but the pressure I do use a
horse wouldn't feel at all, nor would a
man. You see, / employ the heavy cur
rent with the low pressure. That is the
whole secret OF safety. The principle is
this, that q stream of water 100 feet wide
which falls a foot gives the same power
as a stream one foot wide and falls 100
feet. The wide stream is my way"
The third rail for street railways will
be discarded. Mr.. Edison says the diff
Guilty of picking the current out of the
mud has been solved. There is absolute
ly no danger to vehicles, pedestrians or
horses.
Mr.. Edison said that if the Chicago
road was the success anticipated, Mr..
Willard would undoubtedly put the cleo.
trio motors on the Nortoern Pacific
for carrying freight and passenger traf-