The sun., 1894-10-10

Report sr Eaeiueer Parsons - ths Nev
York Coumissiou.

| York Commission.
AT the meeting Of the Rapid Transit Commits
sion yesterday there were present President
| Alexander Z. Orr. Seth Low. William Steinway,
John II. Starin. John Clsin, and J. II. Inmsn OF
the Commissioners. Secretary Delaheld, Mr.
| Bcekman, and Mr.. Boardman. counsel TO the
Commission, and Mr.. w. b. Parsons, the chief
| engineer.
| Mr.. Parsons presented a report upon what he
| saw of their rapid transit systems during the
| summer visit which he paid to London. Glasgow,
Liverpool, and Paris This report included many
| diagram drawings, showing sections OF the vari-
| Gus structures In use or contemplated In these
cities. with methods of construction, and also a
number OF interesting photographs Of these
works.
One Of the most interesting features of this
report relates to the use Of electricity for trac-
tion purposes Two roads among those examined
use this powcr-the City and South London un-
derground road in London and the elevated road
in Liverpool.
The London road uses electric locomotives.
-Four Edison Hopk inson dynsmos. capable of CIV
ing acurrent of 4bO ampercs at 500 volts pressure,
furnish the power. The working conductor Is n
mild steel channel bar. weighing twelve pounds
to the yard, laid In the centre of the track upon
glass insulators. The return current is through
the rails.
The locomotives weigh 13Js gross tons and
haul a train of three cars. Each car is thirty
two feet long and carries thirty-two passengers.
They run at speed Of 11h miles an hour,
Including iT,hnh1s ~, stops, or l3t miles an hour
between I Stations Of twenty resoh &c
mile piles an hour This plant vas put in un.
for service of 14.soo train miles q week, or
about l2IS cents a mile for s,247 miles. The
year running $500 train miles a week, was 4.22
pence or about so cents mile
On the Liverpool elevated road which was
opened In 1923, the motors under the cars,
as in our trolley lines. These cars are each as
feet long, and seat sixteen first-cass passen-
are made UP into two-cnr trains, with the motor
so that both can be he W"rked from men one switch.
and they can he controlled from either end Of
rs aro s plant ana the % financial
A. The end OF the half year up to June 80, 1894.
2s3,;!49 train miles had been run at an expense
mile.
Of the cities treated of in this report, London
In addition to the 1920 miles OF underground
proposed. These ere the Central London, Wa
terloo and Baker street, Great Northern and
Of these will be underground lines.
IN Glasgow there Is one underground road
being built 6i miles long. directly through the
city e9nnsG,ing with the the, railroads upon either
slde; Engineers VIII hnd the description of the
work OF building this interesting, the charac-
ter of tho soil through which It passes being
IN places much like that in lower Broadway,
The Liverpool overhead road is GA miles long
II differs In construction from the roads in this
city in that it has solid floor composed OF steel
troughs.
In Paris, with the exception Of a belt road
running around the city inst within the ram
parts, there is no way of getting around except
by horse Gower. Entering the city from the
long which has its Paris depot at the Place |
Denfert An extension of this road is now being
built, and H. nearly complete under the Rue
Dcufert and the Boulevard st. Michael to |
the gardens Of the Luxembourg. Mr.. Parsons
says this little road. which Is, only 6,24O feet
railroad structure in the world. Special pains
have have been taken 70 secure good ventilation.
arch small conduit which is connected with
the tunnel at intervals, and has a far to draw
out the foui air. Fresh air will be admitted
places along the line. The whole OF this tunnel |
porcelain.
Mr.; Parsons is preparing n longer report. in |
which ho will make comparisons between the |
different systems which he has examined.
These are the only conclusions which he draws
In this report:
That an underground railway operated by steam,
rren , with the most approved system OF mechanical
Snaon Yon would be h'oerAol' to the people OF New
That rsway with steady FREQUENT service can
IrIcts H'A'd successfully anu economically by cleo
That an underground railway operated By electricity
Tanged so as to avoid great changes IN temperature.
can toward keeping the raievel as close to The SUI.
ace as possible and that from the surface
Ions rs demand deep tunnel can be constructed, for
That an underground road be designed as to |
'e attractive in appearance.
reet without endanserns the houses and witSoSyt
eriously impeding travel |