Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-12

years with very paying trnfac, 10 evidence Of
its practicability. That the system can be ma
terially cheapened there is no room for doubt,
and in all probability some Of the already
numerous inventions in this class of electrical
development, If applied in substantial man
ner, would prove. successful. Experience thus
far upon extremely well patronized lines Of
railway proves the cable system is even moro
economical than he.overhead electric system.
Be- that as ii may ,fthe value Of street railway
franchises ought to warrant investments based
upon the best modern developments.
with the street railway, as with the water
and gas system,if properly designed. at tho
outset we can conceive well-adjusted street
railway systom, based exclusively upon munich
pal ownership and operated for terms Of ten
years at a time by tho highest responsible
bidders upon q scale and schedule basis fixed
by the city. Aside from the direct operation
OF street railways by contract on the overhead
or underground system the operation of cars
has been effected by what is known as tho
storage battery, being system of cells placed
In con nection with the motor appliance within
the cars and charged with current at the sta
ton to an extent to admit of given length OF
run The aggregate number Of such ears in
America AMI Europe up 20 within year was
sixty-ive. Their manufacturers from time to
time issued glowing accounts of their successful
and economical operation. So far, however, q
careful investigation does not warrant those
claims.
lue greatest ODlecuon TO De overcome IN
the application of the storage battery cars is
their extreme weight, that of car thus
equipped being In the neighborhocd of from
six to seven tons This limits their usefulness
to comparatively level streets. or at most such
as have not to exceed per cent grade Of
limited length Further experiments in this
direction may be successful in overcoming some
OF their present Objectionable features. II they
are the storage battery will, in many respects,
possess advantages over any of the present
systems, chief among them being that of abso-
lutte independence OF one car from any OF the
others In once arrangement in the con-
ductor defects all the cars in the system; in the
other arrangements will be confined to the car
Itself. All that we can suggest upon the
subject OF electric street railway regulation il
thar necessity being the mother of invention
the application OF underground and other I'M
Objectionable methods in the place OF those
now applied will not materially progress until
the municipalities exact either the under
ground wire or storage-battory propeller sys-
TENS in the place of the overhead in the CEN
tral and populous sections or the cable systems.
For lines having small traffic and running
into the country from the outskirts Of the city
there Is no doubt that the electric overhead
trolley system is the best and cheapest in every
way. and for provisions for undergo rounding
the wires in the central populous sections OF
the city and the extension from these points OF
the overhead trolley system outward toward
the suburbs the street railways will then meet
all the requirements Of service in the best at
tainable manner"