The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-05-24
A WONDERFUL TROLLEY.
A EoVsl Railroad TO Be Built Between
Chicago and st. Louis.
no SWITCHES and NO DRAWBRIDGES.
An Electric "Linsited 4" which viii
Travel At the Rate OF One Han.
dred MILES an Hour -. Louis
Capitalists 60 Butid IL.


struction of an electric trolley line from
Chicago to st. Louis, by which ii 10 pro-
posed to carry passengers between these
cities in two hours and half, at speed
Of 100 miles an hour. This new road
will jump rivers, tunnel mountains and
keep as close to an air line as possible.
St. Louis men have had the scheme in
view for three or four years, and their
original idea was to have the cars run
ming in time TO catch some OF the traffic
to the worlds fair. They now hope to
have the road in working order within a
year.
The inventor is DIR. Wellington Adams,
Of Chicago, who had his plan patented
so far back as 1888, and claims the honor
OF first conceiving the idea OF an electcri
railroad. A part OF the scheme is to
supply small towns along the route with
electricity for power and light. The line
will be divided into TWENTY-FIVE sections
Of ten miles each, and will be operated
from power stations located at coal
mines along the route which are owned
by the company. An overhead electric
construction will be used, consisting OF
central poles and cross arms, with O
trolley wire running along tie side of the
car.
Motors operating under this system re-
quire no commutators or brushes, and
may be made waterproof and freproof.
The cars are to be run one section apart,
and no current will be permitted to flow
in the intermediate section, 90 the danger
Of collisions will be diminished. The top
Of the car will he only nine feet from the
rail, which is three feet lower than the
average street car. This brings the center
Of gravity so low that 1t is claimed to
eliminate any danger Of the car jumping
the track.
Another novel feature of this new style
Of car is that in front they are wedge
shaped, with a view to diminishing the
atmospheric resistance. The motorman
will stand just behind the wedge-like
nose. Between his niche and the rear
wheels is the passenger compartment,
and back of this space for the mails
and high.class express matter. The
weight Of the whole car and equipment
will be only fifteen tons.
In steam roads it is reckoned that the
locomotive has to draw nineteen pounds
of dead weight for every pound Of paying
weight, and any one who knows what q
heavy affair passenger coach is can see
that this statement is reasonable. Mr..
Adams says that he has reduced the ratio
to to l in his electric car. There are
two pairs of drivingwheels, each being
driven by distinct motor. These wheels
are six feet in diameter, making mini
mum OF 500 revolutions minute, which,
Mr.. Adams says. means at least 100 miles
an hour. His friends declare that he
really hopes for much greater speed, but
he is modest and cautious and does not
want to raise their expectations too high.
The size OF the wheels reduces the fric-
ton to level with those under an ordi-
nary passenger train travelling At fifty
miles an hour. Besides, the axles Of the
electric car turn upon roller bearings
which do not require the use Of oil.
The tracks OF the new road will be ele-
waited above the tracks Of other railroads
by means OF iron bridges, and the country
roads along the line will be thrown up
over the tracks Of the electric road by
means OF wooden bridges after truly
Napoleonic style Of engineering. There
will not be frog, switch or a draw
bridge on the whole line, and all this
will leave the progress OF the flying
Through" train without possibility OF
interruption.
1t is thought that two power houses,
one at each end Of the line, will be suf.
ficent to furnish power. At first the line
will have only two tracks, but eventually
four tracks will be constructed - two
lightweight outside tracks for local traffic
and high.class freight, and two heavy
weight inner tracks to be used exclusively
for through passenger traffic, mails and
express packages. No passenger trains
will be run at night, or at least not later
than 8 80 p. m, and the track will be
employed during these hours By cars car
rying freight, mail and express matter.
The cars will be lighted and warmed by
electricity and will be provided with all
the comforts Of the up-to-date railway
coach. A through train will run every
hour and accommodation trains will run
every half hour as soon as tracks are pro-
vided for the purpose. The line OF the
road will be illuminated by incandescent
electric lamps for one mile ahead and one
mile behind every car running at night.
With true Standard Oil ingenuity, one
of the first moves of the company was
to buy up all the coal lands along the
route, and they did not forget good
resl.estate opportunities. The company
will operate its own coal mines by means
of electric mining locomotives. electric
drills and electric cutters, largely cheaper
ing the cost Of mining. The good coal
will be sold and the waste dust, which is
q complete loss under the present meth
DDS Of mining, will be utilized in the en-
gines which develop the electrical power.
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