New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-24
TROLLEYS IN CLEVELAND.
THE ELECTRIC MOTOR SYSTEM WITH OVER
HEAD WIRES WELL TESTED.
49,, ,,o,,, m cARIE TRACTION FOR SPEED

:, A.. cd with tOlerabe accuracy. III rc%e"-
ING a conclusion upon its practlcal anu oonP",
Mace As a means Of traction the eAperlcnoo VI '
ri,v is of general value. In no other city III 'nS
wy -, can, posion is electric traction 50 extensively
rod as IN cleveland. Next to the West End COMPANY
90 t,oston the East Cleveland Company operates ''0
largest electric street railway III the Worlu' wv
o,her companies here electricity, thoueh "f'"
somewhat shorter roads All tOld, there arc o'e'''
i've miles of track, occupying fifty miles OF street
here. upon which electric motors are uscd' All '"c'o
lines have been in operation over year. anu WV Va
,hor, for almost two years. The East IleVeldHu
Company was the pioneer. 1t began eAPeilhici'"e
with electricity in January, 1852 ana ran soilo o'o,
in Euclid ave. cast OF WisOn-ave' Ill inc s''."S
residence part OF the city, from that uiie uil SPINS
In April 1852 it began to run motors TO inc oqua'
and a few weeks later the Brooklyn and South SNc
Comnany eauipped its Jennings line, ana III
October began the exclusive use OF electricity o'oi
its whole road. The Broadway and NewDuTS COMPANY
followed IN December, loo0
The overhead wires and single trolley system are
used on all Cleveland roads. ms Is one Vi inc e.
objections to the use OF electricity. The wires Ill
the street. and ale both unsighty and DANGEROUS .
brief description will make this clear. Inc current
i carried by two trolley wires suspended one ABOVE
each track from guy wires strung across inc s'ceV
between iron poles. The poles are aponU hI'S H''
apart. Along line of poles Is carried hc"NS'
cable Ike insulated feedwire which supplies inc cur
the END or tlt line luItLcoV iiOi wv f'
station. The trolley wires are Of necessity not III
sulatad and for the first months after they were
placed above downtown streets accidents were IRE
quent. Telephone or dead wires would lal deIOSe
these naked wires, which carry current oil ooo Vos
or more and of 500 to 800 amperes, and carry the
heavy current wherever they might tOuoh' h'er
three horses had been killed by such wires, one OF
them in terrible manner and with starting uIspld9
of blue and yellow fire. and number Of telephones
had been burned out, the city authorities compelled
the erection OF guard wires some twelve inches above
the trolley wires and since then little damage ms
been DONE But there Is no assurance that smaller
wires NAV not be blown under the guards and upon
the naked trolley wires in a storm and carry IRE 10
some Office or home serious shock or death 10
some individual The guard wires make five wires,
besides the guy wires, in the street. while at corners
where the road turns there Is network OF guy
wires like metallic spiderweb The iron poles are
strong and greatly superior to wooden ones, and
the guy wires carefully insulated from the trolley
wires but breaks occur at guy wires occasionally
and sagcing Of the trolley wire results that the
public never knows when storm may not bring down
the Whole system.
During the two years since the East Cleveland
Company began using electric traction, this city bias
had little weather and the companies have had
little to overcome in that way. Last winter was eX
ceptonally mild, and thus far the present winter No
leet ice storms have occurred, nor have any deep
SHOWS fallen. There has, therefore, been hardly fair
test of the system under the most unfayoIdble con
ditions. The most trial occurred in heavy
rain and wind storm last summer, when the current
was weak and the lines crippled considerably for
several hours. During the slushy snowstorm this
winter something of the effect was noticed
and the employees driven along the track with
stiff brOoms to KEEP the damp snow from freezing on
the trolley wires. The storm was brief. however, and
was not severe test of the possibilities Of electric
traction. In neither of these cases were the lines
parfilyzed, but the time made was much slower The
East Cleveland Company has been in operation twenty
two months with only one complete breakdown, and
that the officials state the fault OF the engineer
at the power house. 1t only lasted about
an hour. Motors have frequently Deeh
burned out on all the lines sometimes with electric
displays that startled the passengers and many have
become disabled through the ineXperence OF motor
men This was especially true when the motors were
first nut on The delays were veXatiOus and caused
much complaint; but in the past SIX months sucu
accidents have been less common than before, ana II
seems likely that they will decrease with the urhcr
Improvement of motors and the more experienced
character of the employees.
The location OF the roads here affords an excellent
Opportunity for comparisons between electric traction
on the one hand and horse and cable on the other
All the street railroad lines In the city radate from
Superor-st., and all pass through that street from
the square to the Niaduct. out Superorst ana
Payne ave. which branches of Superlorst and runs
roads OF the Cleveland City Cable Company, which
have been in operation less than month. south oil
Payneave. and on streets approximately parallel Win
IL are in the order named, the Wade Park-ave, the
Prospect and Euclid the Cedai-ave and the Central
ave. lines OF the East Cleveland Company, and inc
scovillavc. line Of the Brooklyn and South Side
COMPANY Next beyond It Is the Woodlands ave
horsecar line of the Woodland and West side Com
'pany and sul further to The south the main line
OF the Broadway and Newb.rg Company Thus. com
parsons can be made under practically the same
conditions, all the streets named being level and
comparative distances easily obtained. Under like
conditions the electric lines unqutstonaby faster
than horses There is more rumble and jolt and
noise, but the cars are better and heated witt
hardcOal stoves. and lighted BY from three to five
incandescent lights. The time made by the motors
IL from 20 to 40 per cent faster than BY hOrSts
in the morning and evening hours, when traffic j.
heaviest, the motors draw one, and sometimes two
trail without difficulty. but the increased mum
Der OF passengers in such a train neccsstates more
stops and consequently slower service. In case:
such strains do not run above five miles hour for
the first two miles from the business centre OF IN,
city. Further out they run faster. having fewe
stops. Single motors average about one
third faster than hOrsecars. The difference betw
horses and electricity IS further shown by the re
duction in time the East Cleveland road. Will
horses the schedule time out Prospect and EucliC
aves from the square to Lake View-fve miles
was one hour. Now it is forty two minutes. Through
the residence part Of the city the present time IS nn
miles an hour, and the average is seven. Car,
now run 70 Colamer, eight miles, in the same time
the horses took u 50 to Lake Niew-hvc miles
but between cable and electricity, the advantage
seems 10 10 with the cable. The cable in PAYNE
ave. twelve miles hour, and il has beer
I'm operation has nOtceaby drawn patronage from
the Wade Pdrk-ave. e.ectrc line. with which II i
In direct competition. The East Cleveland Company
las tried - meet this by giving motors OF this lin,
the right OF way wherever possible and shortcnn.
tie schedule ume but. Notwithstanding this
the preference for the cable seems II
be growing. This is as much bec,us,
Of the less Earring and noise Is for the somewhat
quicker time made. The cab.e is new however ana
comparisons can hardly be justly made yet But IN,
cable road Is without doubt smoother, and il INN,
with less jar. ~
This in part arises from the sandy nature of IA,
soil here, which makes IL difficult maintain snO0tI
rOadbed without a foundation Of concrete. This lin,
cable roads have and Tie eectrc llnes haye mi ~