The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-01
NINE, MILL AND RAILROAD.

MINE, MILL AND RAILROAD.
An underground trolley transit, the
dream of all our large cities, seems
to be in fair way toward consumma-
ton If we may believe an article in q
Milwaukee paper relative to the system
of trolley propulsion invented by Her
luf A. F, Peterson, of the Peterson
Electrical works of that city. Ever
since electricity was first employed for
the propulsion of street cars it has
been the study of electrical workers
to devise an underground conduit
which would be safe and absolutely re-
liable. Numbers of conduits have been
devised, but the difficulty with all that
have been tried thus far is that no pro-
vision was made aginst the accumua-
tion of dirt and moisture in the conduit
containing the electric conductors. In
fact these objections to the conduit
system have been so great that they
have prevented the adoption of same,
and the street railway companies have
stuck to the overhead trolley The
Peterson system will, it Is said, do away
with all the overhead wires and poles,
together with the danger of life and
property resulting from their use. The
Peterson system also does away with
the corrosion of water and gas pipes,
telephone cables and other metallic
property buried in the ground, which
is caused by electrolysis from the
ground return current of the present
overhead system and it is said to in
volve a saving of 40 per cent. upon
the present cost Of the overhead troll
ley lines.
The principal object of the Peterson
system is to provide an underground
conduit of such construction as TO eff
fectually guard against the admission
OF moisture to that portion of the con-
duit occupied by the conductors or
wires, and to prevent the condensation
of moisture on the walls or the conduc-
tors or the insulated supports for the
conductors, The Peterson system also
provides for the ready removal of any
dirt which may find its way through
the slot by which the conduit communi-
Gates with the surface of the ground.
Another object of the invention is to
provide means for maintaining a circu-
lation of dry cold air within the part of
the conduit in which the conductors
are located, in order to keep the con-
ductors dry as well as to provide means
for regulating the operation of the ven
'iotiiS uppdl dllS. L HIS SySlelH ilSO
provides means for operating the
switches upon the tracks as well as ad-
justing rails within the conduit by
means of electric switches located upon
the car and within reach of the motor
man, while the car is yet at distance
from the track switch, so as to enable
the motorman to adjust the switch
rails and the conductors to enable the
car to continue straight ahead on the
main track or TO branch off onto q side
track, as may be desired The entire
casing or conduit is located entirely
teneath the surface of the ground, and
Is divided into two longitudinal pass
ages or compartments. The casing of
the conduit may be made of any desired
or convenient form and may be made
from a number of sections fitting close
ly together at their abutting edges so
as to form water-tight joints. In every
case, a longitudinal slot is provided in
the top of the casing, for the admission
of the contract carrying device, which
slot communicates directly with one
compartment or passage of the con-
duit, which is arranged to communicate
at intervals with sewer, 50 that any
accumulation Of dirt or water which
comes through the slot may readily
PASS Oll llllOuSI lIlG5c connexions 10
the sewer.
The second compartment in which the
conductors are located communicate
with the first compartment by means Of
longitudinal openings which are ordi-
narily kept closed by suitable flexible
closing device which is engaged by the
contact carrying arm as the car ad-
vances and opens just sufficiently to
permit the passage of the arm and closes
Immediately after the arm has passed
A steel broom is attached to the car
and arranged to extend down into the
first compartment which has the slot
In its top, and is arranged to continu-
ally sweep any dirt that enters this
compartment to the sewer connections.
In this manner the conduit will be con-
tinually cleaned. The second compart-
ment containing the electric conductors
are located out of line with the slot so
that any water which may drip from
the sides of the slot will not strike the
opening of said compartment or the
closing device. The slot rail is extended
down at he side of the slot next to the
compartment containing the conductors
Idr enough 10 carry the water WnlCn