The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-07-05
NO CHANCE TO KILL FOLKS.
Here's n New Electric Motor Not in
League with Death.

Down in 1.-THE Gut in Coney island
there is a new kind Of electric motor
running on 1.200 feet of track. Yester-
day afternoon there was a trial of it and
+. 7. Buck. Julien Myers, r. L. Keen,
William NJ Stafford, w. Howard Glider a
well-knOwn railroad man; J. s. Badger,
the expert for the General electric COM
pany; George p. Platt, w. II. Jasper and
J. G.. Slavery of Des Moines went down TO
look al it.
The live wires on this sample road are
run in a slot between the tracks like
cable road. They are insulated and COW
cred with lead pipe, so the current can't
get away There is wire on each side
of the SLOT. Every three and one-half
feet on one side or the other is a contact
arm, which touches a long, slim canoe
shaped arrangement called shoe, rugged
TO the bottom of the car. There is an
elastic brass strip each side of the
shoe and three of these arms touch these
brass strips at a time. The shoe con-
meets with the motor under the car and
there is a continuous current of electric
ity. AS the shoe comes past each arm a
circuit is made and after it passes the
arm is dead. 1t transmits electricity on
ly after 1t touches the shoe.
The contact arms are fastened on par
affined wooden boxes which inclose the
wires and are filled with solid paraffine
and paraffine oil. Two copper Jugs, bolt
ed to the live wire, stand up in the midst
of a flooring Of paraffine. Between these
Tugs is a copper brush, which is sur
rounded by paraffine oil, the best insula-
tor known. When the contact arm is
pushed against by the shoe the brush
strikes one of the copper Jugs and the
circuit is made. AS the shoe passes by
spring throws the arm out again and
breaks the circuit.
1t is said that this is the most perfect
insulation obtainable, and il is asserted
that 1000 volts can be used with this sys-
TEN, whereas 500 volts is the most the or
binary trolley dare use. Thus a wire
one-fourth the gauge used by the over
head trolley can be used, which would
mean big saving in copper.
The motor went around the sharp
curve without trouble. Ebert Stetson
declared that curve of twenty-four foot
radius would make no trouble.
Mr.. Stetson, who has been superintend-
ing the operation of the new system, said
it could be operated on the Broadway
c&bls road without interfering with the
rope. He says that the conduit for the
electric road could be built for 1000
mile, whereas it costs between $4,000
and $4,000 for the cable conduit
Some electricians will tell you said
Mr.. Stetson, that they can put on the
axle Is per cent but honestly, in an or
binary trolley road, between 35 and 40
per cent. gets to the axle. We can do
from 10 to Is per cent. better, because
GU. leakage is pracIlcdly nOtnlnB.
There is danger of live wires falling
on people, killing horses or burning out
telephone boxes; it doesn't disfigure the
streets, il doesn't make the racket and
it is cheaper to operate by 10 per cent.
-Four men have had to do with the in
vention of this system. The man who
invented the shoe is John J. Green. c. s.
Van MUS has some ideas in it; so has
John ii. Dale and @. T. Woods, a colored
man, but Green did the most"
Tell the truth said r. l.. Keen.
''Stetson did the most Of it.'-New York
World.