The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-11
ROUTH'S FENDER.
Experiments on the Trolley
Cars Yesterday Quite
Successful.
A NUMBER OF TRIALS.
Needed Changes to Be Made and
Tests With Other Patents
Contemplated.

The new trolley fender invented by Mr.
Oswald Routh Of Greenville was thoroughly
tested yesterday afternoon at Bayonne and
as exclusively stated in THE JERSEY CITY
NEWS yesterday, it filed every requirement.
The fender was much smaller than what
Mr.. Routh intended it should be, yet it
worked admirably and lifted heavy objects
from the track in a manner that made Mr..
Routh dance with joy. The invention was
attached to car No. $50 and unlike other
tenders did not interfere with the brake and
other appliances IN the car.
At half-past one O'Clock the car started
out from tho Bergen Point stables. 1t was
in charge of Motorman J. Reynolds and had
on. board Mr.. Routh, Machinist Henry L.
Fritze, who built the fender; Recorder Con-
nelly Of Bayonne, a representative OF H
JERSEY Cry News, William LOWS and
Councilmen Nelly, Russell, Howell. Kelly
and Lumbreyer, who were appointed by the
Bayonne Council to investigate the working
of tenders and recommend the adoption of
the most successful one. 1t was the inten-
ton of Mr.. Routh to stand in front of the
car and allow himself to be struck with his
invention, but this practical demonstration
Of the workings of the c~Ontrivance had to be
abandoned, as it was discovered that the
screen, which was intended to prevent per-
sons struck from hitting their bodies against
the dashboard, was not high enough. A
large bag was secured n was filled with
heavy iron and sawdust and all the tests
were made with it. The bag and contents,
when weighed, balanced the scale at 1850
pounds, and was deemed sufficiently heavy
to prove the value of the fender as a life
saver.
THE EXPERIMENTS.
The bag was placed in ar upright position
IN the track, two blocks above the stable.
and at q signal from Mr.. Routh the car was
started ahead at full speed. When the fen
der struck the bag it toppled over into the
screen as neatly as il thrown into it. Not
even the slightest jar was felt by the specta-
tors on the car. The bag was taken from
off the screen and placed on the platform.
and the trip was resumed, so as to demon
strate whether the fender was too near the
ground, it being but two inches from the
| tracks. The car went up to Forty-fourth
street, and then returned to the stables,
where Superintendent Charles Fuller of the
Bayonne line was waiting to make another
test of the fender.
1t was expected that General Superin-
tendeIt Sayre would be- present to witness
the second trial, but he did not put in an ap-
| pearance, and at q quarter past three o'clock
the ear again started out of the stables. As
before, the bag was placed on the track
two blocks above the stables. Superin-
| tendent Fuller held the power handle and
which again tumb1ed neatly into the
| screen. Twice the experiment was
repeated. and each time the
fender proved its ability to scoop objects
from the tracks. Superintendent Fuller
then ran the car to the G~reenville stables
and return. On thist trip the fender behaved
as well as on the preceding one. When
bthe car returned to the stables. Superinten-
| dent Sayres was there, and another trial
| was made for his benefit. This trial was as
successful as the others, and Superintendent
| Sayre expressed himself as highly pleased
men also voted Mr.. Routh's effort a success,
and will reccomend that the council endorse
it.
RoUTH WILL MAXI IMPROVEMENTS. 4
Mr.. Routh told the reporter Of THE JEa-
| SEY CITY NEWS that he would make a num-
| Der of improvements to the fender which
would make it a pleasure to be struck by a
| trolley car having the appliance. .sThe
| screen which covers the dashboard said he,
will be changed SO that instead of wire it
will be a pneumatic rubber cushion. This
will reduce the possibility of a person
struck receiving injuries from the
dashboard to g minimum. ils The
| ground on the double truck cars. The single
truck motors having less wheels bob up and
down so that the fender cannot be less than
| three inches from the tracks. On the double
truck cars the fender can be placed within
an inch and a half or two inches of the
! ground. ! will arrange for another trial in
a few days, whenI will have all the i'm
proyements added. Then / will stand on the
track and allow the company to experiment
on me. Ihave no fear Of the RESULT
Superintendent Fuller said that the Trac-
tion Company is very anxious to secure a
suitable fender. 1.-THE only means that the
motormen now have to prevent accidents"
said he, sis to reverse the cars with the lever
provided for that purpose, but this operation
always costs the company o large sum Of
money. When a car is going at full speed
and is suddenly reversed, something must
give away. The severe strain coming SO
suddenly is liable to throw the whole car out
of joint and sometimes a whole week is
wasted in endeavoring to locate the trouble