The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-05-22
An UNDERGROUND TROLLEY.
1t Is Very Successful, and Not More Costly
than the Overhead system in Large Cities.

Washington Letter In PIttsburg Dispatch
The construction of an underground cleo
tric road, as 10 appears to the eye of the
laymnD. is simple enough. Midway be-
tween the rails is slot tive-eighths of an
inch wide. the slot rails being i've inches
deep. These rails curve inward and pro-
tect two hslt-inch copper wires. one being
the positive and the other the negative
pole of the battery which runs the motor.
The wires are div ided into lengths of 500
feet. and at tho end Of each section the
wire works in sleeve with play of two
inches To allow for contraction and eXpan-
sion. and is hold taut by strong spiral
springs. There are switches by which the
wire can be thrown out of circuit in any
particular section if there is repairing to
be dono.
The w Arlington road Ia double.tracked,
and throughout its entire length the posi-
tive wire under the track is coupled to the
positive wire under tho other. and the neg
ative wires are also coupled. BY this ar
rangement. If one wire Is cut out for any
purpose or by accident. the current is fed
around the break by the wire OF the other
track. and there migh be breaks innumer-
viding those breaks were not in correspond
ing sections in both tracks
The question OF focding has always been
considered the most serious obstacle 70 the
construction of underground electric roads.
for it has been held that tho presence of
moisture would weaken the current. This
ObjectiOn docs not seem to DO so serious as
was once thought, for Mr.. Yerkes, the
president OF the Chicago underground cleo
trio road bears testimony that The in
a n
ner by moisture" and says that ct times
their trolleys have run through water. but
at no time was the road stopped from this
cause
motor through "A two W be eled trolley which
consists IF a Hat piece of iron about five
inches wide. thin enough to run through
the slot with comparatively little friction.
At one end of this bar are the two wheels.
one Oh each side. They are mounted on
springs and arc jointed so as to have a
tlDle motion which permits them TO
adapt them 20 any turn or twist in the
wire. They are deeply grooved. The
trolley bar IL fastened under the motor car
by small iron pin strong enough to resist
ordinary pressure, but constructed so as to
be the weakest part of tho motor. and the
first to give way In case of accident.
The only accident which the Washin gton
underground has had. with one exception,
has been in the breaking OF the trolley.
The exception was collision of an cleo
trio car with q cable car on Fourteenth
street. The cable was broken by this col
llsion, and the cablo road was stopped for
two nOurs while il Was being spliced.
The electric road was delayed Just eight
minutes while the car was being put back
on the track.
IL requires very pretty bit of engineer
ing to carry one cable road across another.
One cable must be carried down under the
other. aud the gripman on one line must be
taught TO drop his cable before coming to
the crossing aud pick IL up again beyon
Ii he forgets 10 drops the cable, an ugly
accident and the stOLpage of the road for
an hour or two are the almost lnvariable
result. Where the electric road crosses the
cable the construction ls of tho simplest.
The wire is carried down and under the
cable: but auxiliary wiros carry the current
10 she point where the conduit Is broken,
and then for space of only q few inches
the momentum OF the car Is expected to
carry it along. 1t Is better for the motor
that the current should be shut Oft when
the car passes this break; but this Is not
absolutely necessary. and no delay or acci-
dent will occnr II the motorman f0rgets TO
turn it off,
AT intervals along the line there are
wells To hold the sweepinge OF dirt from
the conduit. which is cleaned out once
day by sweeper attached TO one of the
electric cars. There Is a manhoie above
each OF these wells. and through this the
DIRT 10 removed. There are arrangements
y.
In the two months and more during which
the w ashington road has been In operation
there has been no delay or inconvenience
from interference with the current by Oh
strnctIons In tho conduit.
No accurate statement of results can be
made with any certainty of absolute cor
rOboration so soon after the Inauguration
OF the road: but it is claimed that by the
use of the double wire giving a complete
circuit 20 per cent more power Is obtained
than by the overhead system, and
SO far the cost of operation has ap-
parently been about 81 per cent. less
The Washington road has both an
overhead and an under ground system
and it has at hand good basis of COM
psrison. The overhead SYSTEM is running
outside the city limits and tho underground
within the city. One car makes the whole
run, provided with an overhead trolley for
the overhead wire and ON underground
trolley for the other. At the end of the
underground road n man Ia q man. hole IN
der the track removes the underground
trolley and the car goes merrily on. The
overhead trolley 10 permanent.
The chief obstacle to she introd ction of
this underground system apparently 10 tho
first cost. Compared with a cheap over
head So stem it is very costly. 1t Is claimed.
however, thati il 10 not m uch more costly than
the overhead system in large cities, where
iron poles must be erected and auxiliary
wires for the protection OF the trolley wire
The chief obstacle to ITS introduction. ac-
cordlng TO Its inventor, is the fact that
there is so much capital invested In the
overhead 81 stem.