Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-03-29

THE WIRES UNDERGROUND.
Trial of wheless' Electric System on the
Arlington and Washington Railway.
THE NEW SYSTEM II TO Re USED OK TIER
SECTION OF THE ROAD FROM eEoRaErowx TO
TIE BALTIMORE AND POTOMAC pxpor-rHE
| NEW BRIDGE ovxR THE POTOMAC TO BE BUILT
FIRST.
This morning trial Of the wheiess Conduit
Electric Railway system was made on the WASH
ingson and Arlington railway, and in the opin-
ion OF those interested the system was shown
/ 10 be success. The system had been con-
sIructed for about three-qusrters of q
mile from the Virgins end Of the
] Aqueduct bridge toward Arlington, and
one OF the companys cara filed
with a number OF railroad men, was run to and
fro over the line without the slightes: hitch or
| impeachment. Although it is hardly probable
that the whole length of the Virginia line will
be equipped with the conduit system, that
! portion o. the road which will run
from Georgetown to the Baltimore and Poto-
mac railroad station in this city will be SO
| equipped This latter portion OF the road will
| be begun at the time Of the commencement of
work the bridge across the Potomac
above the Aqueduct bridge. The new
/ bridge will be erected about 400 feet
ives. Of the latter bridge. The new bridge,
which will be bull: by the Washington a.,d
Arlington railroad, will be supported ny piers
OF masonry, the rest OF the bridge be,ug
| as largely constr ucted of steel as possible The
surveys for the bridge are about completed
and work upon 1t will, it is expected, be COM
r1enced at the earliest practicable date. 1t is
hoped to have it completed in within from six
TO eight months time.
The underground or conGui. system Of the
road is constructed with forty-pound "r' rails
and yokes, weighing leo pounds each. and forty
pound slot rails. The conduit, whIch Is laid
midway between the rails, Is sixteen inches
deep and seventeen inches wide. inside Of the
conduit Is loose wire supported on insulated
fastenlngs This wire is cut in about 700
foot lengths, each length constituting
u section The wire the conduit carries no
current except when the car il moving and the
escape Is thereby confined to that section
I over which the car Is moving. A cable Of cop
per wire stranded, about oue-half inch in di
| ameter, insulated. is laid parallel with the
tracks. but outside OF them, and the ware in
the conduit is fed from it.
HOW THE CURRENT Is OBTAINED.
The two ends of the sections approach each
other to within FIVE inches, and are then sep
| arated by block of slate, which is fitted in
slot and makes q continuous coupling between
the ends of the wires. The object Of inserting
the slate IL to give footing to the trolley and
| prevent its jamming on the ends Of the wires
IN passing over them. The ends Of these Sec
toIs are fastened to the insulated hoods, the
hoods being made strong enough to carry any
pressure required from the weight Of the trolley
and the line. The brackets upon which tho
hoods screwed or fastened to the side Of
the conduit. The feeders which extend from
| the sections are passed under the rail aid into
switch box. 1t IS into these feeders tbs current
Is passed when the armature In tho switch box
! Is drawn up and connecting q feeder" from
the trolley wire to feeder" from the cable
the cable passing under the switch box When
| tie current passes from the main cable into the
trolley wire it passes through carbon contact
points on the ends of the prmature and By this
means prevents sticking of the contact points.
THE CURRENT STOPS WITH THE CAR.
When the car stops the current disappears
instantly from the wire in the conduit, from
the fact that the armature in the switch box ia
held up by the main line current after it en-
tiers the motors, and on opening the rheostat.
which stops the car. tho main line current is
cut and the armature instantly falls. The Sec
ton is thus automatically cut ont.
At each section an lion switch-bOx is placed
in the ground. containing an cleo sro-ma8net.
On the car are carried several cells Of q storage
battery and when the car enters q section the
battery vitaliZes the magnet at the switchbox
and lifts an iron armature faced with carbons.
These carbon points connect the cable to the
line in the conduit, from which the current is
carried to the motor en- the car. On its way to
the motor the mainline current cuts out the
local battery the car. that when this battery
has performed its function OF switching the
| current from the cable to the trolley wire in
the conduit, its circuit Is broken, the strength
Of the battery conserved and its use instantly
dispensed with until reaching the next sec
ton. On reaching the next section the cur
| rent is again automatically switched from the
main cable to the trolley wire in the conduit.
When the switch is closed the main line cur
rent holds up the armature in the switch box
and gives powerful contact between
the main line and the trolley line; and
this contact can in no way be broken while the
car is moving unless the rheostas be thrown OH.
When the stops the curren: is instantly
released from the trolley wire in the conduit,
and when the car is running down hill or
drifting" there is no current anywhere in the
conduit wire over which the car is passing
The car can be reversed at any time by turn
ing a reversing switch, thus sending the cur
rent through the motor from the opposite
terminal of the generator and causing the
armature to revoive in the opposite direction.
| The car can then travel in the reversed direc-
ton as rapidly as desired.
TIE UNDERGROUND TROLLEY.
The trolley used on the car is supported from
two steel beams on the bottom OF the car and
il given a lateral and a perpendicular play
The lateral play is given for its passage
around curves, and the perpendicular play
| allows the wheels to adjust themselves on the
wire by being forced down constantly by a
spring on the top Of the guide. The cur
rent enters the motor through two wheels
and passes along metallic bar connect
ing them together. From the bar the
current passes to the line. thence through the
center Of the travelling -uide, coming out at the