Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-03-25

IN OPERATION HERE-A SECTION OF THE ROCK
CREEK RAILROAD THAT Is OF DECIDED IN
TEREsr-wHaT ITS INVENTOR ASSERTS IT Has
DEMONSTRATED Thus FAR
There Is a great deal of public interest shown
IN the street branch Of the Rock Greek rail-
road 1t not only gives a much-needed and ap-
preciated city connection with a suburban road
that Is the only one running to the Zoo, but it
employs a motive power that is entirely new in
this city. 1t is the first street railroad that has
attempted to make use Of the underground
electric wire. and this city is threatened with
the fate of failing within the grasp of the trolley
influence the experiment is being watched with
more than ordinary interest. There is a fear
that this road will succumb to the same power
that in Chicago mas now declared q section of
| a street railroad where the same patent has been
| us ed TO be a failure.
| Mr.. Wheeler, who represents the owners Of
| this system and is experimenting the construc-
7 ton of the road, however. says that there is no
danger Of a similar fate to the road in this city.
/ He declares that the alleged failure in Chicago
is due to the fact that its operation passed into
| the control OF others than the company which
established the plant. Mr.. Wheeler does not
hesitate to that he has received offers to sell
| ont the control of his patent on this road and
| that If he accepted the offer he would realize
| enough money to enable him to live in comfort
! for the rest OF his life. However he saws that
I he is not engaged in demo ting the prac-
teal character of this system ely for present
gain
| THE MOTOR OF THE FUTURE.
| He believes that he has the street car motor of
the future and he intends to continue the work of
/ equippihg roads with this system. Although the
/ rpaAh IL Eaa,
| twenty days. Mr.. Wheeler SAYS that it has
worked without a hitch. The representatives
| of the city governments of a number of the
/ leading cities OF the country have visited the
city for the special purpose of seeing this sys-
I TEN In practical operation. Mr.. Wheeler in
tends. he says, to build line in Philadelphia at
once and as fast the trolley interest makes
one of his roads failure he will build another
| He says that the Rock Greek companyis entirely
satisfied with this mode of street car locomotion
and this fact is demonstrated by their expressed
intention to at authorize the extension
| of the present line along Florida avenue from
| 9TH street to North Capitol street.
Mr.. Wheeler recognizes the temptation pre-
sented 20 the managers of railroads where they
are operating an expensive system in conjunc-
ton with the cheapest known street car motor
to so operate the road to make it appear that
the former Is commercially well practi-
cally failure. and SO reconcile an adverse pub
lice sentiment to the general introduction of
system that would Lot otherwise be tolerated.
If II was made to appear. for example. that the
underground wire portion of the Rock Creek
road wss not a success then the position of the
advocates OF the introduction of the trolley
within the limits of this city would be so much
the stronger before Congress. They could and
would say that there was other available sys-
tenn. and. while they would much prefer some
thing else. yet they are forced by the demand
for rapid transit TO adopt the trolley as the only
practical system now available.
DEMONSTRATED SUCCESS.
Mr.. Wheeler, however believes that his system
is to be fairly treated by the railroad company
and he is confident that it has already been
demonstrated to be a success. He thinks that
his system is the best now offered for the rea-
son that it is constructed from a mechanical
standpoint and not from that of an electrician.
1t is superior to the Buda Pesth system. he
claims. for the reason as stated by Mr.. Wheeler
that the conductors are higher up in the con-
duit and that the dirt and slush that comes
through the slot fall to the bottom Of the con-
duit and are not collected the trolley arm
and.massed against the conductor, AS is the case
with the Buda Pesth road Then the voltage
on this road is hiS her which does not necessi-
tate such expensive machinery in the power
house. and in fact the entire cost of putting in
this system is at least 25 per cent less than that
/ OF the European system. The slot Is very
much narrower than that of the Buda
4 Pesth road and the wire is sit
uated at the side of the conduit as to
/ be Inaccessible to the public, even to the in
/ qusitve small boy with wire. Mr.. Wheeler
claims for his road a simplicity of construction
that renders ii but little liable TO get out of
| der. He says that 1t can be operated without
the assistance of high-priced electrical experts
and that it is cheap and economical
The higher voltage on our road" remarked
Mr.. Wheeler. lis matter of consequence
to the public. because the wire is beyond the
publics reach. With the overhead wire things
are different. There the nominal voltage is
five hundred and it is almost invariably more
than that. Few people take that shock
and survive. know that men claim to have
done so. but they didn't Much of the force ia
lost and the only way In which it could be
completely delivered would be when the per-
son touching the fully charged wire wore rub
Der shoes on his feet. Five hundred volts is
more than full dose for an adult"
THE IMPROVEMENT CONTEMPLATED.
| Just at present the road is only operated as
! far as 14;h street. The balance of the line to
: 9TH street is being constructed and it is ex-
1 pected that it will soon be ready for travel
The cars that come in over the suburban line
do not make the entire trip to 14th street. 1t
/ is the intention. however. to make the trip a
/ continuous In order to do this il will be
Z necessary to make the change from the over
head to the underground trolley, and it is
. Claimed tnat the arrangements now made VIII
enable this to be done without the pausing
long enough to by perceptible to the passen-
gers. car coming in from the country
I irving at Florida avenue and 18th street stops
over pit which is opened and closed automat-
icaly. The overhead trolley is by means of
levers lowered from the bottom of the car into
the pit and is brought into contact with the
. conductors which are on each side of the
duit- The car is then ready to its
journey. receiving the motive force from be-
meath the car instead from overhead.
Mr. Wheeler saws that in the case of the Buda
Pesth system this change is impossible. With
the latter system the current is carried along i'll
the conduit on angle iron, which is sus-
pended from the iron yokes of the conduit. The
rather broad piece of iron constituting the troll
ley Is turned at right angles in opposite direc-
lions. and these ends pass along in the angle
OF the conductors at the sides. In this
! way the curren: is utilized. The iron conduc-
tors are heavy and contain good deal of iron,
and. therefore. this mode of construction is
said by Mr.. Wheeler to be much more expen-
sive than his own.
The paving gang is at work on street Just
at present. and SO only a single car is run from
1ith street to 18th street. and that only during
certain portions of the day. The road is there
fore not IN a complete condition by any means.
but in its present state those who have gone
over il have been much pleased with the
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