The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-09-22
TRIAL TRIP TODAY
Electric Motor Run Over
Grand Street, from
Washington to Jer-
sey Avenue.
TIE EXPERIMENT A SUCCESS.
Progress in the Matter Of Rapid
Transit-The Now Guage and
the Laying of the Tracks.

The people who walked on Grand
street at noo today Witnessed a highly
important experiment made by the Jer'
ssy City and Bergen Railroad Company.
This was the running of an electric motor
over a newly laid line, from jersey
avenue. down Grand street to Washing.
ton. and through Washington street to
York and thence to the ferry. The old
tracks are being relatd with q heavy rail,
fixed at a 4 feet So inches gauge. Only
the down town track from these points is
finished. The company, therefore, used
this strip of their line for the experiment.
All the Greenv lille and Lafayette cars
co ming down town switch of at Jersey
avenue and u down York street to the
terminus, leaving the track free on Grand
street. between Washington sire ct and
Jersey venue
Motor car No. 3l6. formerly used on
Montgomely street line, had its old truck
replaced with the Emerson pateut. and
the new wheels liked at 4 feet So inches
gauge, that measurement 10 be carried
out on the new llpes. With u conductor
and two motormen it left the ferry about
noon travelled slowly along York street
to Washington, through that street to
Grand and up Grand street as far as Jer-
sey avenue. There was not a hitch on
the trip. The speed was increased and
the breaks tested, and al the machinery
worked smoothly. In every respect the
result was satisfactory. When the line
Is completed to the junction the expert
mept will be repeated.
THE GAUGE QUESTION.
The gauge question has bothered the
company not u little In their operations
in this city. The gauge on the Mont
but the engineers Of the company pro-
posed a narrower gauge for the same
reasons advanced bv steam railroad men,
that it is safer; more speed can be devel>
oped and tor economy In space and ma
terial. Hence, the lines from the ferry
along York street TO Washington, to
Grand, and up Grand to G~reenville, will
all be laid at a 4 feet 8 1-2 inches gauge.
BY and bye. when the lines are IN full
use, the Montgomery street Rauge of two
inches wider will be reduced. and there
will be uniformity Of grade thr oughout
the city.
Since the company will use motors
from the Montgomery stables these are
being refitted with new wheels aud the
Emerson truck. Other motors are order
ed and they will all be for the ga uge
mentioned. The Newark branch Of the
Consolidated Traction is using q gauge
5 feet 219 inches: but In time that will be
brought to the standard Ruage 4 feet 8 1-2
inches.
PROGRESS Of THE WORK.
Although the work OF placing the cleo.
tric motor system OH all the lines of Jer-
sey City presents many difficulties, yet
much has been done in a small space of
time. The wires are all up from Jersey
CITY to G%reenville and only the rails
require to be relafd. This work is being
pushed and meu are at work all night on
the Grand street portion OF the line.
or curse the work OF tearing out the
old metals, altering the gauge aud re-
laying heavy rails necessltates obstruc-
lions n blocks. yet. according to Sup.
eriptendent Sayre the Inconvenience il
comparatively slight. inasmuch as the
main streets OF the city are 30 narrow
exactly where the traffic is heaviest. He
says, however, that the pres emit bl ocks
will be less heavy during the coming
week, because the lines will be completed
in the lower part of the city.