The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-07
TO PUT In ELECTRICITY.
TaE CITY AND SUBURBAN LINES
TO BE RE-EQUIPPED.

1 --
The Thomson-aouston System Adopt
ed-The Work of Building the Power
House to Begin at Once-Both the
City and Outside Lines TO Have
Motor Cars.
The work of equipping the City and
| Suburban railway with electricity will be-
| gin this week and will be pushed as rapidly
as possible until completed. The equipment
Of the City and Suburban will give Savan-
nah nearly twenty miles more of electric
railway. Both the city and the outside
lines will be equipped with electricity.
President Johnston said last night that
he had contracted with L. H. McIntire of
New York. one of the largest and most ex-
| perienced electric railroad contractors in
the country,to equip the City and Suburban
railway with an electrical outfit Of the
latest and most improved machinery and
apparatus.
The contract was made during President
| Johnston's recent trip north, but it
was not announced until matters had been
definitely settled. The MORNING NEWS was
| in possession of the information some lime
ago. Everythin g has been arranged to
begin the work at once, and the fact Is now
made public
TO BEGIN WORK AT ONCE.
MIR. Frank Silliman, one of Mr.. McIntlre's
chief,engineers. arrived day before yesterday
and is now engaged in selecting site tor the
| power house. A site convenient to the rail-
roads for the purpose of securing coal will
be selected.
President Johnston said that the power
house will be the largest In the city and
containing the greatest power. The fly
wheels Of the engines will weigh 10000
pounds each. The engines will be able to
supply sufficient power to operate both the
inside and outside lines OF the City and
Suburban with ease, and provisions made
for an extension which 1t may be desirable
| to make.
The Thomson-Houstol motor system will
be used. The Thomson-Houston, IL will be
remembered, has lately combined with the
Ellison system. The Thomson-Houston is
| the system in use on the Belt Line. The cars
will be of q little different pattern, how
ever from those in use on the Belt Line. The
City and Suburban cars will be operated by
what is known as the single reduction
operated style OF motor. 1t has the ad-
vantage Of being waterproof and will run
with ease in water over foot deep.
| TO EQUIP THE OUTSIDE FIRST.
President Johnston said he did net know
what portion of the line work will be begun
upon first. Perhaps upon the outside lines
The line TO Isle OF Hope and Montgomery
will be equipped with electricity to Isle
of Hope, 81 miles from the city. aud prob
bly, to Montgomery, a. miles further.
The lines inside the city are the Abercorn
and Whitaker street line, the Liberty
street line, and the West Broa
street line, Altogether they measure about
seven miles, making a total of eighteen
miles of line to be equipped with electricity.
The contracts for the machinery, poles,
wire and all other material have been made.
and part of the material has arrived upon the
| ground. About 215 miles of nsw rail will
DO laid inside of the7city. Capt. Johnston
says 1t is his intention to have the best
equipped and most complete electric rails
way line in the south. He has been study
] ing the question of electrical railway power
ever since electricity was applied to rail-
ways. He has studied both by observation IN
Savannah and in the north and by extern
sive reading upon the subject. He is now
satisfied that the practicabiliry of electricity
as applied to railways has been
demonstrated and the system has
been perfected TO the point where 1t can
reasonably be relied upon to perform the
service expected OF it.
SIXTEEN NEW CARS.
Capt Johnston expects to use about six
teen motor cars on the line, the same num-
| Der as now uSed DY morse cars. some or the
horse cars will be retained as trailers,
Application has been made to the court
by Capt. Johnston as receiver of the Coast
Line railroad. TO equip that road with
electricity also. In case the petition is
granted the two miles inside the city, the
brought1n and Habersham streets line and
the four miles Of line from the city to
Thunderbolt will also be equipped making
twenty-four miles in all of street railway
lines to be equipped with electricity. Capt
Johnston will then be In charge Of system
to be proud Of.
AT the present rate of increase Savannah
will soon have fifty miles of electric rail-
road, with the addition Of the Coast Line
and City and Suburban, and the extensions
of the Electric Railway Company and the
Savannah Street Railway Company BELT
Limo.