The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-08-23
LOOKS LIKE A GO.
Ingenious Storage Battery Street
Railway System At Milford,
Massachusetts.
ON All Accounts the New Con-
Germ IL Running Very Suo-
oessfully.

OSlys
. Use Of the Brake Generates More
Eisptrioity-Eoosomy and Comfort
the Main ThingA.
A storage battery syatsm Of street railway
9 been In operation here since April, 1891,
ysa Milford, Mass, dispatch. it, sue
10 10 complete and apparently will be per-
ansnt. Tho satisfaction IL has given to
owners and to The public 10 thorough.
u a single day have the cars failed 10 run
nos the line was opened, and in the hard
! winter weather. This system IL no in
. anywhere else. II has not been brought
the attention OF the public at all. Not .
are OF stock in tho capital Of the company
10 been offered for public sale.
There are about six miles of track, in
uding the branches, and the equipment
insists OF six cars OF sixteen foot bodies.
side measurement. Where the track
rms into the main street the combination
curve and grade makes An equivalent OF
grade Of 81 per cent, OF, II the car turns
the right instead Of to tho left. ~ usual.
about on per cent. The trip We ran first
40 the regular one Of two and one-hslf
lies TO Hopedale, and the running time
as fifteen minutes. This grade Of 81 per
int. was tho -stsspsst ascent. but there was
sharp descent Just over the line in Hope-
Ale. whore the grade WIS 10 per cent. for a
hort distance. The car ran with perfect
noothnsss and even speed both going and
pming. II was under complete control.
was free from the annoying whizzinR
Dund of the trolley car.
When tho car goes down hill II 10 not
ecessary to use tho brake at all. unless it
desired to bring the car to q perfect
kandstill. BY I turn Of the lever the mo-
hsntum Of the car 10 set st work storing
p electricity again In the batteries, 80 that
khen they reach tho bottom of the hill
hey have more power than at the top. The
hotor ID converted into q dynamo OF gen.
rator Of force. and it is tho generation Of
lectrioity by the effect Of gravity in carry
Ing the car down the hill which acts upon
he wheels to cause them to move slowly.
The brake IL not used at all in this opera
lion. The same storage of electricity is
made when the car 10 slowed up for stop
bing anywhere. The momentum 10 used to
estock tho batteries. It is said that on
bne "trip, on which an exact ecord
Vas kept. II per cent Of the eleotri city
brawn from tho batteries was returned to
hem again by tho saving made when going
Down hill.
There is Z given amount Of electricity in
lhe batteries; the machinery ia built ac-
bordinRly. No more can be taken on sud
dsnly, as ia the case sometimes with the
car, and there is no possible way in
which the machinery can thus DO burned
put.
The plant consists Of two 6O-horss power
ears, the tables on which the trays of bat
beriss stand when they are being charged,
and the station house for the engines and
for storage of the cars.
Z The total coast. including the roadbed,
about 100000 The chief electrician
Of the COMPANY. VIM. l.. Stevens, has
given his attention to saving the great
which are inevitable with the troll
ley system, and it ID in his SUCCESSES that
the triumph of to-day has been achieved.
He has accomplished q marked saving in
the application of the electricity to tho
axles OF the wheels. The batteries them
selves have been the subject Of great i'm
Beyond all comparison they
are superior to any other batteries which
have ever been used. The fgures which ars
given by the homson-H Houston people a.
Che highest powers attainabls are far sur
by the batteries used by the Mil
ford COMPANY. Onoe the car was run for
miles without any recharRing OF the
and then the indicator showed
that it could have run about ten miles
more. .a.r ....-s., .. ~.
The batteries are carrie under the seat
Of the car and they occupy all the room on
both sides. The jars are of black rubber.
and the interior apparatus is of that most
approved by experience, that 10, su!phuric
Rcid 10 in the liquid and the metal plates is
another Of the great i'm improvements made by
this company. The jars are arranged In
double rows of three on a side. or In
''trays'' Of six in each of the six compArt-
ments under each side of the car. Each of
these trays weighs $50 pounds, and of course
is a material addition to the weight of the
car. The entire car with the trays all in
weighs about seven tons. which 10 about 4
lighter than the same size OF car when
equipped for use with the trolley system.
The side Of the car outside. against the
place under the seat, 10 opened by three
doors which drop down. leaving the trays
When . car comes into the sta
ton after = trip, these doors are opened.
the car is rum upon a truck in the
and slid along to the table where its
duplicate set of trays has been standing,
being charged with electricity from the
The top Of this table 10 made Of
the exact height OF the trays as they are in
position in the car. and the space between
the car and the table is tho smallest possi-
BILE with room for the car to move. Then a
comes along with a large fork,
and lifts the trays. out upon the table.
the car 10 moved along to the other
md Of the table whore the charged jars ale
standing. They are foiked into their place
under the seats, the doors are shut, and the
Car is ready for another run.
The cars are filed with four lamps. very
much a. b oars are fitted when using the
But in the trolley cars. whom the
electricity is of. the cars are dark. lheae
them, are not liable TO shat accident. There
10 no strap for the passenger or the oonduo-
tor to pull to stop tho Cas-, but at frequent
intervals on each side Of the car. SO low
that any passenger may reach them without
rising, are electric buttons. Pressing these
sounds the bell on the front platform, and
thus the motoF-man 10 siRnalled to stop.
On each aide of the car, but above these
buttons, and 90 high that they cannot be
another row of buttons which the CON
presses whom hs registers the fares.
At each end Of the car. over the platform,
10 one electric button for the conductor to
use in signalling the driver, and one for
registering the fares. -.
These cars use each two seven and q half
horse power motors, or a total of fifteen
horse power for a car. while the trolley sys-
tom has two fifteen horse power motors for
ample. These cars have repeatedly carried
m many A nin0ty peraOna Rt n TINA mr. tha