Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1894-10-06
THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE
VANS AND oMNIBusEs RUN 81
STORAGE BATTERY,
said 20 Re successful in London-Nesni'
of Many Experiments cost io'
such Very Closely Estiraated-blg Eng
Ilsh Companies.

The Developments vi NANNeA tN-'S
A traction force has been going on Il!
Great Britain sIong entirely different
limos from those followed in TINS
country, and some highly interest
inc results, novel TO our experiences
here, have been attained. treat
Britain has seemingly been very
backward in adopting electricity LOT
traction purposes There are prop
ably less than dozen electric rail
road lines in operation in that king
dom. The most prominent and sue
cessful electric railway is the LAYER
pool elevated railway, running dis
tance of six miles along the line OF
docks There are few electric
street car lines.
The British authorities and people
viii have none OF the overhead troll
ley system which now networks TINS
entire country-cheap and easy OF
operation, but decidedly dangerous
and the successful and safe under
ground trolley system has not yet
been devised. In the circumstances
British electrical engineers have de-
voted themselves to the problem OF
deyising an effective and cheap
method Of electric traction Tor all
manner OF ordinary vehicles on the
streets of the city and the turnpike
OF the country. and elect-ic cabs ana
carriages, omnibuses ana trucks
/ have been the aim o, British cleo
G,icians Perhaps the fact that there
are some 22.0lO miles OF excellent
4 turnpike roads in Great Britain, and
that farmers are largely using steam
I engines for hauling their trafic over
/ the roads has had something 20 do
| with the direction OF their lnyesttga-
( tions
A few weeks a=o an electric par
GELS van was run Xperlmentaliy
through the busiest o. Lon Ion $
streets and an electric omnibus made
similar trial trips about the same
time. SO far as the operation OF the
vehicles was concerned the expert
ments wee a success. The design,
ers claim equal success for the
financial end OF the experiment
Three companies have been formed
20 operate vehicles Of this character
and other vehicles with the same
methods OF traction, and il Is de-
clared by the experts that the era OF
electric traction for all purposes, on
common roads. has definitely set in
The experiments looking to this
END have been Ia progress twelve
years or more. An electric tricycle.
was invented and run for a brief
period by Professor Ayrton about
1885, aud in 1856 an electric cab
the first eetric vehicle OF the kind
carrying its own energy Ia stora 20
form, was Invented and operated by
Mr. Radcliffe Ward, who Is the in
ventor Of the latest success. the e,ec
trio omnibus The cab was run Ia
Brighton for some months. and dem
onstrated the possibilities Of thi'
method Of traction, but not It's eco
monte success Later no electric
dog cart and then al electric wag
onette for the sultan OF Turkey were
built But these vehicles only dem
onstrated the power OF electr CITY u
move vehicles on common road :.
and left the profitable operation o
such vehicles still a problem, say
the Globe Democrat
The motive power for all such re
hicles on common roads Is. OF course
derived from storage batteries. car
ried in the vehicles themselves. ant
the weight OF these batteries an,
the cost OF charging and rechargins
has always been the crux Of the sit
uation. 1t is believed by the invent
ors OF at least two types Of electric
road vehicles, and BY large mum
Der of business men and capitalists
who have formed companies TO dc
velop and operate them. that the
difficulty has nov been solved
Both the electric omnibus and tn,
electric parcels van have been run
ming in the streets Of London 10
several weeks. Tho vehicles hay,
attracted a great deal OF attention
They roll along steadily aud easily
and thread their way among th,
mass OF cabs. omnIbuses and truck
with a nicely that excites genera
@NAAa'a "'a"H' hSJ dlt hnutT ItFtgC
control. and run at different speed,
as the circumstances warrant In
clear stretch OF street they go at
pace OF ten miles az hour. thoupl
this is not the limit OF their spec,
by any means. The horses seem no
TO mind Che electrical vehicles a
all. II would take a good deal I,
startle q London cab or bus horse
anyhow.
1t IS pointed out that with cleo
trical vehicles there will be los
wear and tear on the roadways. 70
all the pounding Of horses hoors vii
be done away with The weight a
the vehicles will be great. but th
tires OF the wheels will be broad
Wood or other noiseless pavement
will become universal. and the tire
mendous volume OF street mos
which now ailiict sthe public will II
almost wholly abated PneumAti
tires for electrical vehicles are
probability. Rubber tires have bee
tried on the electrical omnibus. bu
they were too expensive. Makers {
pneumatic tires, however sav tbo