The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-28
STORY OF THE CABLE,
Moving a Population with
q, Strings of Steel
A WONDER OF THE TIMES.
A Study of the Cable Roads of
New York City.


IL. Bridse Cssie-Co-po-ito-, Cost,
s,,.. .-d Tsr- er Life ef = Caffeine
Power Needed e. Move the Cable. q,
broadway s.s q. the Thira Avs.ue-A.
r,,,.,stio- or the Griprn.n's Duties.
Few person, in this town, or who have
aver been here since the starting Of the first
kahle road on 125th street and Tenth ave-
nue., but have wondered what was going on
h,neath the mysterious slot that Is the only evil
6ence above ground Of the car-propelling power.
Since work first began on the Broadway and
Third avenue lines down town the evidences of
hi. public curiosity have been innumerable.
Crowds watched the opening of the ground for
ihe conduit the carting and placing Of the
Rokes which support IL In the earth,
ths putting together Of the many parts
khich 90 to the making of one of
these modern marvels of street tramways,
and afterward the cartlng Of the great reels Of
liable and the s~tringing of this big wire rope
khrough the length Of the streets. Since the
roads began running cars nothing which
ha, occurred upon them the least out Of the or
binary has been without interest. In the winter
when their great snow sweepers go whiszins
down the tracks they are q marvel to behold.
Curious accidents, too, have happened upon the
sable roads which never would have been be-
Thought In the simpler days when we were all
more than eatlSne0-eVen pTOuu-OI the pTDRre83
made in substituting common horse cars for the
allow and cumbrous stages of a bygone age.
Runaway cable cars have gone sweeping with
t~esistless force down our streets, overturning
And crushing big trucks and filling everybody
nearby with terror.
In the first days when the cars driven by this
new motive power began moving upon our
streets. even New Workers., who are little given
b wasting moncy-making time In idle specula-
ton. would stop and stare at the long lines of
them moving In procession seemingly without
IN actuating force. knowing as well as we did
what in u general way was going on down in
the conduit where the cable ran. and In the
power houses where IL was driven. still we ex-
perienced something OF that feeling which an
untuiored man must have when he first comes
face t. face with the wonders of civilization.
Our g puntry coIsins when they visit us still find
the cable roals one of the novelties and mystic
riesof the great city.
And are these roads not truly a source of
legitimate wonder? Is 1t not really wonderful
that a man with scarcely an effort, by the mere
turn OF a wheel or the throwing OF a lever.
should be able to control to a nicely the move
men,S Of a car weighing tons and full OF pas
sengers, sending IL now bounding along at run
ming speed. and again making IL crawl along
slowly as the walk Of a tired horse? Who has
not watched the cable car gripman and won
dered at the confidence with which he will run
his car right up to the tail OF n truck, follow 1t
through all the intricacies of its movements in a
crowded th1roughfare, and ye: never touch 1t ?
Who has not been upon these cars, too. Mt n
time when the one he was riding in and all of
Its companion cars came to n stop; when the
hum of the cable ceased, and the whole line was
dead for the time. At such times the busy man.
the man who wants 10 catch a train, or the sim
ply impatient man asks nothing more than TO
know when the car Will star. again. but the
more curious mind wonders what the matter is
and how in the world any one along that whole
line, outside of the power houses. is going to find
out any more than he knows about the trou-
BILE. When things are running all right the
ordinary person is content 10 get aboard, pay
his nickel, AID jump out ut his destination.
Like tho traveller In q steam car. who knows I'm
an indefinite way that there is n locomotive
ahead Of him, the street car rider is aware that
there is n cable under him and that ii will prob
ably pull his car TO his destination. Many who
are more curious get seats in the forward end of
the cars or stand by the doors and watch the
gripman. II they are upon the Broadway line
they sec the gripman standing behind a stand
ard with two horizontal wheels upon II. One of
these wheels is bigger than the other. and the
gripman seems constantly busy turning these
wheels around In directions opposite TO
one another. Now there is a "clane,"
"~clang," "clang'' as a truck gets in
the way, as persons cross the street in
front of the car. or rs the car meets another.
and the %gripman's left foot Is seen to be working
up and down upon a big iron button. the stem of
which runs through the platform. AS the car
approaches certain places upon the road the
gripman whirls his wheels rapidly, and you feel
q jar from underneath and realize, perhaps, that
the cable that was drawing the car has slipped
away and the car is running along of its own
momentum. These are the shifting places, where
one cable or one part OF a cable is dropped, and
where further along another will be picked up.
WHAT THE GRIPNAS DOES.
Suppose that you were upon the Third avenue
road on its uptown extension. You would see
the gripmRn handling a couple OF levers instead
OF wheels. He, too, has the knob OF an Internal
gong under one foot, and makes as much and as
many noises with II as does his Broadway COM
peutor. Some one signals to him from the
roadway To stop. He grips the lever that his
right hand rests upon, lOOsens a catch that holds
1t In place, and lets It go forward toward the
dashboard OF the car, and at the same time
draws the other lever toward him with
his left hand. A shiver runs through the car
and you know that the brake is on. The two
levers. like the two wheels Of the Broadway car,
connect respectively, the one with the grip and
the other with the brake. That much almost
the old fashioned crank brake that grew famil-
lar in the horse car days is also left, and is fire.
quently used instead OF the lever brake. II is a
Rentler one In its action. IL would not be posi-
bic with that 70 bring one of these heavy cars 10
4 full standstill from a speed OF nine and a half
miles an hour within the space OF six feet. as can
be done with the lever brake; that Is, upon q
dry track.
now however, you are nearing one of the
thro~-3n points, one OF the places where the
one cable is TO be dropped and another picked
w, ana the Third avenue gripman goes through
some mysterious movements, which his brother
Upon me broadway line Is a stranger 10. First
a. .onsens his grip lever, Then probably for the
nntst Time the man who is watching him notices
anat low down beside the other levers Is a third
1ne Mhlch all the time the car was running be
io,e MAS depressed. This has a telescope handle
al ne gripman pulls out this handle bar and
nj II w, You feel something give away.
snu presently as the car draws near TO a warning
sIseh siEhal, the cable slips away, the gripmAn
: III lhe grip brake freely toward him, and
aih9pec'or on the roadway peers In at the
levers 10 make sure that the grip has been
.hIowh wide open and the cable released. Now
iheea Iuhs along 70 a red Signal and Is brought