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

looked over It will be set to running again. Mean
which makes a plain turn within the loop and
not around 1t, and the horses have TO be used.
Even with cables II takes a lot OF horsefiesh TO
keep such a road running. For trucking sand
for the tracks, for wrecking wagons, switching,
and such purposes the Third avenue line still
keeps nearly 200 horses. and expects TO need $50
right along.
II GREAT CABLE PLANT.
Now let us look at the mechanism which has
taken the place OF the rest OF the horses and
power house are long rows Of boilers from which
the power emanates. In the sixty-hfth street
BsyS1d 's street are Sixteen ssil'yI sSS the III 'f Houston a,
street plant OF the Broadway line has twelve.
" mn ,ne br9aa oSss o Row" spr house snsre Are Io our en-,
the boasts OF their engineer that not only are
the engines duplicated for the service, but that
every part OF each engine Is in duplicate, 50 that
sixteen combinations ran be made to meet the
emergencies of accident.
IL the one at Sixty-nfth street, where the Third
avenue line has four 800 horse power engines.
Every engine is kept either at work orready for
are small engines. The cable drums are not
driven directly by the engines. In the earlier
plants the engines were connected TO the driving
drums by geared wheels, but these lacked elias
ITCHY, and now the plan in general use Is TO con-
meet them by many endless belts OF cotton rope,
each belt working in a separate set OF grooves In
the pulleys.
In each OF these engine rooms In this city
provision has been made also for the making OF
easy and rapid changes in the machinery. At
the SlNty-nfth street power house this room 10
free from columns, and a great trussed
crane travels the whole length of the room
upon elevated tracks at either side. Across
pick up thirty tons OF weight, and by means OF
the double motion of the truss and its own
tracks move Its load 10 or from any part OF the
room. Each engine and the cable-driying drums
10 which Ii Is connected are set quite close to-
gether, and appear 10 the uninitlAted TO be but
one machine, as IL Is in effect.
Extending beyond the side OF this ponderous
machinery, where IL shall be easy TO get at and
20 watch the cable, are the driving drums,
There are two Of these ON each machine. and
sometimes power Is applied to both OF them and
They may also vary in size. At tho Slxty-1fth
street house, where the cables are to be driven
through the conduit at a speed OF nine miles an
hour, each OF these drums Is sixteen feet In
diameter, In the face OF each OF them is = So
rles OF N-shaped grooves, In which the cable
runs. IL Is always the incoming side Of
the cable loop that runs directly. TO
the drums. and this Is wound about
the two drums. going from one % the
other 10 make each coil in three and q half OF
four complete turns. Except that the Journals
Of the two drums may be braceh together with
a strut atths outer ends. there 10 no connection
made between these drums except by the cable,
and In Order that the cable may pass nom one
To the other Ia concentrlc coils these wheels are
not In the same plane. but the rear one e inclined
just enough 50 tina the cable. which has en-
tered one OF its grooves directly from a groove
OF the first wheel. shall be rendered Al the other
side into the next groove Of the nrst drum Be
tween the drums where they run nearest 10
each other Is = brass scTaPer which hts into
each Of the grooves In both "hesLA This ser@pes