Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-25
NEW RAILWAY SYSTEM.
resting an Electrical Plan for Pro-
pelling Street Cars.

A private trial was made this morning OF
the new Wheless surface electric railway on
the tracks adapted to the system just COM
pleted on North Capitol street, running
north on that thoroughfare from its Juno
ton with New York avenue. Malone
Wheless. the inventor, who is a Washing
tonian; Mr.. William Chapman, superintend-
emit OF the new road; Senator Stewart,
Superintendent White Of the lexington and
Soldiers Home road. Mr.. E. w. Creecy and
others were present and rode In the car
back and forth over the completed section
of the road several times. The car used
was enc belonging to the lexington COM
pany. ard was run down from the power
house by means of the overhead trolley
until IT reached the switch leading into
North Capitol street. where the trolley was
tied down to its top and the slight equip
ment which had been added to 1t to allow IL
to be run by the new system was brought
into play. -- 81
The test was apparently. successful in
every particular, the car being run very
smoothly. when the newness of the con-
struction of the road Ii taken into consid-
GRAFTON, and was under perfect control OF
the motorman. who. for the occasion. was
Superintendent White. The distinctive fea-
lures of the new system. which, II IL claim
ed, represents a fundamental principle I'm
the management Of electricity for railway
purposes. are that the current is carried in
an insulated lead covered cable which ex-
tends the entire length Of the track In an
iron pipe laid eight or ten inches under
ground. About every fifteen feet the cable
enters an iron box. which looks. upon the
surface like a sewer trap. This box lie her
matically sealed, that no foreign SUBJ
stance can enter It, and is imbedded In ce-
ment. and is capable of sustaining a pres
sure of nine tons. Prctruding from the top
Of the box. about an inch. at either side are
two pins which are connected with a wire
covered magnet on the interior. Beneath
a.. L.
rests upon slate plate and is connected
with the cable by the extension Of an arm
Of wire from the latter at its entrance to
the box.
manner The car carries underneath of II
two steel rails, called collecting bars. which
are connected with a small motor trans
former occupying space about eleven
inches square. These steel rails extend
the length of the car below the axle and
are hung sufficiently low 20 touch the pins
OF the boxes described above. A standard
pressure Of 800 volts Is used and this high
pressure IL controlled in such a manner
that contact with the pins or rails at any
time that the car is running Is perfectly
harmless. as shown today oy the manner
upon and handled with ,mpuni.y efter the
car had passed along.
The motor transformer while in action
converts the 800 volt current into a % volt
current. and this passes down one collecting
bar through the pin In the box and around
the magnet under the bottom of the plate
thence up through the other pin, and In
completing Its circuit In this way Il draws
up the armature lying on the slate plate and
bridges through two carbon contact points
the main feeder cable to one OF the pins The
collecting bars always reach one set of
pins before leaving the other ana fn this
way a steady and uniform current is de-
nvered to the motor. The car can run. II
Is claimed, through water or snow or ice
without impeachment to its propulsion. ns
the two collecting bars bear on the pins
with a pressure of about 300 pounds q suf-
hcient pressure to remove anything like ice
or other distractions to collecting the cur
rent.
With the exception of the two collecting
bars, the car differs In no other respect as
far as its own propulsion Is concerned.
from any trolley car. The car can be used
as trolley car when Necessary, and In its
present work II runs from the overhead
line on the lexington road onto its own
tracks on North Capitol street without stop
ping.
As soon as the upper end Of the line IA
completed the car will go into daily service
for the transportation OF passengers The
work has been done under the superinten-
dence of Mr.. William Chapman, an English
electrical engineer of experience. and was
formulated and completed by him after the
inventor had outlined II in the rough