The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-28
CARRYING

face OF the cable. His original wheels were
made Of wood, but were sfterward faced with
rawhide. Now the face OF the wheels Is made
OF a mixture OF rubber betting and leather. The
wheels and their facings and much of the other
the bridge shops in BooEiyn. The facing is
built up of alternate, LAYERS consisting, OF two
thicknesses of rubber betting and one OF leather.
ali nailed together with long wire nails. The
leather is beYelled, and this serves to shape the
facing 10 Mt the wheels; An ingenious machine
into the wheel. When you have watched the
grip take The cable you wonder why, the wheels
still. Each wheel is hollow, and against its in
ner surface is a brake shoe OF wood. lt Is upon
s Msish 0r draws shH the '1 Wheels ehs tosetSer upon the
cables. and this Is where. the friction Is which
carries the car, instead of upon the cable Itself.
described later. The latest improvement In the
grip device is one which makes Il selI,adlnstlng
In taking It's hold upon the cable. The frames
which carry the brake shoes are drawn together
by a toggle-jointed lever worked by, chains and
forms. These frames are adjusted by means
OF a screw. When the face OF the grip wheel
closer together II lets the toggle lever move
further and further A. a certain PGihS ms hs
Lever touches sn Snnei.S one turns Mir tbe: P ad, %t
screw and keeps il always at the right place.
Now walk further along the fo9tpath or the
tracks. Every thirty-nye feet or 50 you see a
carrying sheaVe or wheel upon which the cable
above them by the grip. This is the simplest
form OF q cable railroad. In street cable rail
roads all the devices which you have seen 50 far
must be duplicated in their purpose, but many
clever changes have been made to
these purposes In the out-Of-sight, confined
space of q narrow conduit.
DIFFICULTIES IN STREET CABLES.
Another complication in street service arises
also from the necessity OF having in the con-
duit. and always ready for use, . duplicate
cable. On the bridge, and In other open con-
strnctiOns of short distances. this duplicate
cable may lie at one side and be lifted upon the
sheaves by a suitable traveller when Ii Is
wanted, hut this will not do for general pur-
poses. The two cables must lie close together,
too, In the conduit, not further apart than the
width OF the middle portion OF the grip, and
directly under the grip. Therefore everything
pertaining TO the traction, arrangements
Of the road must be duplicated. In the
Third avenue road, from the BayArd street
cable Mas also placed In the conduit. This Was
one which ran At q slow rate aud was used dur
ing the hours when trucks crowded Park row
aud the streets which crossed iI 10 enable the
cars 10 crawl through without letting the cable
slip through the grip, as would be necessary
often with the faster o. The mechAnical
complications which the use OF this Involved
led 10 many Interruptions OF tranle, and the use
OF the slow cable has recently been discontinued.
The conduit through which the cable does Its
work Is an Interesting structure. and 10 will Dc
well 70 bear Its general character In mind. AS
20 details of construction there are almost as
many kinds Of eOnduits a. there are OF tmpOr;
tant cable nOads but all are alike IN general
features. The opening through shtch the
cable runs Is In ali hOrssshos shaped steel tube