The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-08-28
STORAGE BATTERIES.

Everywhere there is q protest against
the unsightly trolley which, with its &C
companying poles and wires, in addition tt
marring the appearance of the street, is
held to be dangerous. More than half the
objection is frivolous. The protests come
from those cities which do not enjoy the
convenience of electric car service. AS
for the danger THE HERALD thinks it can
safely say that with thrice the service
there was under the OLD horse car system
fewer accidents have occurred since the
introduction of the electric cars, with the
Objectionable trolley, than formerly.
AT the same time, everybody comedies 1t
would be an improvement if the trolley
could be abolished without iniurinG the
service. For years determined efforts
have been made to devise storage battery
Tor propelling the cars. 1t is said that
millions of dollars have been expended in
this attempt and electricians and inventors
have puzzled their brains to solve the
problem. 1t was easy enough to make the
batteries, but their operation was not sue
cessful They could not be charged with
sufficient electricity to operate the car for
the distance 10 be Travelled; the appliances
were so heavy that the force of the cleo
trcity was exhausted in moving the car
and the battery there was always some
difficulty which could not be overcome.
Now, however, it seems that victory has
been achieved and the storage battery is a
success. For eighteen months q storage
battery system has been in operation in
keeping the matter quiet until they had
perfected the invention and demonstrated
the practicabllity Of the device. A trusted
correspondent Of the New York Eucning
Post recently visited Milford for the pur-
pose of learning ell about the system,
which he pronounces al unqualified sue
cess. II his report is correct the trolley
will soon be thing of tbs past, as street
car companies will be eager to abolish it for
the storage system which operates with so
much better satisfaction. The Milford
company has six miles of track, and the
equipment consists OF Six cars of l6-foot
bodies, inside measurement. The track, al
one place, goes up long hill with grade
of to per cent. At the top, where the
track turns the combination of curve and
grade makes an equivalent of a grade of
So per cent. AT another place there is
grade OF 10 per cent. Notwithstanding this
heavy grade the car runs with smoothness
and even speed, is under perfect control,
and 'free from the annoying whiZzing
sound of the trolley car" When the
car goes down hill it is not necessary to
use the brake, unless it is desired to bring
the car to standstill. BY turn of
lever the momentum Of the Car is set at
work storing up electricity again in the
batteries, so that when they reach the bot
tom of the hill they have more power
aboard than at the top. The motor Is con-
verted into dynamo or generator of force,
aud it is the generation of electricity by
the effect of gravity in carrying the car
down nil which acts upon the wheels to
cause them TO move more slowly. The
break is not used at all in this operation.
The same storage Of electricity is made
when the car is slowed up for stopping
anywhere. The. momentum is used to re-
stock the batteries. 1t is said that on one
trip on which an exact record was kept,
IL per cent. of the electricity drawn from
the batteries was returned TO them again
by the saving made when going down hill
The construction OF the machinery is
such that it cannot be destroyed by an ex-
cessive amount of electricity, as is SO often
the case with the trolley cars. Heretofore
the storage battery cars have been i'm
practicable on account Of the great weight,
but the Milford car, with all the machinery
and appliances, weighs seven tons, or
ABOUT q ton less than the fully equipped
trolley car. The power house ia at the end |
of the run, where the exhausted batteries |
are exchanged for others fully charged, the |
transfer being the work OF less than two |
minutes. Another advantage which the |
storage cars has over the trolley cars is
that the lamps In the latter burn uninter- |
whereas in the others |
there is darkness when the electricity is |
of. The managers of the company, the |
and the inventors are sure be-
yond question that the problem of the
storage battery has been solved, and the
says: Certainly the cars,
as they run through the streets of Milford
today. bear out the assertions of those
whole country adopt their system" Their
will sssureoly be realized, if
heir system shall prove to be what is
claimed for it. Among the most progress
i've investors in the country are the street
abroad people, who are generally very
Iuick to adopt improvements and cater to
he public demand for something little
better than exists.