The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-13
NO MORE CABLES.
The Rope to Be Ousted by
a New System.
1T IS A HOME INVENTION.
A New Storage Battery Car to Be
Tried This Week by the North
Beach Company.

A great air Of mystery peryades the
atmosphere at the carhouse Of the North
Beach and Mission Railway Company just
now. The receiver refuses to let any one In
through the Office and two burly doorkeep-
ers stand guard at the large front doors and
refuse admittance to ali alike. Even Ser
geant Burke of the Seventeenth-stree
police station was refused admittanee, not
withstanding the fact that he wore his star
and represented the majesty of the law.
The doorkeeper was very decided in his
statement that nothing short of search
warrant would eutitle any one TO enter.
All this mystery arises from the fact that
there is new kind of car concealed in the
carhouse that has not been tested as yet,
and the car company whose property it is
does not propose 10 have it's workings ex-
amined before the official trial. which will
occur some time during the present week on
the Folsom. street track.
The car is of the storage battery kind, and
should it prove a success it will be readily
seen that the chances Of complete rev0lu
ton in the streetcar business are good.
The new car. with the exception Of the
trucks, was built in San Francisco, and 1t is
the invention of a San Francisco electrician.
10 Walter n. Smith, ii Is said, is due the
honor of the Invention and construction Of
the electrical machines, while the car
proper was built by the Hammonds.
A CALL reporter called at the carhOuse
at Twenty fourth and Folsom streets yes
terday. He was told that the car was not
on exhibition, and that il positively could
not be seen until such time as those in au-
thority saw fit TO make its principl eS known
10 the public.
BY dint of much peering through dust
covered and rain-beaten windows and knot
holes The CALL man saw the car, how
ever. and then went In search OF some one
who had seen and could explain the method
of its working.
The man was found in tho person of
Electrician Farchilds, who is at present
with one If the Oakland roads. Mr. Fair
ehilds said:
Yes, / have seen the car. and think l
understand how it is intended 10 operate.
The generator will be carried underneath
the body OF the car and the storage bat
teries will be slowed away In a small space
under the seats. The storage batteries will
be connected by simple system OF wire
with the generator, and with set OF cog
wheels turning upon another cog on the
forward axle. That is the whole thing"
How long will it be practical to run the
car without changing the batteries ?"
Il am not prepared to say, as | have had
no opportunity OF studying tie apparatus,
but have been informed that all eight
hours steady run is expected OF the car,
without change. At the present rate of
speed made by the cable-cars. that Will be
be about seventy miles, which should be
ample.
"rhe invention" said Mr.. Faircbilds.
should 1t prove successful will not only
revolutioniZe the streetcar business. result
ing in the abolition Of cables and horses as
a means OF ocomOtiOu, but the time will not
be far distant when light carriage aud
wagon travel will be driven by electricity.
Especially would this be practical should
the new Board of Supervisors decide 10 re-
move the c0bbiestOnes from Market street
and replace them with bitumlnous pave
ment.
"The introduction Of the trolley system
Of electricians here has proven that cleo
trcity is a much cheaper motive power than
steam, as evidenced by the fact that the
electric roa6s can run their cars more hours
cut Of the twenty-fOur than the cable roads,
and always at profit.
1T will not only be cheaper, but it will
reduce the risk to the lives of passengers
aud pedestrians to a minimum because the
cars will always be under the control OF tie
mOtorman."
In appearance the new car much re-
sembles the ears Of the trolley lines now in
operation here. with the exception that it
has outside seats at one end Gully, displays
no dangling ropes at the ends aDd has no
black arm extending from the top.
Upon the dashboard at the rear end is
the inscription, "San Francisco Electric
Storage Company"
Although the car was too heavy to admit
of being weighed on the scales al Tenth aud
Howard streets. It's estimated weight is ten
tons, being about three tons heavier than
any car now in service here.