The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-09-26
THE ELECTRIC CARS
First Run Made Yesterday, at 4
O'Clock.
ALL THE CITY is ELATED OVER 1T
La Plata Notes-Uourt News-A Better Feel
ing In Real Estate
Circles.

OereQ IN the history Oh OBuen. Larry III
the morning the engines IN the power
house OF the Ogden City street railway
company were steamed up, and soon the
great machinery which will furnish the
power for the electric cars was put in mo-
ton, and at 4 o'clock in the afternoon the
first car was started.
A number of the street car company Of
ficials and the members of the press were
all it contained. The first run was made
on the Washington avenue line to Five
Points and the city limits, where stop
was made for twenty minutes. RSomethlng
became the matter with the trolly, and the
electric current refused to work. The
rupture was soon remedied, however, and
the car started on its return. Everything
ran smoothly, and although the machine
was new, the run was made from the city
limits TO the power house, distance OF two
and one-half miles, in nine minutes and
fraction, including two stops.
The news had spread about and on arriv-
ing at the power house q large crowd was
congregated there 10 get glimpse of the
first electric. Here stop was again taken,
after which run was made through the
business portion of the city. Everyone
seemed to smile and put on an expression
of appreciation as the car approached them,
and on every hand men, women and chill
dren filled the air with hurrahs and waved
their hands in welcoming the coming OF
one of the most modern wonders of rapid
transit which the people of Ogden have
looked forward to for many months. 1t
was q grand treat to everyone TO think
the long looked for had come, and that the
mule would henceforth be a remem-
brance of the past for all
time to come in the junction City.
At the conclusion of the trip on Washing
ton avenue run was made TO the terminus
of the Twenty second street line and thence
back 20 the power house.
TIE Jarvis Conklin Co., which has put
IN the system, mas built and now operates
electric street railways in several of the
foremost cities of the United States, but
nowhere has it exercised SO much care in
getting everything as nearly perfect as pos
sible as in Ogden. Ali the latest modern
improved machinery has been obtained.
The work hat been slow and great many
have given vent to not a little ridicule,
cast upon the company, because it did not
make more rapid progress. But aL the
work has been done at an enormous eX-
pense and nothing would do except the very
best.
The work has been superintendent by
Mr.. A. Y. Abbott, the consulting engineer
OF the JarVis-Conklin company, who has
ment Of all the electric plants belonging to
lis employers in the United States. He is
a thorough electrician, and at one time was
the first assistant engineer on the great
Brooklyn bridge during its construction.
The lines OF the new system have an in
ISOLATION of Il, 100000 oms, and Mr.. Alb
bott says that no electric railway in the
country has ever been known to have over
four thousand oms.
The power house alone has been erected
at an expenditure of fully $780, 600, and is
constructed of the very best quality OF
brick and stone.
On the lower floor is located the entire
machinery, all of which is duplicated, thus
in case OF any mishap operations could be
resumed after only short cessation. The
upper floors will be occupied by the Of
ices of the street railway and city
waterworks company, besides a drafting
room for the company's engineer and Other
offices. On the same floor will be storage
rooms and workshops. The building will
probably be heated by electricity, and al
the offices are lighted by one hundred
candle power lamps. In Mr.. Abbott
private Office is what is called galvameter
an invention of MIR. Abbott's: by this In
strument he can locate any obstruction OIL
the lines or breakage at his Office, within
few feet Of the exact location,
Mr.. Abbott is highly elated at the man
ner in which everything worked on the
start. The engines started out as smooth.
as if they had been operated for month
and no stop had to be made on account oil
heated boxes or causes that sometime
arise because of Imperfect construction
Behind the engineers station are the cleo
trio switch boards, and one man can oper
ate the engines aud control the five electri
garments, or in other words, the current
which furnish the motive power for tiv,
different lines at one time. Or he can reg
ulate The current on any one Of the line
at his pleasure. AT present there are thre
large motors, manufactured by the Ediso
company, one of which will always b
kept in reserve, and in case of a refusa
of any of them to work, the en-
gineer can start the other in motion in
second. The company has employed MI
Samuel Scofield as chief engineer, who ha
had several years practical experience il
such duties.
MIR. A. Smith. an electrician formerl
connected with one of the Denver stree
railroads, will oversee the electrical dc
partment, under MIR. Abbott.
1t is the intention Of the railway con
pany to give Ogden such street car servic
that she cannot find reason to complain
Cars will be run every ten minutes on a
the lines, and two and half minute SCI
vice will be gwen TO the Union depot.
There will be twelve cars operated 9
present, al of which will run to the Unto
depot. The company has over twenty car
that it can put in use.
To-day viii be taken up in making th
trial run of a number of cars, and on Mon
day morning the steam motor and the mu
cars will be discarded, and regular servic
with the eectrics will begin.